APL update

My current information is that APL will carry on in New Zealand, but its operation has been drastically scaled back. The only game still played under full APL rules will be played at the Porirua club on Mondays. The APL monthly finals and nationals will go ahead, and players who have already qualified for these events will be allowed to play.

There are also a few games, referred to as "minor league" games, which are not played under standard APL rules, but which provide qualifiers to APL's monthly finals. These typically involve an entry fee. I don't know at this stage whether or not the "minor league" games will continue their association with APL.

The So Bar is no longer hosting poker. The Bellevue Gardens and the Glass House will carry on as independent games. Additionally a new game has been started at the Little Totara in Totara Park, Upper Hutt on Thursdays. These 3 games have a $5 entry fee and are run by Ryan (ex-APL), with similar rules to APL. At this stage the games are indepdendent, and not part of a league.

If anyone knows more about this than I do please feel free to leave me a comment. Meantime, I'll update my "where to play" entries.

APL pulling out of NZ?

Still at the rumour stage, but it looks like there will no longer be an APL presence in New Zealand. Existing APL games will most likely carry on as independent games. I'll keep you updated.

Raffles suck

One practice that is very prevalent in New Zealand, and very destructive to good poker, is the practise of holding raffles for extra chips at the beginning of a tournament.

Yes, I realise that the bar/club must make a profit, and the organisers (i.e. the poker league or club) must make a profit, and that ultimately the profit must come from the players. But the players want a fair competition, where skill rather than spending power is the deciding factor.

It's a fine balancing act, and to some extent all leagues are forced to compromise the fairness and integrity of the game to serve the interests of their hosts. But the practice of holding raffles for extra chips is an abomination for any serious poker player, and is possibly illegal under the Gambling Act 2003.

Kudos to APL for saying NO to raffles! (By the way I am in no way affiliated with APL).

Free Roll Poker games and Drink Cards

The majority of pub poker games in New Zealand, especially those run by poker leagues, are free-rolls. There is no entry fee; the intention is to circumvent the Gambling Act 2003 by falling outside the legal definition of "Gambling".

Typically there will be no monetary prize; the league will instead award the winning players merchandise such as card protectors, and a qualification for a final event, usually held once per month. The host venue may also award a bar tab.

The venue pays the league around $200-300 to run the game, hoping that the increased bar sales will cover the cost.

The league usually offers incentives to the players to support the bar by awarding extra chips for food and drink purchases. This may be done by means of "drinks cards", but is also often done in an informal or ad hoc way.

For freeroll tournaments, this practice is probably a necessary evil, but it does tend to distort the game. It also tends to promote drinking, and drunk people are not fun to play poker with.

Ideally, the amount of extra chips awarded should be in proportion to the amount spent at the bar, but in practice there is a lot of inconsistency. Sometimes, the amount of chips depends on who serves you at the bar rather than what you buy or how much you spend; sometimes, alcoholic drinks are given preference regardless of cost; sometimes a can of coke is awarded the same amount of chips as a pint of beer.

With these things in mind, my suggestion to all the leagues is to apply the following rules:

• Extra chips should be available only from about 30 minutes before the start of the tournament until about 2 hours after the start. Above all, "drinks cards" should not be able to be carried over to another night.
• The amount of chips awarded should be consistent and proportional to the amount spent, regardless of whether it is spent on food, alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks.
• There should be a limit to the amount of chips that can be bought this way; the total should not amount to more than a normal starting stack, and it should be possible to reach this total without getting drunk, even if all the bar spending was on alcohol.

Of the leagues I've played in so far, APL is the only one that has got all this right.

Incidentally, the practice of offering incentives to players to spend money at the bar is illegal in the state of Queensland, which has strict laws against encouraging alcohol consumption. As a result, bars in Queensland are heavily reliant on pokies, the most antisocial and destructive form of gambling ever devised.

APL NZ National final

The APL New Zealand National final was held in Taupo over Easter weekend.

The winner was a local player, Alan Richardson, who headed off 122 other players to take the title, $2000 and a seat at the APL Poker Tour at Jupiter's Casino.

Second and third, and also getting seats on the APL tour, were Jason Holtham (Porirua) and Grant Little (Bulls).

