Poker Online for Real Money – Best Sites for Australians 2023

Madison Bundey Updated on: May 05, 2023

Online poker is one of the most popular casino games. Based on your skills as a player, wagers are made with chips based on the potential you see in your dealt hands. Discover how and where to play this top casino game.

Top Online Poker Sites in Australia

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How to Choose an Online Poker Site

How we select the best sites for our readers’ to play online poker is the same way you should choose them. We only recommend online casinos for real money where there are quality games, fair terms and conditions, and your data and funds are in a safe, secure environment.

These are the main areas to consider when selecting an casino at which to play online poker, and is also the criteria against which we rate sites.

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING ON ONLINE POKER SITE

Licensed and reputable Most important is the casino has a license. This means it is subject to laws and regulations. Reputation comes over time, so the longer a casino has been around the more likely it is to have a good record.
Excellent customer service Most of the time things run smoothly. But when they don’t responsive and reliable customer support is a must.
Multiple withdrawal and deposit options Whether you’re playing with Australian dollars or cryptocurrency, you need banking methods that allow you to make and receive payments through the best methods.
Variety of quality games What is the casino games selection like? Do they have cash tournaments? Which game variations are available?
Fast payout procedure You’ve won and you want to collect your winnings. Knowing the casino has an efficient payout procedure with minimal delays is a key element in selecting your poker site.
Superb bonuses and promotions Are the bonuses lucrative and without crippling terms and conditions?
Top-notch security Does the casino site have 128-bit SSL encryption?

How to Play Poker Online

Once you’ve selected your site, it’s time to sign up and start playing.

  • Enter the online poker site and click sign up.
  • Enter your personal details on the sign up forms
  • Make a deposit and claim any bonuses you wish to use
  • Head to the games lobby and find the poker game for you (remember it could be under a live casino tab)
  • Play, gamble responsibly and have fun

Basic Rules of Online Poker

When you play poker online for real money, there are a few rules you need to take into consideration. However, the basic rules of poker remain the same, whatever variation you may be playing.

  • You play with a standard deck of 52 cards
  • Each player counts five cards towards their final hand
  • Players can choose to keep or discard cards
  • Players decide whether to check, fold or match bets during each round of play
  • When you fold your hand you are effectively out of the game for that round
  • The highest hand wins.

The rules will change slightly with each poker variation. A summary of the most popular variations is below.

POKER HANDS

In order to win at online poker in Australia you’ll need to remember the ranking of the hands. The hands below are the classics and will be applicable in almost all variations of poker online, or in land-based casinos. Learn these hands and start honing your skills so you can master the game. The hands are ranked from highest to lowest below.

Royal Flush

The highest ranking hand and also the most difficult to get. A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit.
Royal Flush

Straight Flush

Five sequential cards of the same suit, i.e. in numerical sequence.
Straight Flush

Four of a Kind

A hand that contains four cards of the same rank or numerical value. For example, an 8 from each of the four suits.
Four of a Kind

Full House

Three cards of the same face value and a pair of a different value.
Full House

Flush

This hand consists of five cards of the same suit, though not in sequential order.
Flush

Straight

In this instance, the order needs to be sequential but the cards can be a mix of suits.
Straight

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same value. In other words, 8 8 8, or Q, Q, Q.
Three of a Kind

Two Pair

Where your hand holds two pairs of cards with the same face value. For example, JJ or 66.
Two Pair

One Pair

The player holds two cards with the same face value.
One Pair

High Card

No player holds any other winning combination, so the player with the highest ranking card wins.
High Card

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Texas Hold’em
The most common variant, it is played with a standard deck and between 2 and 8 players. Two cards a re dealt to each player and they can then use any of the five community cards laid by the dealer in the centre.
Omaha
Players start with four cards each, but can choose which 2 to use along with three of the five community cards to form their hand.
Caribbean Stud
Rather than playing against each other, the players are betting against the dealer. There are no additional draws.
Pai Gow
With Pai Gow the joker in the pack is played. Players have 7 cards and make one big hand and one small hand. The small hand only includes two cards where you aim for a pair.

