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Best Online Poker Sites in Australia for 2025 – Where to Play Poker Online for Real Money

Written by

Mike Waters

Edited by

Matthew Scott

Uploaded on

06 October 2024
Online Poker Sites Australia

If you’re an avid poker player like us, then you’re already aware that there aren’t too many online poker sites in Australia to choose from.

The industry was dealt a bad hand a few years ago with the Interactive Gambling Act, which saw some of the biggest poker brands leave Australia’s market. However, there are still a handful of sites where you can play poker for real money without issues. 

After exploring all of the available options, we’ve ranked and reviewed the best online poker sites in Australia based on their player traffic, tournaments, poker software, and how well they performed in various other areas.

Let’s dive in and check them all out.

Best overall, editor’s choice

150% Up to $1,500 Poker Bonus

MTTs

A$2 million weekly GTDs

Anonymous tables

4.9/5

Best crypto cash games

150% Poker Bonus up to $2,000

Backed by popular poker players

High limit action

Bad Beat jackpots

4.8/5

Perfect for live dealer poker

Up to A$5,200 Welcome Bonus + 150 Free Spins

Live dealer poke

Fast payouts

Generous bonuses

4.5/5

Suitable for beginners

Up to A$5,000 Welcome Bonus + 450 FS

10 video poker games

Big welcome bonus

Jackpot poker

4.3/5

Best variety of poker games (RNG)

Welcome Bonus Up to A$300 + 150 Free Spins

25+ poker games

24/7 support

Trusted brand

4/5

Our Recommended Online Poker Sites in Australia

Reviews of Australia’s Best Poker Sites

Eager to learn everything there is to know about these Australian poker sites? Stick around as we take a look at their poker games and tournaments, bonuses, and payment methods.

1. Ignition – Best Online Poker Site in Australia, Editor’s Choice

Ignition Poker Page

Pros

Great player traffic

Zone poker for fast gameplay

 $1,500 poker bonus & weekly freerolls

Fully customizable poker software

Anonymous tables

100+ daily tournaments

Cons

You can’t track other players’ stats

Level 2 required in the loyalty program to join freerolls

Ever since PokerStars and other top brands became unavailable to use in Australia, Ignition quickly replaced them as the absolute best poker site, offering all of the features you need for an enjoyable poker experience.

♠️ Poker Tournaments, Games & Software: 5/5

First off, Ignition offers cash games in three flavors, including:

  • Hold’Em – No Limit & Fixed Limit
  • Omaha  – Pot Limit
  • Omaha Hi/Lo – Pot Limit

You can play all three on a regular cash table or via Ignition’s Zone Poker feature, which finds a new seat for you every time you fold – effectively doubling the number of hands you can play.

Blinds range from $0.02 / $0.05 to $10.00 / $20.00, so there’s a suitable poker table whether you’re a high-roller or a complete beginner.

As far as poker tournaments are concerned, there are over 100 a day, with a $200k GTD Sunday event, as well as Ignition’s signature Monthly Milly with a $1 million GTD. 

Tournament types include knockouts, satellites, specials, crypto-only, sit & go’s, and more. Considering the massive amount of traffic it takes to host so many tournaments – and with big guarantees – it’s clear that there’s some poker action to sink into whenever you log in.

🎁 Bonuses: 4.8/5

Ignition offers a welcome bonus that covers both real money online pokies and poker. On your first deposit, you can claim a 200% bonus up to $2,000 (300% up to $3,000 for crypto deposits) – half of which will remain locked in your account for poker.

To start gradually unlocking it ($1 for 30 Ignition Miles earned), you will need to join poker tournaments or play ring games.

Other poker-specific bonuses at Ignition include:

  • Royal Flush: Get 50x your big blind when you land a royal flush up to a maximum of $200.
  • Bad Beat Bonus: If you lose with Aces Full of Kings or better, you will win 100x the big blind up to a maximum of $1,000.
  • $2,500 Poker Freeroll: Join Ignition’s freeroll tournament with a $2,500 GTD every Thursday. Only for players at Chrome level or above.

