Online casino tournaments add a fantastic competitive layer to regular pokie play, and for Kiwi players, they are a hugely popular feature. We "chatted" with three of New Zealand's top fictional casino influencers to find out which type of tournament they love the most at a top-tier gaming hub like Guts Casino and the strategies they use to win.
Influencer 1: "KiwiGrinder" - The Volume Player "My favourite tournaments are the week-long 'Wager Race' or 'Turnover' tournaments. The goal is simple: the players who wager the most money during the week win the biggest prizes from the pool, which can be up to $10,000 or more. This format suits my style because I'm a consistent, long-session player.
My strategy is all about bankroll preservation and maximising turnover. I will exclusively play low-volatility, high-RTP pokies. The high RTP (over 96.5%) minimises the house edge, and the low volatility provides a constant stream of small wins that recycle my bankroll. This allows me to place a massive volume of bets from a relatively modest deposit. I might be able to wager $5,000 over a week from just a few hundred dollars of my own money. It's a grind, but it's a very effective way to consistently place high on the leaderboard."
Influencer 2: "WellyHighRoller" - The Thrill-Seeker "The wager races are not for me. I'm all about the 'Highest Win Multiplier' tournaments. These are usually shorter, often just 24 hours. The winner is the person who hits the single biggest win in relation to their bet size. This is brilliant because it means a player betting 50 cents has the exact same chance of winning as a player betting $50. It all comes down to one lucky spin.
My strategy is the complete opposite of the grinder. I exclusively play extremely high-volatility pokies. I'm looking for the games with a max win potential of 20,000x or more. My goal is to trigger the bonus round on one of these monsters and hit an insane win. The rest of my spins don't matter. It's an all-or-nothing approach. It's high-risk, but it's incredibly exciting, and it only takes one single, glorious spin to win the whole tournament."
Influencer 3: "AucklandAdvantage" - The Live Game Pro "While the pokie tournaments are popular, I think the most underrated events are the Live Casino Tournaments. They often have smaller prize pools, but also fewer players, so your chances of winning are often better. The format is usually based on getting consecutive wins or a certain number of blackjacks in a row.
My strategy is to focus on Live Blackjack. Because it's a game of skill, I can use perfect basic strategy to give myself the best possible odds. I will find a low-stakes table to minimise my risk, and then just play a high volume of hands, trying to string together a winning streak. It's a different kind of challenge, combining the luck of the cards with the discipline of perfect play. It's a great change of pace from the pokies."