Myself, I drew a very tough table which included pro player James Honeybone and PokerNZ blogger Dan McLeod among others. I held up well for the first couple of hours, doubling my starting stack, then blew it all in a moment of madness.

Euphoria closes

The closure of the Euphoria bar in Main Street is a major blow to the Upper Hutt pub poker scene. Just a few weeks earlier, the Quinn's Post also stopped hosting poker nights.

Superleague poker head Dave Bennett is currently looking for replacement venues.

On a slightly more positive note, BJ's in Taita have a new game on Wednesday nights.

I have updated my "days of the week" poker listings to reflect these changes.

Update 1 May: The Monday afternoon game will be hosted by the Stokes Valley Cossie club, and the Wednesday evening game will be hosted by the nearby Hut Sports Cafe.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Saturday

Hope Bros - 31-35 Dixon St, Wellington. 1pm start. $10 entry. Run by NPPL.

Stokes Valley Cossie Club – 35 George St, Stokes Valley. 5pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Friday

Zoo Bar - 227 Riddiford Street, Newtown. 7pm start. Run by NPPL.

BJ's Tavern - 25 Tocker St, Taita. 1pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Stokes Valley Cossie Club – 35 George St Stokes Valley. 7.30pm start. A Super League Poker "associate" game.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Thursday

The Lanes - 234–238 Wakefield St, Wellington. 6.30pm start. $10 entry, $350 first prize. One of the most popular (and toughest) games in Wellington, it books out quickly. Register a few hours beforehand. Run by the venue.

The Bull and Bear - 2 Plimmer Lane, Lambton Quay. 6.30pm start. A popular and long established game, now run by the venue.

Windmill - 55 Cleveland St, Brooklyn, Wellington. 7pm start. Run by Poker Fun.

BJ's Tavern - 25 Tocker St, Taita. 1pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Petone Sports Bar - 266 Jackson St, Petone. 7pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Upper Hutt Cossie Club - 11 Logan St, Upper Hutt. 7pm start. Run by the club; membership required. An APL "minor league" game.
Little Totara - 1 Turon Cres, Totara Park, Upper Hutt. 7pm start. $5 entry.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Wednesday

Four Kings - 7-11 Dixon Street, Wellington. 6.30pm start. $10 entry, $350 first prize. Run by the venue.

Island Bay Bar - 134-136 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington. 7.30pm start. Run by Poker Fun.

Cambridge Hotel - Cnr Alpha St & Cambridge Tce, Wellington. 7pm start. $10 entry. Run by NPPL.

Waterloo Hotel - 27 Waterloo Quay, Wellington. 6.30pm start. $20 entry, cash prizes. A "minor league" APL game.

Strike - 399 Hutt Road, Lower Hutt. 7pm start. $10 entry + rebuys and add-ons, $500 prizes. Run by the venue.

Bellevue Gardens - 140 Woburn Rd, Lower Hutt. 7pm start. $5 entry.

BJ's Tavern - 25 Tocker St, Taita. 2 games, one starting at 3pm, one at 7pm. Super League Poker "Associate" games.

Stokes Valley Cossie Club – 35 George St Stokes Valley. 7.30pm start. Run by Super League Poker

Where to play Poker in the Wellington region - Tuesday

The Big Kumara - cnr Cuba St and Dixon St, Wellington. 7pm start. Run by the venue; $200 cash prize.

The Realm - 7 Moxham Ave, Hataitai. 7pm start. Run by NPPL.

Bay 66 - 66 Bay Road, Kilbirnie. 7pm start. Run by NPPL.

The Glasshouse - 2 Gibbons St, Upper Hutt. 7pm start. $5 entry.

Big Chill - 180 High St Lower Hutt. 2pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Bedrocks Bar – 1 Waterloo Rd Lower Hutt. 7pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Monday

Cambridge Hotel - Cnr Alpha Street & Cambridge Terrace, Wellington. $10 entry, 7pm start. Run by NPPL.

Strike - 399 Hutt Road, Lower Hutt. $20 buy-in plus rebuys, 7pm start. Run by the venue.

Stokes Valley Cossie Club - 35 George Street, Stokes Valley. 1pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Big Chill - 180 High St Lower Hutt, Lower Hutt. 7pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Upper Hutt Cossie Club - 11 Logan Street, Upper Hutt. 7pm start. Run by the club; membership required. An APL "minor league" game.

