Who are the Most Popular Poker Players from New Zealand?

Poker is one of the most popular casino games around and attracts players and fans from all over the world, and New Zealand is no exception. There are numerous properties where you can play poker in New Zealand, and many of the world’s top players started their careers there.

Are Poker Players Allowed to Gamble in New Zealand?

You can currently play poker in New Zealand legally, according to the Gambling Act 2003. This applies to both land-based casinos and their online counterparts. Many gamblers play real money poker at one of the best online casino in New Zealand offering round-the-clock poker rooms and a variety of promotions and tournaments. 

In the first case, casinos must be licensed by the internal affairs authorities, according to which they must comply with the laws and pay taxes. As for online casinos, they must also hold relevant licenses from reputable regulatory authorities, comply with all KNY/AML policies, and be regularly checked by independent auditors.

New Zealand’s Poker Legends 

As mentioned above, a lot of well known poker stars started their career in New Zealand. In this article, you will get an insight into the key players from the world of poker who not only made a name for themselves but also largely influenced the development of the game in New Zealand as a whole.

Sosia Jiang

Sosia Jiang is a former investment banker and is currently the most successful poker tournament player in New Zealand in terms of prize money. Overall, Sosia Jiang has earned over $2.57 million in tournaments over her career. In May 2023 she won $820,000 at the Triton Invitational event in Cyprus, which eclipsed her previous best result of $500,000 at the 2017 PokerStars Championship Macau. 

Perhaps thanks to her experience in the financial sector and commercial and analytical  skills, she managed to build an impressive poker resume that has catapulted her the top of the New Zealand all-time money list. She was also the first female player to take down a Hendon Mob Championship title.

Lee Nelson

Lee Nelson is the second most successful tournament player from New Zealand. He has earned more than $2.5 million playing tournaments according to the thehendonmob.com. He has won the Crown Australian Poker Championship as well as the ANZPT in Melbourne. 

In addition, Nelson was lucky enough to win the televised partypoker World Open in 2005. Not surprisingly, he was added to the Australian Poker Hall of Fame in 2009.

Hamish Crawshaw

Hamis Crawshaw can boast of winning the 2019 WPT Vietnam (where he earned $160,000) and the Star Sydney Championships (earning over $240,000). During his career, he has earned more than a million dollars and achieved a record ten wins in a relatively short period. He has 47 live cashes to date, with 29 of those being final table appearances.

Tae Hoon Han

Usually a cash game player, Tae Hoon Han has also had plenty of live tournament success on top. In 2017, Han was lucky enough to win $73,954 in the Main Event of the PokerStars Festival Korea.

The very next year, he again showed his tournament prowess, earning 14 cashes. Among his successes featured an impressive victory in the Macau Millions 2018 and ten final table appearances in total.

Neil Mcfayden 

Neil Macfayden is well known throughout the poker world for his strong tournament skills as well as his knowledge of poker generally. He managed to win the Triple Crown twice on PocketFives.com. In 2018, he got his first big win in live poker, earning $76,861 at the GUKPT Luton.

He went on to finish 12th in the $5,000 High Roller at the Merit Poker Cup in Kyrenia, and has 48 cashes to his name.

The Global Success of Kiwi Poker Players in the International Tournaments

As well as successes in regional tournaments, New Zealand poker players have taken that success all over the world.

Jack Efaraimo

Efaraimo, who plays a big part in the New Zealand poker scene, is also known as “The Godfather”. And it’s no surprise since the 64-year-old player has been playing at the WSOP since 1996 and has also organised events in New Zealand. His achievements include winning the South Island championships in 2013 and 2014, as well an ANZPT event 2012.

Thomas Ward 

Even though Thomas Ward’s combined winnings are just over $1.1 million, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Ward would also make it to the final table of the WSOP 2020 Online Main Event on GGpoker, taking down $1.35 million.

He was lucky enough to take second place in the APPT Macau Main Event and win around $482,000.

Conclusion 

New Zealand has a large number of skilled and experienced players who have shown excellent results both in local tournaments as well as in the international arena, including at the WSOP and APPT.

Recreational and professional poker differ greatly, although these two branches are both very important in the development of the poker market. Considering all upsides and downsides of New Zealand’s iGambling industry regulation, this market in is developing quite actively with poker playing an important role.