💳 Payment Methods: 4.8/5

  • Credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover)
  • Cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, USDT)
  • Vouchers

The minimum deposit is $20 for credit cards, $10 for crypto (with the exception of $5 for USDT and $50 for ETH), and $10 for vouchers.

Withdrawal limits also vary from one option to another, but you can get the biggest limit of $180,500 weekly if you use Bitcoin. Plus, all crypto payouts are processed within a few hours after you are a verified user.

2. Coinpoker — Best Australian Online Poker Site for Crypto

Coin Poker Page

Pros

Huge high-limit action

Transparent RNG

Offers 5-card Omaha

Bad beat jackpots

“Action” tables designed to create big pots

Cons

No fiat deposit options

Limited game variety

CoinPoker is a community-owned, crypto-only cardroom that’s making a big name for itself thanks to a simple rule change it recently implemented — one that not everyone likes.

♠️ Poker Tournaments, Games & Software: 5/5

When we say we’re reviewing the online poker action at CoinPoker, we really mean “action.” This site is a gambler’s paradise.

You won’t see any limit online poker games here, as your only options are NLHE, PLO, OFC, short deck poker, and 5-Card PLO.

All of this combines to create lots of betting and big pots, so if you’re a tight player, this might not be the cardroom for you. 

The traffic is surprisingly good for such a niche site, though, and you can usually find over 500 players and 10 or more poker tournaments running at any given time.

Oh, and that rule change we mentioned? It’s that every live hand gets revealed at showdown — even if there are no callers.

Meaning, if you drag a big pot with a bluff, your bluff will be revealed to the table. It’s an interesting dynamic that certainly changes the game, but a lot of old-school, “you wanna look, you gotta pay” type players don’t like it.

🎁 Bonuses: 4.8/5

CoinPoker offers a handsome welcome bonus for new players – a 150% match up to $2,000. As you earn rake, the bonus will be released as real money into your account (you need to generate 2x your bonus to fully release it).

You can also get up to 33% rakeback by holding CHP (the native currency of CoinPoker) in your account.

💳 Payment Methods: 4.5/5

  • Tether (USDT)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Polygon (MATIC)
  • Binance Coin (BNB)
  • CoinPoker Coin (CHP)

There are no deposit fees regardless of the crypto you choose, and withdrawals are nearly instant, making CoinPoker one of the fastest payout poker sites for Australian players.

3. HellSpin – Best Live Dealer Poker Games in Australia

Hellspin Poker Page

Pros

4 live dealer poker games

26 single-player poker games

A$5,200 welcome package

Over 3000 games in total

Offers many payment methods

Cons

Doesn’t offer tournaments

Live Texas Hold’Em only available during peak hours

The next best thing to playing poker tournaments is taking a chance against a live dealer – and HellSpin hosts a bunch of live dealer poker games for you to try.

♠️ Poker Games & Software: 4.5/5

As an Australian player at HellSpin, you have access to 4 different poker games with a live dealer, including:

  • Bet on Poker
  • Casino Hold ‘Em
  • Poker 6+
  • Texas Hold ‘Em

The closest you can get to the real thing is by playing Live Texas Hold ‘Em. The hand combinations are the same, with the difference being that your cards are dealt face up and you can’t bluff the dealer. We’ve had tons of fun playing Poker 6+, too.

Other poker games at HellSpin include single-player variants like Caribbean, Stud, and Trey Poker, as well as Poker Teen Patti, American Gold, Poker Ways, and a bunch of video poker titles.

The downside here is that Live Texas Hold ‘Em doesn’t run during off-peak hours, so you will need to settle for the other poker games if you’re a night owl.

🎁 Bonuses: 4.4/5

HellSpin’s welcome bonus for Australians is worth up to A$5,200 and 150 free spins – and you can claim it across four deposits.

The minimum deposit to qualify for each deposit bonus is AU$25, with a maximum bonus win potential of AU$15,000. The wagering requirements are 40x, and unfortunately, you can only use these bonuses to play online pokies.

