What’s Trending In NZ Online Casino & Poker Scene 2023?
Kiwi online pokies and poker scene is growing strong and offering great entertainment and skill based fun at the poker tables in 2023. What excatly is happening "Down Under" in New Zealand, is interesting to know, because this beautiful island next to Australia is currently trending as not so obvious poker and casino trip destination. The game is clearly on also online, where according NZ goverment study from 2018, 1 in 10 adults played online in the past 12 months.
While New Zealand Poker Championship, played between 16th and 20th of August, offers its annual challange for all the best NZ poker players, more major poker events are being planned to cater this trend.
With all the "buzz" and "skux" we been hearing and seeing lately, it seems proper to investigate further and answer the question - what's trending in NZ online casino and poker scene in 2023? Let's bloody go!
Best NZ Online Casinos in 2023
NZ online casino markets are dominated by international operators under Malta, Alderney, and sometimes Curacao license, which is why Kiwi players get to choose from a huge selection of online casinos where to play on. Huge selection might sometimes mean troubles, like if you don’t know if the NZ casino is legit or not. Legit online casino in New Zealand is always licensed. Never play on unlicensed NZ online casino and if you do not know if the operator is legit or not, its good to compare NZ casinos and read reviews.
Of course there are other options that might cater your needs better but if we consider overall quality, not many can top GGPoker Casino. They have great reputation, best pokies for kiwis, and high value bonuses and other promotions that always gives you something extra.
Best Bonus Casino NZ – Get Biggest Bang For Your Buck!
Best bonus casino NZ in 2023 must be one of the big names whose bonuses and promotions top others with bigger values, prize pools, and loyalty rewards. Depending on your preferences best bonus casino NZ is either 888Casino, or GGPoker Casino, if you also love online poker.
People tend to forget that GGPoker is online casino next to their amazing poker room but what people do not know most often, is all the bonuses and promotions that give you the biggest bang for your buck! Reason for this is GGPoker's massive over $5,5 million monthly prize pool of extra rewards for casino players. Only few online casinos offer anything like that, and one of them is GGPoker Casino. If you find legit NZ online casino offering bigger bonuses and promotions, please do tell, because I want to know!
Online Pokies Still Trending The Best
If we pick one category from all casino games Kiwis love the most, its the pokies! (local NZ word for slots). Online pokies are trending massively in 2023. If you want to be best NZ online casino, you must have pokies from popular providers Big Time Gaming, NetEnt, NoLimit City, Relax Gaming, Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger.
From all providers Big Time Gaming aka “BGT”, being Australian native, is naturally enjoying from huge popularity also in the neighboring New Zealand. Most popular BTG slots in New Zealand are Extra Chilli, Bonanza, High Voltage, and from new BTG slots, Big Bad Bison and Max Megaways 2.
Poker In New Zealand
Live Poker is very big in New Zealand but also in Australia. Players tend to jump between the countries but most often players from NZ travel to play in the big money events in Melbourne and Sydney. Biggest NZ poker live event is the New Zealand Poker Championship played at the ChristChurch Casino in August. This year the NZ Poker Championship 2023 deals its first poker hand in 16th of August and the action continues almost non-stop till the 20th of August.
Christchurch Casino is the epicenter of the best live poker tournaments in New Zealand. All top NZ poker players know this venue, where they have competed in various major live poker tournaments since 1999.
From all poker variants NLHE is the most popular but recent years New Zealand has had huge surge in mixed games popularity which is also seen in the live events offering more and more mixed games tournaments and other poker variants.
NZ Online Poker
NZ online poker scene does not differ much from the rest of world. Most of the NZ players play at the top online poker rooms but most often you meet them at GGPoker and PokerStars.
Asia based GGPoker offers multiple poker tournaments where you can win seats to best live events in Asia, Australia and the beautiful nations in the South Pacific.
Best NZ Poker Players And Rising Stars
Simon Watt
When we talk about best poker players in New Zealand, Simon Watt most definitely holds one of the top positions in this list, and he has a record to boast it. Labeled as “heads-up specialist”, he is the only player from New Zealand who so far has won the most wanted, WSOP Bracelet. This impressive feat came in 2010 and in very admirable fashion as he dueled it out in heads-ups against poker pro Tom “durrrr” Dwan.
Sosia Yiang
One of the top female poker players in the world, Sosia Yiang is currently the most trending NZ poker player. Fortune clearly attracts fame because Miss Yiang is the top live poker earner in New Zealand with total live earnings of almost $3,000,000. Her hot streak started from Macau in 2017 where 1st place rewarded her $500,000, followed by Sydney High Roller and then 3rd place in WPT New Zealand Main Event.
In 2023, Sosia Yiang is a touring the best live poker events in the world, WPT, WSOP, and her latest big win came from $210k buy-in Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Cyprus where 7th place brought her $820,000 US dollars.
Lee Nelson
Lee “Doc” Nelson is over 80-years old retired medical doctor turned poker pro and is currently Top 2 in total live poker earnings in New Zealand. Biggest pay day so far came from Melbourne, Crown Australian Poker Championship 2006, where the 1st place earned him $949,694.
Man is still active and holding the title of one of the best NZ poker players with an iron grip. Last year he came 2nd in the Canterbury Championship tournament which is part of the NZ Poker Championship Christchurch Event. Hopefully we see him there again now in August 2023.
Daniel Sing
Daniel Sing is one of the rising stars in NZ poker scene. All though man has not amassed crazy numbers in life time earnings, he is still trending in the circles and has earned to be put in many poker pros watchlist. Regular at Auckland live poker events, Daniel Sing has earned so far over $150k by playing poker and is right there at the gates to become one of the best players in New Zealand.
Kiwi punters can rest assured that NZ online casino and poker scene is alive and growing.
pokerape.co.nz is quite good for auckland poker