Porirua Club - Lodge Place, Porirua. 7pm start. Run by APL.

Where to play poker in the Wellington region - Sunday

For my next several posts I'm going to go through all the days of the week, and for each day I'll list all the pub poker games in the Wellington region that I know of. I'll start with Sunday.

Chill Cafe - 156 Willis Street, Wellington. 3pm start. Run by NPPL.

The Sandbar - 103 Mana Esplanade, Mana. 3pm start. $20 entry fee; an APL "minor league" game.

Strike - 399 Hutt Road, Lower Hutt. $10 buy-in plus rebuys, 7pm start. Run by the venue.

Petone Working Men’s Club - 47 Udy St Petone. 4pm start. Run by Super League Poker.

Petone Sports Bar - 266 Jackson St, Petone. 7pm start. A Super League "Associate" game.

Upper Hutt Cossie Club - 11 Logan Street, Upper Hutt. 2pm start. Run by the club; membership required. Affiliated with APL as a "minor league" game.

List of New Zealand poker leagues

There are a number of pub poker leagues operating in New Zealand. This is my attempt to list them all, and the areas in which they operate, with the emphasis on my own area (Wellington). Feedback/corrections etc from people actually involved in these leagues is appreciated and encouraged.

Active leagues:

National Pub Poker League

This Australian based league is the largest and best established in New Zealand. There are numerous venues in Christchurch and the Canterbury region, where it is the dominant league, and plenty in Auckland. Smaller towns with an NPPL presence include Hokitika, Queenstown, Ashburton and Temuka. There are 7 venues in the Wellington region, including one in the Hutt Valley.

Venue winners qualify for a monthly regional final, from which you can qualify for the National Final, usually held in Auckland or Christchurch.

Australian Poker League

One of the Big Two in Australia, along with the NPPL, but a relative newcomer in New Zealand. So far only operating in various towns around the North Island, with none in Auckland. No venues in Wellington city itself, but one each in Porirua, Johnsonville, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.

A unique feature of this league is the "player of the month" award.

Super League Poker

Another Australian based league, where it is particularly active in Sydney. In New Zealand, it is most active in the Hutt Valley. Venues in Lower Hutt, Petone, Stokes Valley, Upper Hutt, Masterton, Foxton and Te Kuiti.




Poker Fun

A small Palmerston North based league which also runs games in Masterton, Martinborough and two in Wellington. This league is highly regarded by its followers, and in 2010 it was awarded the inaugral "League of the Year" title by pokernz.com.

Kiwi Poker League

The main league operating in the Otago region, with venues also in a few Canterbury and Southland towns.








New Zealand Series of Poker

Based in Hamilton, this is the dominant league in the Waikato region, and also has a few venues in the Bay of Plenty.


Jackpot Poker

An Auckland based league, running in about 18 venues.





New Zealand Poker League

A new league founded by well known Auckland player Jarm Joseph, with sponsors including Sky City and Pokernz.com. Operates in several venues in the Auckland region.




Ultimate Poker League

A small league running at a few venues in Nelson and Richmond.







New Zealand Poker Club

An offshoot of the Pockets 8 Ball Club. Based in Tokoroa, with branches in Glen Eden, Rotorua and Pukekohe.



Southern Poker League

A newly established league catering to Invercargill players.






Defunct leagues:

Aotearoa Poker series

This league used to operate several venues in Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and a couple in Taranaki. As of 2011 it has gone into recess.





Premier Poker League

A small league which operated in the Nelson area.






Network Poker League

Australian owned league which appears to have collapsed in 2008 after they failed to provide national finals winner Hayden Hape with the promised entry into the $10,000 Main Event in Las Vegas.

Saturn Poker League

A Dannevirke-based league founded by Hayden Hape following his departure from the Network Poker League. However the domain www.saturnpokerleague.co.nz has expired, and this league no longer appears to be operating.

The National Poker League (TNPL)

This league used to operate throughout the country before going bust in 2008. In Wellington, its most popular game was held at the Bull and Bear on the Plimmer's Steps; this game is now run independently by the venue.

Poker Nights

A small league which operated in Auckland from about 2007 to 2008.