💳 Payment Methods: 4.6/5

One big advantage of HellSpin is that it accepts a heck of a lot of deposit and withdrawal options. 

You can use credit cards, Apple Pay, eZee Wallet, Jeton, AstroPay, Sticpay, Luxon, Neosurf, and CashtoCode, as well as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Tether, Ethereum, and 15 others.

Strangely enough, the minimum deposit for Neosurf is only AU$2, and it goes higher from there with a minimum of AU$15 for cards, e-wallets, and cryptocurrencies.

4. Joe Fortune – Top Poker Site for Beginners

Joe Fortune Poker Page

Pros

10 video poker games

Caribbean Stud Poker with a jackpot

Over 300 casino games in total

Welcome package up to $5,000 + 450 FS

Only accepts Australian players

Cons

Doesn’t offer cash games

Doesn’t accept e-wallets

If you’re a complete beginner in poker, then Joe Fortune is likely the best place to start. Here, you can explore 10 video poker games with simple rules and easy payouts. Once you’re comfortable playing these, only then should you try playing tournaments with the big boys.

♠️ Poker Games & Software: 4/5

Video poker is the best way to get started if you’re a complete newbie, as it allows you to learn the ropes of the game without having to face professionals right away who are likely to eat you alive at the tables.

At Joe Fortune, you can play Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, and Deuces Bonus, available in 1-hand, 3-hand, and 10-hand variants. You can also enjoy some action with Caribbean Hold ‘Em and Caribbean Stud Poker, both of which had an AU$82k jackpot at the time of writing.

Other games you can explore at this Australian poker site are jackpot pokies, table games, specialties, and live dealers.

🎁 Bonuses: 4.5/5

This Aussie online casino gets you started on the right foot with a 100% bonus up to $1,000 on each of your first five deposits. In total, you can claim A$5,000 in bonus funds and 450 free spins.

If you use Bitcoin to play, the total bonus of up to $5,000 will remain the same, but the match percentage will increase to 150% for each deposit. 

Bonus points for Joe Fortune allowing you to play video poker using the bonus – just keep in mind that it expires in 7 days and that poker wagers contribute 10% to the rollover.

💳 Payment Methods: 4.7/5

  • Credit Cards (Visa and MasterCard)
  • Cryptocurrencies (BTC, BCH, ETH, USDT, and LTC)
  • Vouchers (Neosurf and Flexepin)

The minimum deposit is $20 for cards, $15 for Neosurf, $30 for Flexepin, and $10 for crypto. If you’re using USDT, you can deposit as little as $5. The maximum withdrawal per transaction is $10,000.

5. PlayAmo – Best Variety of Real Money Poker Games in Australia

Playamo Poker Page

Pros

25 different online poker games

Reputable software providers

Over 3000 games in total

24/7 customer support

AU$1,500 welcome package

Cons

 Website can be a bit slow

Doesn’t offer tournaments

Ever since 1829 – the date when the first poker game was invented – there have been countless variations of the game with different rulesets and risk levels. And you can find most of them at PlayAmo, an Australian poker site offering 25 different variants of the game.

♠️ Poker Games & Software: 3.5/5

If you want to explore way beyond the classic game of poker, then you’ll be thrilled with PlayAmo’s selection of over 20 online poker games.

You will find everything from video poker games and Oasis Poker to some pretty exciting variants like Triple-Edge Poker. We particularly enjoyed playing this game, as the rules are super-interesting and the payouts can get pretty big when you get lucky.

There’s no dedicated section for poker, though, so you’ll have to use the search button to find a game you like to try.

🎁 Bonuses: 4/5

PlayAmo’s welcome package covers your first two deposits.

On your first deposit, you can get a 100% bonus of up to AU$500 and 100 free spins to use on the Elvis Frog in Vegas pokie machine. To claim it, use the promo code FIRSTDEP.

