Best South African Rand Poker Sites
One of the first questions that most SA residents will ask before playing poker online concerns whether they can play in South African Rand. While internet poker sites do not offer ZAR tables, they will make it as easy as possible for players used to Rand to get their money on and off poker sites. You might not think it's all that important, but maintaining your online poker account in South African Rand, especially when the poker rooms do the conversions for you, means you don't need to worry about constantly being hit by currency exchange charges.
TMany of the best internet poker rooms will allow players to make ZAR deposits and withdrawals, even if gameplay at the tables is only in other currencies like US dollars and Euros. And if that wasn't enough, they will take care of the relevant currency conversions so you don't need to work out (for example) what R100 is in dollars, or how much your $1,000 tournament win translates to in South African Rand when you want to withdraw your winnings.
Welcome Bonuses
Many sites offering real money poker online, even those accepting ZAR, will advertise welcome bonuses, though generally speaking these will be advertised as up to a certain dollar amount. However this does not mean that you will miss out if your bank balance is listed in ZAR. For example, a $50 welcome bonus equates to a little over R530, but the poker sites will make things easier for you to keep track of by listing it in the same currency that they display on the tables.
Even if you have to unlock a certain dollar amount to receive your welcome bonus, when the time comes to cash out your winnings the SA online poker site will make the conversion from US dollars to South African Rand if you want to see the ZAR hit your bank account. And remember, some sites will even let you maintain your account in Rand, even if you can't play ZAR games directly at the tables.
Is Your Money Safe?
Even if an internet poker site displays $10 tournaments rather than R100 games, this has no bearing on the safety of your money. The best online poker sites are entirely safe and secure, due to high-tech encryption technology, ensuring that your money will stay protected regardless of what currency it is held in.
It is worth remembering that online poker sites cater to players from all around the world, not just from SA, so the sites and their player bases will be familiar with a hugely diverse range of local currencies. Some of the earliest internet poker rooms around had a large United States player base so it made sense for USD to be the standard currency, and so it has remained to this day. Given the choice of playing poker online in South African Rand or knowing all our financial transactions were safe and secure, we know which one we'd choose.
We Found The Best ZAR Poker Sites
Still, even if ZAR isn't an option at the tables, the benefits of being able to withdraw in South African Rand are obvious. As a result, when looking for the best poker sites for SA players we looked for those which let you deposit, withdraw and maintain your account in ZAR rather than facing the shock of currency exchange charges.
Our team of reviewers is made up of experienced poker players and enthusiasts, all of whom know exactly what to look for in an online poker site. They have found sites with great welcome bonuses, a wide range of games and large player pools, all while making sure you can withdraw your winnings in South African Rand.