Winner Poker Review

Sometimes it pays to step outside your comfort zone. That’s precisely what Winner Poker hopes you’ll do as they aim to grab a sizeable slice of the growing poker pie. Although largely unknown in New Zealand, Winner Poker has the popular iPoker network at its core. With some of the biggest sign up bonuses the industry has ever seen, great game selection, exceptional customer service, flexible payment methods for Kiwi players, and amazing rewards, Winner Poker is worth your attention.

History And Headquarters

Winner Poker was born in the 90s, though not as a poker room. Initially the company aimed to educate gamblers by offering online resources for poker players and gaming fans. Although the site was successful as a hub, the poker craze was calling. In 2010 winnerpoker.com opened the doors to its full-featured online poker room. Since its relaunch the site has grown dramatically yet continues to offer valuable educational resources that can help any Kiwi poker fan improve their game.

Today Winner Poker proudly operates as a fully licensed poker room from its headquarters in Antigua and Barbuda, where the country’s financial service regulatory commission monitors its parent company Zirconium Gaming Limited. Cards are only the beginning at Winner Poker. Gaming fans can enjoy a sportsbook, live betting, and a full range of casino games.

Casino Screenshots

Heavy Traffic

Thanks largely to its affiliation with the iPoker network, you’ll be able to compete against poker players from all over the planet. When you consider traffic across the network, Winner Poker routinely ranks in the top five with close to 4000 players online even at off peak times. Don’t be surprised to find 3000 players online competing for cash right now.

The steady traffic means you’ll always have a choice of games to play no matter what your budget is. Thanks to the site’s widely popular and lucrative sign up bonuses, you can expect plenty of unskilled players. It doesn’t take much experience to be a winner and build your bankroll here. Just be warned you might laugh hysterically at how weak some of the competitors are.

Pros & Cons

Sizable Guarantees

Like on most poker sites, Sunday isn’t the day of rest. Winner Poker guarantees 275,000 euros every Sunday with 100,000 euros up for grabs in the Sunday Special. That’s just for one day! If you’re a weekend poker warrior you’ll love kicking off with a 30,000 euro tournament on Friday and a 20,000 euro game on Saturday. The best part is that with a solid satellite schedule you can get in on the action for as little as a single dollar. When you factor in all the offerings across the network including live events, you can play for 10 million euros a month guaranteed!

Winning Promotions

Winner Poker rolls out a rather rewarding welcome mat for new players.  When you make your first deposit, you can claim a 250% bonus worth up to $2000? You’ll also get an entry to a $250 US Weekly Depositor tourney reserved exclusively for new players. The best part is your free daily entry into the Winner Freeroll Super Turbo tourney.  Hone your skills for free and win real cash every day of the week. 

It’s not just new players who get treated like winners. The site ponies up 100K euros in depositor freerolls every month. Anyone who deposits can qualify. You won’t want to miss out on the lucrative Sunday lineup, bad beat bonuses that transform losers into instant winners, and a hand of the day promotion that gives you a bonus for being the best.

Winner Poker makes it easy to take advantage of all the iPoker network has on tap. Participate in gigantic campaigns like the iPOP events which guarantee a million euros over the course of a month. What will you do with your share of $800,000? You can even move your game beyond the virtual world by winning entries to live events like the Madchester Poker Open where you could compete for your share of $100,000.

Valuable Loyalty Program

With its rewarding VIP program, winner Poker makes sure everyone feels like a winner. You’ll be able to earn valuable points whenever you play. Rack up more points to increase your status level all the way from amateur to the hall of fame. Each level comes with better perks. The more you play, the higher your status will be. Redeem your points for free tournament entries, real cash, or trendy merchandise in the exclusive store. As a VIP, you’ll even get a dedicated VIP manager who will take care of you. That includes live support at major events around the globe.

Deposit Options

Winner Poker offers dozens of ways to fund your account, although not all methods are available to New Zealanders. Nonetheless, you’ll find all your preferred credit cards, ewallets, and traditional banking methods including many options that support New Zealand Dollars. There’s no need to get ripped off by currency exchange fees when you fund your account like a winner. Choose from Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Skrill, Neteller, Ukash, and internet banking among others.

Perhaps the best part of Winner Poker’s cashier is that they offer substantial cash bonuses when you choose certain payment methods. If you’ve ever been charged fees to fund your ewallet, you’ll love the generous compensation that reimburses your expenses with extra cash to spare.

Withdrawing Your Winnings

After finding your way into the winner’s circle, you’ll be pleased to know that your cash is just a click away. The site lets New Zealand players claim winnings by Visa, MasterCard, Entropay, Neteller, bank transfer, and several other methods. The actual processing time depends on the method you choose, but expect to have your money within a few days. Unlike too many other sites, time lines are prominently displayed for each option so you can choose accordingly. Our reviewers found the posted times to be accurate.

Outstanding Customer Service

The site definitely has a successful customer service strategy with help available around the clock. If you have questions, answers are easy to come by. All you have to do is call, email, or use the convenient live chat. From opening your account to depositing and withdrawing funds, you can expect great service. We found the staff to be responsive, attentive, and knowledgeable. They seemed more concerned with satisfactorily resolving our issues than simply ending the call.

Huge Game Variety

Choice is practically Winner Poker’s middle name. When it comes to game variety, choose from all your favourites including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 7-Card Stud, and even the increasingly popular 5-Card Stud. Whether you like pot, fixed, or no limit games, it’s simple to find them quickly at most popular stakes even in the dead of night.

Award-Winning Software

The Winner Poker platform runs on the widely popular Playtech software. If you’ve ever enjoyed online poker before, everything from the lobby to the gameplay and layout will be familiar. The graphics are clean and the darker colour palette creates an atmosphere that means business. You’ll find all the usual spoils like the ability to play up to eight tables at a time. There’s even a hand strength feature than is great for injecting a dose of reality into your hands.

The software works fine even on old systems. It even ran flawlessly on a PC from 2002. If there’s a shortcoming, it’s that Mac users can’t play without relying on an emulator. An Apple version is apparently in the works for 2015, but an exact date is not yet known.

Play Anywhere

There’s no need to be confined to your desk or even your easy chair. Winner Poker lets you play from your favourite mobile device. If you have an iPad, iPhone, Android device, or iPod touch then you’ll be able to get in the game anywhere there’s an internet connection.

Conclusion

Although relatively new, Winner Poker, with its huge first deposit bonus and ongoing promotions, is a popular site. New Zealand players can greatly increase their bankroll with Winner Poker’s 250% bonus. The upgraded Playtech software, extensive depositor freerolls, and large guaranteed tournaments make this a great place to play.

Sign up me now!