Use the bonus code SECONDDEP with your second deposit to claim a 50% bonus worth up to AU$1,000 and 50 free spins for the Lady Wolf Moon pokie game.

You can use these bonus funds to play any poker game you want at PlayAmo, just keep in mind that the contribution rate is 5%.

💳 Payment Methods: 4.5/5

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • ApplePay
  • MiFinity
  • CashtoCode
  • Neosurf
  • Cryptocurrencies

PlayAmo doesn’t have as many deposit and withdrawal options as HellSpin, but the ground is still covered pretty well.  The minimum deposit is $10 for cards and vouchers and increases to $15 for MiFinity.

Ranking Methodology for Australia’s Best Online Poker Sites

We don’t just randomly select poker sites and recommend them to you – our selection process is a very thorough one. Below, you can have a little insight into what we pay attention to when making our rankings.

Poker Tournaments & Cash Games

Most Australians looking for the best online poker sites on the internet are hoping to find tournaments and cash games. Therefore, this was our primary criterion when creating our list. 

Next, we checked the player traffic at each site to ensure there was non-stop action and whether the poker software was reliable. We’ve played 100+ poker hands at each casino to bring you detailed results.

Poker Variants

Beginners shouldn’t play poker tournaments right away, which is why we’ve recommended online gambling sites that offer beginner-friendly poker games. These include video poker, tri-card, casino hold ‘em, and more.

If you ever get bored playing cards, you can explore tons of other casino games like online pokies, blackjack, baccarat, and more.

Safety & Payment Methods

Besides making sure that each Australian poker site on our list is held accountable by a gambling commission, we also went deeper to check how well they resolve customer issues, and whether you can expect fast payouts or not.

Additionally, we gave bonus points to online poker rooms offering a handful of secure deposit and withdrawal methods like e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, vouchers like Neosurf, and credit cards.

Everything Else

Many other things go into narrowing down the best Australian poker sites. So much that we can’t list every step that we take.  Some other notable features we pay attention to include:

  • Whether the bonuses have fair terms and conditions
  • How well each poker site works on mobile devices
  • The revenue of each brand
  • How easy and beginner-friendly the user interface is

How to Play Online Poker in Australia – Beginner’s Guide & Terms to Know

While we can’t make you a pro poker player overnight – you will find very valuable information in the guide below which will allow you to avoid some beginner mistakes.

Understand the Poker Rules

Poker rules are the stepping stone to playing online poker. You cannot join poker tournaments or ring games in Australia if you don’t know how to play. Below, we will take a look at some of the main Texas Hold ‘em rules.

Each player in a Texas Hold ‘em game is dealt two hole cards, which other players on the table do not know the value of. Then, five more community cards are dealt face-up – three on the flop, one on the turn, and the last one on the river. The primary objective of the game is to make the best five-card combination with your two hole cards and five community cards.

After the cards are dealt, there are four rounds of betting – preflop, flop, turn, and river. The game can conclude even in the pre-flop stage if all players decide to fold. 

When your turn comes to play, you will have the option to fold (quit the hand), call, or raise. The hand will end when all players fold and there is only 1 player standing or at the end after the last betting round called the River ends.

Below, you can take a look at the poker hand rankings from best to worst.

  • Royal Flush: 10, J, Q, K, A – all of the same suit
  • Straight Flush: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or any other straight in the same suit
  • Four of a Kind (Quads): A, A, A, A, K, or any other four cards of equal value
  • Full House (Boat): A, A, A, K, K – three cards of the same value and two other same-value cards
  • Flush: Five cards of the same suit – they can be any cards
  • Straight: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – five cards of consecutive value regardless of their suit
  • Three of a Kind (Trips): A, A, A, 5, 9 – three cards of the same value
  • Two Pairs: A, A, K, K, 7 – Two pairs consist of 2x sets of cards of the same value
  • Pair: A, A, Q, 3, 5 – Two cards of the same value and three extra cards

High Card: A, Q, 5, 2, 7 – Weakest hand in poker; the cards do not make up any combination

Poker Hand Rankings

Here’s a guide on how to play poker that you can check out if you need additional information.

