Poker in New Zealand, Social Casinos and Other Poker Trends
It’s week 40 and it’s a great time to be alive for poker players! New, interesting things are happening in the community every month, and September does not look to be an exception. Let’s take a look at some of the hottest trends, happenings and news in the poker world right now.
Online Casinos in New Zealand
Speaking about live poker in New Zealand, it’s hard not to mention Christchurch Casino, the “Home of NZ Poker Tournaments & Games”. Located in the center of New Zealand’s biggest city Christchurch, Christchurch Casino has been a well-visited location for New Zealand poker players throughout the years to visit, ever since the casino opened back in 1999.
That being said, online casinos in New Zealand are growing in popularity in New Zealand. Considering international operators with Malta-, Alderney- and Curacao licenses are operating in New Zealand, the players have a lot of online casinos and online poker sites to choose from. However, when it comes to NZ poker online, GGPoker, 888poker, and PokerStars seem to be the most popular hangouts for the players.
It is not hard to claim that the online poker scene in New Zealand currently is bigger than the live scene, considering there are so many NZ online poker sites. The live players often tend to visit neighbouring Australia to compete in certain live games. However, New Zealand and Christchurch Casino yearly host the New Zealand Poker Championship (which was played mid-August this year) and have plans to expand their live poker supply.
Queens of Tallinn
Right after WSOPC Tallinn ended, seeing Ignacio Gonzalez lifting the €1 100 Main Event trophy, tournament directors Christer Larsson and Teresa Nousiainen announced the next big project to enter the venue of Olympic Park Casino – Queens of Tallinn!
Of course, Kings of Tallinn has been an appreciated feature in the live poker calendar for the north European players throughout the years. Queens of Tallinn will be the first poker festival ever that only welcomes female participants. The goal of this project is of course to break the old stereotypes that have haunted women in poker for years. Queens of Tallinn seeks to break down the dysfunctional norms, and the festival aims to give women in poker the recognition and celebration they deserve.
The “Olympic Queens” will battle it out against each other between November 30th and December 3rd at Tallinn’s Olympic Park Casino. Even though some tournaments in the schedule are subject to change, the following is written in stone:
| Date | Tournament Name | Buy-in |
| Dec 1 | Main Event | €350 |
| Dec 2 | Championship | €555 |
| Dec 2 | Ladies & Gentlemen | €60 |
| Dec 2 | Team Challenge (3players) | TBA |
| TBA | Side Event | €150 |
| TBA | Side Event | €100 |
| TBA | Satellite | TBA |
The Main Event and the Championship Event will both be multiple-day events.
US Social Casino
Social Casinos, i.e. online casinos where the currency doesn’t have a real monetary value, keep getting bigger and bigger in the United States and are certainly a good way to enjoy various games without taking any monetary risks.
Pulsz is one of these social casinos and currently has over 500,000 Americans enjoying their services. Using the site’s currency Gold Coins – which you get 5,000 in the form of a Pulsz bonus just for signing up – you’ll have the opportunity to play slots, jackpots, casino games and more. By playing and winning on Pulsz, you’ll receive Sweepstakes Coins, which you can then use to exchange for prizes.
McLuck is another social casino on the US market. Similar to the Pulsz model, you also play with Gold Coins, which you can receive in multiple ways: sign-up/welcome bonus, following the site on social media, daily visits to the site etc. McLuck offers more than 100 popular games. In order to turn a real money profit from McLuck, just like Pulsz, the player must collect Sweeps Coins, which you get through being active on the site, playing with your regular Gold Coins.
Real Money Poker
Of course, for the player who wants to make some real dollars through playing poker online, the supply is as big as always. There are not many sites that currently offer players poker bonuses, often in the form of a welcome offer.
It is not hard to find a good game of online poker. Sites such as PokerStars, partypoker, 888poker, GGPoker, the iPoker network and many, many more have hundreds of games running by the hour, so make sure you check out the current games and don’t miss out on any good bonuses!
Good luck to all players during the month of October!
