Online Poker in South Africa – The Comprehensive Guide

There is no doubt about it, best online poker is big business, not just in South Africa but all around the world and the fact of the matter is, those players who take the game seriously are able to make money from their poker playing exploits. We will cover the reasons why in this comprehensive guide to online poker in South Africa but just to give you a taste of what is to come, poker has a fantastic barrier to entry and that barrier to entry is that poker is a game of skill. When you take into account that so many online poker players just need their gambling fix and are not prepared to spend a little time learning how to play the game properly, it leaves the players who are prepared to learn with a golden opportunity to make money. Are you excited? You should be! Before we go any further though, let’s take a look at exactly what we will be covering in this Comprehensive Guide to best Online Poker in South Africa.

• The Best Online Poker in South Africa 2020
• How to Choose the Best Site to Play Online Poker
• Poker Types Which Are Popular Around the World
• Video Poker – Why Should It Be Attributed to a Separate Category?
• Poker Rules
• What Moves Players Can Make
• 5 Poker Tips for Newbies from Experts at GreatCasino.co.za
• Summary About Online Poker
• FAQ’s

The Best Sites for Online Poker in South Africa 2020

As with any form of online gambling, you will find that there are lots of poker websites which claim to be able to offer you the very best poker playing experience but as you would probably expect, they are not all as good as they claim to be. For example, a poker site might claim that they can offer new players a wonderful welcome bonus in return for opening an account but if the terms and conditions which are attached to the welcome bonus are prohibitive, the bonus is completely worthless. Another example would be an online poker website with all of the bells and whistles and a wonderful sign up bonus with agreeable terms and conditions, but when you see that it is completely unregulated and operated out of a small apartment in the back streets of India, it doesn’t look to be such an attractive proposition. With that in mind, let’s look at three top drawer poker websites which are worth opening accounts with.

Silversands poker online

Silversands Poker is a poker website which is directed at poker players from South Africa and they have gained a reputation as being a reliable and fair website for players from this country. They offer a wide range of payment options so players should have no problem in using a method which is suitable to them. Their welcome bonus is prone to change so check on the website before making your first deposit but the most common welcome bonus which they offer is an eye watering R8888 which is not to be sniffed at.

Silversands Casino

date modified 16 nov 2020

4.8

rating by Camo Traore

RTP

• Top notch security
• Progressive jackpots
• Lots of mobile games

Bonus

R8888 free

Review

Payment systems

Software developer

Licensed

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Yebo Poker Online

Yebo Poker Online is another poker website which is directed at players from South Africa and this place also has a decent enough reputation amongst players from South Africa. The deposit options are wide and varied so it doesn’t matter if you want to make a deposit by Visa or by a web wallet such as Neteller, Yebo Poker Online will have you covered. The welcome bonus is quite extraordinary in that it consists of a bonus which is paid out on the first three deposits into your account and totals an amazing R12,000

Yebo Casino

date modified 21 may 2020

4.8

rating by Camo Traore

RTP

• Various withdrawal methods
• Many slots
• Progressive jackpot

Bonus

R12,000

Review

Payment systems

Software developer

Licensed

PLAY NOW

Poker Stars

Poker Stars is widely regarded as being the ‘Daddy’ of online poker websites and is available to players from all over the world as opposed to just players from South Africa. The welcome bonus is far smaller than can be found on many other poker websites, but the common consensus is that it really doesn’t matter because everything about this website is on another level to its competitors. You will find that there are far more players who use the Poker Stars website than any other so you can only imagine the advantages of this fact, especially to those players who have taken the time to learn how to play the game of poker properly. It would also not be an exaggeration to say that Poker Stars has the best customer support out of all of the online poker websites as their customer support staff are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the game of poker, not to mention everything else that it takes to run a first class online poker website.

How to Choose the Best Site to Play Online Poker

We have already mentioned that there are different aspects to an online poker website which need to be investigated before you decide to open an account and deposit funds so let’s take a closer a look at exactly what you should be looking out for.

License

It is important that you check that a poker website is properly licenced before you even consider opening an account with them. Gambling websites are granted a licence by various jurisdictions such as the UK Gambling Commision or the Gibraltar Gaming Authority which puts stringent measures in place before a licence is granted. Don’t be concerned if a play poker online website which you are interested in opening an account with is authorised by a Gambling Commission from another country, the main thing is that it is authorised in the first place.