Popular Poker Terms

There are many specific terms that you will need to learn as you begin playing online poker in Australia – let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.

  • Big Blind – a forced bet that players must make
  • Ante – a small bet that all players must make before the start of a hand
  • Bad beat – losing with strong cards such as aces full of kings
  • Fish – a novice poker player
  • Shark – an experienced poker player
  • Flop – the first three community cards in Texas Hold ‘em
  • Bluff – betting with a weak (losing) hand in order to make other players fold
  • Broadway – an ace-high straight
  • Cowboys – two pocket kings
  • Heads-up – only two players left in the hand
  • Nuts – the best possible combination available with the community cards
  • Outs – the remaining cards that can improve your hand

Poker Tips & Strategies for Beginners

Feeling warmed up for some action at the best poker sites in Australia already? As a seasoned poker player, our expert Mike has lined up three poker strategies that will help you as a beginner.

Stick to these, and you’ll be a better poker player within a few hours.

Bet Aggressively Pre-Flop

When you get a strong hand, such as AK, AA, AQ, or anything similar, your best chance of winning the hand is to raise the stakes immediately. This way, you will make all the other players with mid-range cards like 8Q fold, thus preventing them from getting lucky on the flop.

You’re likely to end up playing against one or two opponents at this point, making your likelihood of winning the hand bigger than it would have been if you didn’t raise.

Set a Trap With Pocket Pairs

If you happen to get AA or KK as pocket cards, try to play the pre-flop round slowly on a table with 5 players or less. As you play slowly, other players are not likely to know the strength of your hand, at which point they can raise with bad cards, trying to make you fold. 

This is the best scenario you can find yourself in – especially if you’ve landed trips on the flop. If the community cards make it unlikely that your opponent has better cards, don’t be afraid to shove (go all in).

Play Fewer Poker Hands

The best poker advice we can give you is to play fewer poker hands. If you’re constantly calling, wanting to see what the flop gives you, you’re very likely to bleed out your stack of chips very fast. 

Instead, wait for good pocket cards and choose when to play wisely. And when you do – do not play it slow! Playing great cards slowly is the biggest beginner mistake in poker.If you’re a blackjack fan as well, check out this guide for some of the most effective strategies to increase your chances of beating the dealer.

Playing Online Poker in Australia – Final Words

Even though the poker landscape in Australia is not as big as it was, there are still plenty of reliable poker sites available to choose from. 

One of them is Ignition – a secure platform offering heaps of daily poker tourneys, including satellites, knockouts, and more, in addition to both low-stakes and high-roller cash tables.

With that said, keep in mind that it’s best to avoid playing against others if you’re a beginner. To that end, we recommend Joe Fortune as the best poker site to learn the ropes.

Thanks for reading and have fun playing the best card game there ever was!

Online Poker Australia: FAQ

Yes, you can play poker for real money in Australia at platforms such as Ignition and CoinPoker. Both of these online poker rooms accept players from Australia and they are secure to use.

No, PokerStars left the Australian poker markets a few years ago, along with 888 Poker and a few other famous brands. Right now, the best site to play online poker in the Land Down Under is Ignition.

The best online poker room in Australia for tournaments is Ignition, according to our research and testing. It offers over 100 daily tournaments, which increase to 200 over the weekend, generating over $2 million in tournament GTDs weekly.

You can use plenty of deposit methods to start playing poker online in Australia, including:

  • Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, etc)
  • Vouchers (Neosurf, Flexepin, etc)
  • E-Wallets (MiFinity and eZee Wallet)
  • Cryptocurrencies (BTC, LTC, ETH, USDT, etc)
  • Bank Transfers
Disclaimer: Gambling in Australia is strictly for individuals aged 18+. Our editorial team adheres to a strict policy to ensure that our reviews, recommendations, and content remain objective and free from external influence. We strongly encourage responsible gambling at all times. If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, visit the following gambling resources:

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