Different Forms of Betting in Online Poker

There are different forms of betting in online poker. The most common are:

  • No Limit The games do not restrict the size of the bets. The rule is the bet must be at least the same as the previous bet or the minimum bet, whichever is higher. Players can go all-in whenever they wish.
  • Pot Limit To prevent players from going all-in at the start of play, this form of poker betting means players can only make wagers or raises to the size of the pot.
  • Fixed Limit A specific size of bet is allowed in each round, increasing as each hand progresses.

Tips and Tricks for Aussie Poker Players

To play poker well, you need to hone your skills. One way to improve your play and increase your chances of winning at online poker are to implement some of the following tips and tricks. This way you increase your odds and reduce the house edge.

Learn the game

This may seem evident, but you’d be surprised how many people play without understanding the rules of poker. Learn the variations of the rules according to the version you’re playing.

Familiarise yourself with the hands

Following on from learning the game is to know the ranking of the hands instinctively. That way you’re better able to decide on whether to fold or continue betting.

Practice in demo mode

Most Australian online casinos allow you to play poker for free. Try the game in demo mode and get a few practice sessions under your belt before playing poker for real money.

Don’t chase losses

If you’re on a losing streak, it may be time to stop. Whilst poker is a skill-based game, the order in which the cards are dealt is still random. Take a break and don’t think going all-in or using larger wagers will make a difference – always gamble responsibly.

Don’t break a Straight Flush in search of a Royal Flush

If you’re holding a straight flush – 9,10,J,Q,K – don’t throw away the nine in the hope of an Ace. The odds are not in your favour, and a straight flush is still a strong hand.

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Mobile Poker Play

Mobile casinos are naturally on the up nowadays, allowing players the freedom to play anytime, anywhere. Whilst the majority of the top casinos offer the possibility to play through the browser, some of them may also offer specific poker apps.

These apps and the online casinos associated with them are easily downloaded. As for compatibility, you’ll find they are fully operational on iOS and Android devices.

Mobile casinos are naturally on the up nowadays, allowing players the freedom to play anytime, anywhere. Whilst the majority of the top casinos offer the possibility to play through the browser, some of them may also offer specific poker apps.

These apps and the online casinos associated with them are easily downloaded. As for compatibility, you’ll find they are fully operational on iOS and Andro…

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Glossary of Poker Terms

A player goes ‘all-in’ when they wager all their available chips that round.

This is the money in the prize pool, also known as ‘the kitty.’

Bets move in a clockwise order. If there’s no wager already on the table, betting can start.

A forced wager placed by players on the left side of the dealer. Sometimes, there’s also a big blind.

A player can only call if there has been a bet on the current round. It involves matching the bet made by other players.

If there has not been a wager made, a player may check – which means not making a bet themselves.

A name that refers to a two, which is acting as a Wild.

To end your play in the current round. Your hand is not part of the play either.

A game where players get dealt more than one hand per round.

A table that shows players the possible payouts in the game.

The total bets wagered by players during a session. The winner takes all the money in the pot.

A player can raise the amount of the bet in the current round. For example, if a player has bet $2 you could raise it to $3.

A card that can stand in for other cards and is used to create a winning combination.

Banking Methods for Poker

The online casinos which provide the poker games will offer a variety of different deposit methods. These usually include credit cards, cryptocurrencies and eWallets or prepaid cards.

At Australia Internet Pokies, we only recommend casinos which have safe and secure banking options. Occasionally, there are fees for deposits but most likely they are incurred for withdrawals, and even then mainly for bank transfers. We always recommend you check the T&Cs before making a deposit.

The Legality of Online Poker in Australia

Interactive Gambling Act 2001

The Interactive Gambling Act became law in 2001, making it illegal to operate an online gambling site within Australian territories. That does not mean, however, that Australians cannot play online poker using an offshore operator. This loophole means you can access online pokier sites licensed and operated offshore.

IGA Amendments 2017

The Australian Parliament updated the Interactive Gambling Act restrictions in 2017 with the Interactive Amendment Bill. This caused yet more operator operators to close down their Australian arms. However, there are still plenty of online poker sites available.

Accredited & Licensed Casinos

The loophole we mentioned above means Australian players can still access real money poker sites through offshore casinos. We always ensure the casinos we recommend are licensed and audited by third-parties to provide security and fairness.

Online Poker FAQs

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