Simplicity

Thankfully, the days of online poker South Africa websites being full of bells, whistles and flashing lights are long gone. Play Poker online players are looking for a simple to navigate website where they can find exactly what they are looking for with the minimum of fuss. If you come across a poker site which garish that you need to wear sunglasses to even look at the screen, the advice would have to be to give it a wide birth.

Reliability

As in all works of life, reliability is a major factor and especially so when it comes to playing online poker. Thankfully, the very fact that a poker website has obtained a licence from a regulatory body will go a long way to ensure that it ticks all of the right boxes when it comes to reliability.

Bonuses

Online poker South Africa is a hugely competitive market so this is the major reason why play poker online websites offer huge bonuses in order to tempt players to open an account with them, as well as a range of reload bonuses to tempt them to keep on playing once the account has been opened. We have already touched on the fact that not all these bonuses are as they seem so it especially important that you take note of the terms and conditions which are attached to them. The main condition which you should be aware of are the wagering requirements, which basically mean how many times the bonus must be wagered before a withdrawal can be made. One point about the wagering requirements to take particular note of is if it refers to the bonus only or the deposit and bonuses added together. The latter usually means that the wagering requirement is far higher which is obviously not good news for the player.

Availability of bad reviews on the Internet

There are poker review websites all over the internet and whilst they can be a great help in determining if a poker website is up to scratch or not, they can also be extremely misleading. As an example, if a player ends up losing money whilst playing poker, some of them can end up blaming everyone but themselves so they put up a bad review, stating that the poker website is terrible. Bear this in mind when reading these reviews, obviously if lots of players are complaining you should take note but if it is only the odd player, it could be that the problem is with them and not the poker website.

Payment methods that are available in South Africa

If you are using a poker website which is aimed at players from South Africa, the payment methods will all be able to be used by South African players. If you are using a website which is available to other countries, South African payment methods should load by default because of your IP address but always check before you make a deposit.

Poker Types Which Are Popular Around the World

There are many different types of online poker available to online poker South Africa players so which game to choose often comes down to the players personal preference. Texah Hold’em, Omaha, 7 Card Stud, Five Card Draw and Pai Gow are all extremely popular variants of the game so let’s take a closer look at the three most popular types of poker.

Texas Hold`em

This is without doubt the most popular type of online poker and it certainly has a history, having been around since 1900. It is thought that the game originated in Texas (hence the name) but it wasn’t until the early 1960’s when it became mainstream in the casinos of Las Vegas. It is now the game of choice for so many online poker players.

Omaha

Omaha poker is similar to Texas Hold’em and it would be fair to say that to the layman, the two games look exactly the same because each player is dealt four cards of which they must use two, along with three cards from the community cards. The difference between the two games is that in Texas Hold’em, players are dealt two hole or pocket cards whilst Omaha poker players are dealt four

7 Card Stud

7 Card Stud was the game of choice for the vast majority of poker players before Texas Hold’em grew in popularity and the game still has its fans across the world. The name comes from the fact that seven cards are dealt to each player and the game can be played between two and eight players.

Video Poker – Why Should It Be Attributed to a Separate Category?

If you have ever played at an online casino before you will have no doubt seen various forms of video poker displayed on the casino website. The reason that video poker should be attributed to a separate category is because it is basically a slot game but one where a small amount of skill is required. The skill comes from deciding which reels to hold with the aim of obtaining a winning line and these winning lines are obviously based on the card combinations such as ‘four of a kind’, ‘full house’ or a ‘straight flush’ The great thing about video poker is that it can be a great learning tool if you have never played online poker before as you soon get to understand which card combinations represent a winning hand in a real game of poker. Another plus point is that it is possible to experience some very decent sized wins whilst playing video poker as the pay-out for a ‘royal flush’ is usually around four thousand times the initial stake. You will find that most video poker games are based on the Texas Hold’em variation of the game and online casinos and poker websites have a wide range of games to choose from. One more attraction is that you don’t have to wait for a seat at the table in order to take part in the game so you can dip in and out of the game as you choose.

