Top Ten Australian Poker Sites
Online poker is a popular pastime in Australia, but one which has faced several stumbling blocks. The Australian government banned online poker rooms from operating from within Australia when they introduced the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act. Although this effectively ruled out poker sites from operating from within Australia, it did not however prohibit players from using international poker sites. It is perfectly legal for Australian players to join foreign poker sites and play online. However, unlike the US where gambling regulations are strictly adhered to, in Australia the anti-online gambling legislation is to a large extent not enforced by the federal authorities. Australia plays host to some of the biggest live poker tournaments in the world, including the Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the Aussie Millions event each year. Many international poker sites offer satellites for players in the Antipodean country to win a spot at a live tournament on their home turf. Players down under should take account of the time differences in regards to playing poker online in Australia, as most other players will be using the same site from differing time zones. It’s worthwhile for Australian players to track down the most popular online poker sites which will have a decent pool of players at tables any time during the day or night.
| Rank | Poker Site | Sign Up Bonus | Review | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Bet Online Poker |
| 4.7/5 | 200% up to $2500 | Visit Site Read Review |
| 2 |
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888 Poker | 4.5/5 | 100% up to £230 | Visit Site Read Review |
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| 3 |
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PokerStars | 3.9/5 | 100% up to £400 | Visit Site Read Review |
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| 4 |
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Full Tilt Poker | 3.4/5 | 100% up to $600 | Visit Site Read Review |
|
| 5 |
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Party Poker | 3.3/5 | 100% up to £500 | Visit Site Read Review |
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| 6 |
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William Hill | 3/5 | 200% up to 1400 | Visit Site Read Review |
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| 7 |
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Titan Poker | 3/5 | 200% up to £1200 | Visit Site Read Review |
|
| 8 |
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Pacific Poker | 1/5 | 100% up to | Visit Site Read Review |
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| 9 |
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Pokerhost |
| 1/5 | 100% up to $1000 | Visit Site Read Review |
| 10 |
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Iron Poker | 0.1/5 | 200% up to €1000 | Visit Site Read Review |
Top 10 Poker Sites for Australian Players!
888 Poker
888 Poker is one of the most instantly recognisable online betting sites on the internet and can boast the most popular online casino site in the world. 888 has over four thousand cash players active at peak times, which should give Aussie players plenty of decent competition. Most of its current poker traffic comes from non-US territories which will suit Australian players, as it means more players online at convenient peak hours. 888 Poker renowned for its undeniably soft competition so there’s plenty of fish to be taken advantage of. The high number of casual players at the tables here creates easy targets for regular and experienced players. Poker variants at 888 include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7 Card Stud, and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo as well as SNAP poker 9as the name would suggest, it’s a fast-fold poker game for those who prefer their games to have a speedier turnaround). Aussie players who place their first deposit at 888 Poker will automatically receive 2 tickets to the twice-weekly $1,000 Depositors Free Tournaments, as well as a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $400. When it comes to depositing funds into your 888 Poker account there’s tons of options here; the site accepts Visa, MasterCard, Bank Wire, CashUp, ClickandBuy, Neteller, Netpay, PayPal, PayBox, MoneyBookers. It also accepts payments via POLi, Australia’s favourite real-time online debit payment method. For Australian players, cash outs for Aussie players take on average around 2-6 working days for debit and credit cards. 888 has helpful customer service with knowledgeable staff who are available 24 hours a day via the live chat option and email.
BetOnline Poker
BetOnline is originally a US poker site, but one which accepts Australian poker players who can easily avail of any of the cash games, free roll tournaments, promotions and real money tournaments on its popular site. It’s more of a sportsbook focussed betting site than a poker destination so play is fairly loose and soft due to all the sports bettors who drift over to partake in some casual poker playing. It’s part of the Chico Poker Network and specializes in Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker variants. Promotions are fairly attractive, they include Bad Beat jackpot, Four of a Kind bonus, and a new depositor bonus of 25% in matching funds, all the way up to $1,000. BetOnline has an extensive range of banking options for depositing funds into your account too, so players are spoilt for choice when it comes to getting involved in cash games.
