3 Best Australian Poker Sites for Real Money 2023

Best Australian Online Poker Sites 

Aussies generated the heaviest per capita gambling loss per capita, which includes online poker. 

This fact enforced the Australian government to set a very stringent law on online gambling as explained later. 

As a result, we can list just a few online poker sites for real money in Australia that we believe are the best & safest at this moment in time. 

List of Best Poker Sites for Aussie

Ignition Casino Poker – Softest Crypto Poker Site in the USA & Australia

Nitrogen Sports – Best Anonymous Bitcoin Exclusive Safe Poker Site for Australians

SwC Poker – Australia Bitcoin Exclusive Soft Games with Low Rake

Online Poker Legality in Australia

Australian Online Poker License

“Is it legal to play poker online for real money in Australia?”

Online Poker Operator

The Australian gaming law related to online Poker is;

This law caused the exodus of the key global poker operators, the prominent poker sites withdrawn from Australia are;

And, they no longer accept Australian players like the below;

Australian Player Legality

Remember, the Australian Interactive Gambling Act applies only to the operators.

Importantly, the Australian people do not get any penalty for playing online poker at any time as any laws that Australia does not pertain to poker players but rather operators.

Australian Poker Safety

Are online poker sites safe?

The poker sites we list in this guide accept Australian citizens officially, and they are regulated by their own jurisdiction, and given the high reputation already established in the industry, they deem to be pretty safe.

Ignition Poker belonging to the Pai Wang Luo group is ranked No. 5 in global traffic;

However, there are risks they would be blocked by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in the future.

If it happens, players’ money would not be confiscated but most likely they would urge to withdraw their money as soon as possible.

VPN Caution

Some betting advice sites suggest VPN access to sign up the withdrawn poker sites such as 888Poker & PokerStars. Yes, you may be able to physically access & play.

However, the bookmaker’s KYC (Know Your Customer) policy will enforce you to verify your account with ID (Passport / Driving license, etc), Address Proof (Utility Bill, Bank Statement, etc) & possibly Deposit Method Proof (Credit / Debit card Both Side).

Some bookies ask for it right after registration, some may not ask until you start withdrawal. In case you fail to verify, your account will be suspended & your winnings could be confiscated, which is a disaster.

So, don’t believe the rogue site’s unfounded story lightly. Unless you have a reliable person who allows you to use the above personal information willingly (probably only immediate family or extremely close friends), you’d better forget about this approach.

If you have such a reliable source then you need a reliable VPN. Based on our members’ feedback, this VPN is supposed to be the best from the viewpoints of the strongest security, high speed, versatility (accessible countries) & cost, for further details, see Best VPN For Betting – Why Sharp Needs Privacy.

Bottom line, if you want to play online poker for real money in Australia, the sites Ignition Poker Australia and Nitrogen Poker are the only & best poker sites for Australian players.

Australian Poker Funding

When it comes to Australian poker site deposit & withdrawal,  there are a few ways Ignition Poker indicates below;

But, the best way seems to be Bitcoin (Nitrogen Poker accepts only Bitcoin).

In case you’re not familiar with cryptocurrencies for betting, suggest taking a look at How To Gamble With Bitcoin, which includes the specific process of depositing & withdrawing by BTC. 

Australian Poker Taxation

The gambling tax in Australia is basically based on the same concept as the UK, which means 100% tax exempted (see 4 Best Poker Sites in the UK).

In Australia, gambling is not considered a profession but is treated as a hobby/recreational activity, in other words, the Australian government views gains from gambling activities not as income, but as a result of good luck, therefore they don’t levy any poker winnings. 

Factors To Decide Your Best Australian Poker Site

Easiness Of Poker Rooms (Fish List) 

Although Poker is considered gambling in Australia (therefore 100% tax-exempted), it’s pretty much skill-oriented. 

So, if you’re a beginner, you want to avoid the site filled with skilled players a.k.a. Reg, Grinder, or Shark, and search the sites for recreational players (unskilled players are known as Fish).

We assess Poker Site Softeness based on “Fish Radar” (for worldwide, see 9 Softest Online Poker Sites – Latest List to Prey Fish, just FYI)

Fortunately, both Ignition Poker & Nitrogen Poker are quite soft poker sites based on the below conditions;

Shark Unfriendly Rules & Banning HUD

One of the easiest factors to finding fewer shark poker sites is each poker site’s unique rules. If the site sets the rules prohibiting players from multi-table to say more than 4-6 tables, it’s clear that such sites have fewer pros.

Another rule is allowing not to use of screen names but anonymous as the Ignition example shown before. Anonymous tables discourage advanced players and help casual players feel more comfortable.

You may have heard HUD (Heads-Up Display). HUDs collect data on everyone you play against and then put it into numbers displayed right next to your opponent’s seat at the table as in below example; HUDs allow sharks to identify fishes. Blocking tracking software like HUD shows also the sites’ efforts to create a warm, friendly, and welcoming environment for recreational players by discouraging pros from targeting and taking advantage of weaker players.

In other words, for players who want to win online poker consistently, HUD is an essential tool. 

The 2 most reputable HUDs for high-volume grinders & for beginners are;

The above software is not only for HUD but also can analyze your poker hands namely finding your leaks & studying opponents to spot their weaknesses. 

We explained in full detail about this excellent tool as well as a multi-tabling tool in Best Hud for Poker – Head-Up Display Software.

All-in-one Betting Site

There are 2 types of betting sites regarding the range of offering services, which are;

All-in-one sites like Ignition & Nitrogen tend to have the easiest online poker games.

The reason why a poker room with a casino and/or sportsbook is Softer is that there are often a lot of people who crossover. You’ll find considerable spillover from the casino tables to the poker tables.

Someone will win a lot of money in the casino or sportsbook and then feel like gambling on poker. But these guys are usually amateurs. They are gamblers, which means they play for entertainment more than profit, and poker games are all the same gamble to them.

Attractive Welcome & Recurring Bonuses

Obviously, the bonuses enhance your winnings or compensate for your loss. We don’t suggest you waste lucrative opportunities, thus we separately prepared a Complete Guide to Online Poker Bonus Hunting for Dummies, which explains online poker bonus types & how to evaluate each bonus to cash out efficiently. 

Best Australian Poker Welcome Bonus

Deposit bonuses are a great way to build your bankroll and earn extra spending money. The best bonuses are: Ignition Poker – 100% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 (Check Details)

Best Poker Sites for Australia Wrap Up

Many of our members asked us if Poker is the way to make serious money. Well, it depends, Play Online Poker For A Living is getting tougher & tougher nowadays so, we don’t suggest it.

However, Making $1,000 a Month from Online Poker Cash Games – Specific Instruction is something you may achieve as long as you are committed & disciplined.

As shared at the beginning, Aussies don’t seem to care so much about losing money in gambling but hope you can change such a habit in playing poker.

Suggest you take TAG’s (Tight Aggressive) playing style, which is not necessarily a strong player but is usually difficult to beat.

In case you’re not yet a master poker player, go & study poker strategy (Texas Holdem Strategies For Beginners – 15 Minutes Crash Course) before betting your hard-earned money. 

Besides, if you want to be a sharp casino & game bonus hunter, strongly suggest taking a look at the List of 52 Best Bitcoin Casino Bonuses and for those who appreciate the highest privacy, go to the List of Best Anonymous Bitcoin Casinos & Bonuses, just FYI.

Good Luck!!

Joshua Walker (bio)

Editor – Global Extra Money (GEM)