Poker Rules

When someone plays online poker for the first time, they can sometimes find the different card combinations a little bit on the confusing side. Don’t worry though, it is all straightforward and once you get the hang of it you will have no problems at all. Here is a list of the different card combinations:

• Royal flush – A royal flush is the equivalent of the jackpot in a game of poker and is made up of a ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit
• Straight flush – A Straight flush is when you get five cards of sequential rank and of the same suit, so six, seven, eight, nine, and ten of hearts for example would be a straight flush.
• Four of a kind – This is when you are dealt four cards of the same denomination such as the six of spades, the six of hearts, the six of diamonds and the six of clubs.
• Full house – A Full house is when you are dealt three cards of the same number or face value along with two cards of the same number or face value.
• Flush – A flush is where you are dealt five cards of the same suit
• Straight – A straight occurs when you are dealt five consecutive cards of any suit so an example would be the four of hearts, five of spades, six of diamonds, seven of spades and the eight of hearts.
• Three of a kind – Three of a kind is where you get three cards of the same number or face value
• Two pair – Two pair is where you are dealt two pairs of cards with the same number or face value.
• One pair – One pair is where you are dealt one pair of cards with the same number or face value.

What Moves Players Can Make

When you start to play poker online you will hear various terminology regarding the moves which players can make so let’s take a quick look at this terminology and the meaning behind it. Check – this means to not bet but still having the choice as to whether to raise or call later in the same round. Pass – to refrain from both calling or placing a bet. A player will usually pass when they are about to fold or when they are presented with a bet which they are not going to call. All in – This is a position you don’t want to find yourself in because it means that you have run out of chips so that you are not able to bet or call. Bad Beat – This is often referred to when a player has a good hand which should win the game but is beaten by a hand which nobody was expecting, especially the paler with the bad beat. Big Blind – In a game of Texas Hold’em, this is the larger of two blinds and is usually a full first round bet. Hole Cards – These are the cards which are dealt face down to a player and are usually referred to as the first four cards in a game of Omaha or the first two cards in a game of poker.

Five Poker Tips for Newbies from Experts at GreatCasino.co.za

It is always a good idea to keep your ears open for any poker tips which may help your game so here are five tips which we think you should listen to.

1. There is no such thing as luck

A bad loser always blames their luck when the cards go against them. It will help you enormously if you don’t believe in bad luck and concentrate on your game. During your poker career, you will encounter good luck and you will encounter bad luck but over the course of time it will all even itself out and the if you win or not will ultimately depend on your poker playing skills.

2. You are never too old to learn

Always take time to learn about poker, especially from people who know what they are talking about. Watch games of poker on YouTube and read books on the subject. If you treat the game of poker as a passion you will enjoy doing these things and you will enjoy the game even more as you start winning on a regular basis.

3. Don’t try to be clever

You would be surprised by how many poker players try to be overly clever and end up losing at poker but if they had stuck to a basic game plan and kept it simple, they would still be standing as other players made mistakes and fell by the wayside.

4. Take it seriously

If you try and play online poker South Africa at the same time as looking after your children or whilst you are having a conversation with your wife, you will end up losing. Take it seriously, treat it like a business and concentrate on the job in hand, you bank balance will thank you if you do.

5. Don’t copy any of the other players

A big problem with novice poker players is that they try and copy the style of another player at the table, usually the one who is winning. The only problem is that most of the other players around the table will do exactly the same which pretty much negates and advantage that the original player had. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain, play in your own style and be prepared to change as the game dictates.

Summary About Online Poker

Expert Summary

Camo Traore

With the exception of blackjack, most players choose games to play at an online casino which are based on luck with the opportunity of a big win. It could be argued that there is nothing wrong with that, but online poker South Africa offers players the opportunity to play a casino game online in which they can use their skill in order to win money. If you think about it for one minute, it really is a unique opportunity, so it stands to sense that you take the time to learn how to play the game properly. It’s like the old saying, ‘The harder I try, the luckier I get’ and when you take into account that there is a number of poker players across the world who play online poker professionally, it just goes to show the opportunity that is out there. Don’t get us wrong, if you just want to play poker for a bit of fun, that is absolutely fine, but the options are there if you want to take it further. If there was one tip which we could share with you it would be to put yourself in the shoes of the majority of online poker South Africa players. They play poker for real money but as a form of entertainment, usually well into the night when their wife’s or partners have gone to bed. Often, they also play whilst having a drink of the alcoholic variety so their judgement might not be as on point as it should be. If you are a player who takes their poker seriously, this is the time to play and take advantage of the players who don’t. You may be surprised how easy it is to win money playing like this so thank your lucky stars that most online poker South Africa players do not have the kind of expertise that you do. Some people may regard this as a ruthless way to play online poker, but these are usually the very same people who play the game whilst their mind is on other things.

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