Australian Poker Sites
We believe that high quality Australian poker sites are those that can promise their players a safe and simple internet poker experience. These Australian poker sites are the ones that are well known and have enough of a history behind them that we can play there without having to worry about how long they will be in business.
Fortunately, there are quite a few Australian poker sites that fit the bill. These poker sites aren’t specifically for Australian poker players, but they do accept Australians with open arms. The poker sites on this list are the ones where you will find lots of poker tables and a safe experience.
1. Sportsbook Poker
Our number one spot for the best Australian poker sites goes to Sportsbook Poker. This poker site gets our top pick for a couple of reasons. Most importantly, the Sportsbook company has been online for more than 15 years now. They started out as a sportsbook in 1996 and decided to add an internet poker room in 2006.
Today, Sportsbook Poker has become one of the most highly recommended poker sites for players around the world. A medium sized (but quickly growing) player base makes Sportsbook Poker one of the juicier poker rooms on the internet. There are not as many multi-tabling sharks here, so the tables tend to be a lot softer than at other poker rooms.
The name may throw you off at first, but Sportsbook Poker is a serious poker site. The Sportsbook.com company has a lot of experience in related industries and they created this room to compete with the biggest names in the business. Check them out sometime and if you like what you see, use the promo code XXXX to get a 100% bonus added to your first deposit.
2. Bodog Poker
Bodog Poker is another old name in the poker industry. Bodog.com first opened its doors in 1994 and it has since grown to become an internet gambling empire. They started out with sports betting and casino gambling, and then expanded into internet poker a few years later. The Bodog poker room is widely recognized as one of the softest on the internet.
Bodog Poker hosts both cash games and tournaments at a wide level of stakes. The low and medium stake games are notoriously fishy, but the competition does get stiff when you move up to $5/$10 no-limit and beyond. Tournament players will both MTTs and SNGs at all stakes. The weekly $100,000 Guarantee at Bodog is also worth checking out – especially for its large overlay every week.
For the safety-minded, Bodog is one of the oldest names in the internet betting world. They have provided fast payments and fair games since the beginning and will continue to do so in the future. As an added bonus, all new players at Bodog get an extra 110% added to their first deposit for up to $1100 extra.
3. Absolute Poker
And in third place, we have Absolute Poker. Despite being ranked in third place, Absolute Poker is definitely worth visiting. They have the largest player base out of any of the Australian poker sites we have discussed so far. If multi-tabling is your thing, you will also enjoy the fast, simple software employed by Absolute Poker.
Both cash game and tournament players will find action around the clock at Absolute Poker. The cash games offer a long list of tables at which players can buy in for anything from $2.00 to $20,000. For tournament players, Absolute Poker hosts dozen of tournaments every hour. They also host a $200,000 guaranteed tournament every Sunday.
One final thing we would like to note about Absolute Poker is their welcome bonus. If you sign up and use the referral code XXXXX, you will receive a 150% bonus on your first deposit there. For example, a $200 deposit would result in a $300 bonus. Players can get up to $500 with this bonus.
Australian Poker Sites and Currency
The Australian poker sites on this list accept Australian dollar deposits but the games are all spread using US dollars. With the international nature of internet poker, it’s just a lot easier for everyone to use US dollars. The good news is that you do not have to worry about exchanging in and out of different currencies. Each poker site handles that for you.
Here’s how it looks for you: you sign up at an Australian poker site and visit the cashier to make a deposit. You then choose a deposit method and an amount to deposit. The poker site will automatically exchange your Australian dollars for US dollars. When you cash back out, your money is converted back to Australian dollars.
Legality of Australian Poker Sites
Australian poker sites are subject to a complex myriad of laws. The gist of it is that it is not legal to offer poker services to Australians, but it is OK for Australians to play poker on the internet. So if you’re a normal person who just wants to play poker, you should be good to go.
What you do not want to do in Australia is start your own internet poker room and go around advertising it everywhere. At that point, you would be running afoul of Australian poker law. But just remember that we are not lawyers, so if you’re in doubt, you need to check the law for yourself. From what we’ve seen over the years, the average Australian poker player is in the free and clear.