Full Tilt
The poker site has been popular with Aussie players since it first came on the scene in 2004. It offers a wide selection of poker games, from standard Texas hold’em and Omaha, to 7 card stud, Razz, and mixed games such as HORSE (a combination of Hold’em, Omaha, razz, stud, and eights-or-better). Full Tilt is a fairly lively poker site and puts a twist on many traditional poker variants. The software here is simple to download and is fully compatible with PC and Mac computers. The site has recently merged with its sister site, PokerStars, so players can expect a boost in traffic. Full Tilt has a great range of regular tournaments that Australian players can get involved in, including the Sunday Brawl, the Supersized Sunday $100K and the Saturday $75K guaranteed tournament. Buy-ins for these aren’t the cheapest but players can win their spot through free satellites. Banking is easy and straightforward with lots of secure option like Visa, Mastercard, Neteller, Skrill and Wire transfers. The only customer service options are via email but replies are fairly speedy. Full Tilt has some interesting features, such as their Lobby Widgets, which allow players to customize the lobby however they like.
Pacific Poker
Pacific Poker may seem familiar to most players, probably due to the fact it is part of the ever-present 888 Poker brand. It has similar features and software, with a decent level of traffic also. New players can receive a $20 instant bonus by simply signing up to the Pacific Poker site, and those who make a real money deposit will be eligible for a 100% match bonus. Pacific Poker accepts a wide range of banking methods including Visa, MasterCard, Entropay, Neteller, PayPal, Skrill and POLi. Multi-table at Pacific Poker as table sizes can be adjusted to fit your specific needs. There are plenty of good features here such as an auto-rebuy option, auto-add on option and a preferred seating option. Customer service is efficient thanks to a comprehensive FAQ database and a prompt email service with an extremely quick response time.
Partypoker
A top rated site which caters for Australian players, Partypoker is a household name when it comes to the online poker industry. It has lots of real money cash games at all times during the day and night, as well as more tournaments than you could imagine, particular freerolls. Their poker bonus is available to Australian online poker players too, who can take full advantage of the 100% up to $500 (or AUS Dollars equivalent). There’s plenty of satellites running here, so if you’re looking for a seat to the Aussie Millions tournament, the Partypoker is top of your list
PokerStars
The world’s largest poker site welcomes Aussie players with open arms. It’s a great choice thanks to its high levels of traffic (up to 20,000 players at peak hours) so lots of decent competition for players. PokerStars can boast of more tournaments at than any other online poker room in the world, no other site comes close. PokerStars is of course the home of the famous Sunday Million tournament – the biggest weekly online poker tournament anywhere in the world. PokerStars is an excellent poker site when it comes to offering players country specific promotions and bonuses. There’s a decent number of freeroll tournaments geared towards Australian players. Software is state of the art and easily downloadable. Customer service is prompt and helpful, and available 24/7.
Titan Poker
Titan Poker is one of the most visited sites by Australian poker players, and is another site on the popular iPoker network. The site is simple to navigate with lots of useful features making the lobby fairly easy to understand. There’s a good deal of fish to be found here, thanks to the number of inexperienced players at the tables ensuring the competition is soft and loose in general, especially at the low stakes games. Titan offers Aussie players a 200% bonus up to a maximum of $2000 (USD, but it offers an equivalent in AUD) and banking options are plentiful here with all the usual choices among them including VISA, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, iDeal, and POLI – a favourite option for Australian players.
William Hill
William Hill Poker is rated as the second most popular online poker site for Australian players. It is a well-respected name in the online gaming industry thanks to its long history as a land based, established bookmaker. It’s on the iPoker Network, so plenty of tournaments are always running here and traffic is shared between a number of other well performing poker rooms, and it uses Playtech software. William Hill won’t charge customers for converting their AUD deposits into one of the accepted currencies for play (Pounds sterling, USD or Canadian dollars). Customer support is available immediately by opting for the live chat button, phone or via email. There’s regular satellites here to live events, including the Aussie Millions tournament. The new depositor bonus is a generous 200% up to a maximum of $2000/€1,500 or equivalent AUS dollars.
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