Tag: New Jersey

There was hope after some good news in our last report that New Jersey online poker would enter 2019 in positive territory – or at the very least with some positive momentum. The hope was fleeting, however, with the data showing declining trends across the board.

The initial assumption might be that the holidays are the cause of the online poker traffic declines. On the contrary, that is just not the case when looking back on the history of US regulated poker.

The holiday period, if anything, provided some small increases in traffic in the past. We will go into the specifics later in this report.

For now, though, let’s take a closer look at the key stories from the US regulated poker scene for the past two weeks:

• WSOP.com is the only operator that showed declining trends in the three major areas: seven-day rolling cash game average traffic, peak traffic, and tournament entries
• PokerStars NJ posted the largest number of tournament entries in its Half-Priced Sunday Special
• partypoker NJ is the only major operator to show a positive trend line for peak traffic numbers

Now, let’s take a look back at the tournament and cash game trends for the two weeks ending Dec. 30, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Pala Poker also operates in New Jersey on its own network. We do not include Pala Poker in this report because the traffic volume is low and doesn’t affect the latest US online poker trends.

Major online poker tournaments summary

PokerStars NJ held the largest Sunday major tournament of the group with 421 entries. To get that number, though, the online poker site had to cut the buy-in in half.

For the second time in just over a month, PokerStars NJ ran its Half-Priced Sunday Special, and it seems as if it has found a winning equation.

Both tournaments met its guarantee, which has been a struggle for the brand of late. Even the Christmas-themed festival, the Carnival of Tournaments held on Dec. 23, couldn’t gather enough entrants to meet its guarantee.

With the help of its latest tournament, PokerStars NJ is now showing a solid positive trend line for tournament entries over the past few months.

Meanwhile, both WSOP.com and partypoker NJ are sporting declining trends. WSOP.com did make its guarantees for both tournaments, while partypoker NJ missed both of its.

Overall, the tournament scene continues to post some weekly wins, but the overall picture since the launch of shared liquidity remains relatively bleak.

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018:

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018:

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

When looking back at the 7-day rolling cash game averages since the beginning of shared liquidity, only one operator is showing a positive trend. Interestingly enough, it is not WSOP.com – it’s PokerStars NJ.

That says a lot considering WSOP.com gets the benefit of a combined player pool with Nevada and Delaware and PokerStars NJ doesn’t.

The market as a whole is showing a sharply declining trend. Fewer cash game players at the end of November and beginning of December undoubtedly played a role in that result.

In the last two weeks, the market as a whole lost on average 30 cash game players. Only partypoker NJ kept their players on the felt. In fact, it added a few more posting fan increase of five players on average.

Peak traffic numbers continue to decline, overall. partypoker NJ is the only operator with a positive trend line. Even though Poker Stars NJ ended the year on a high note, it was not quite enough to reverse the downward spiral it has found itself in.

It is disappointing and honestly, quite surprising, that WSOP.com hasn’t been able to generate some consistent trends in cash game or peak traffic numbers. As the only operator benefitting from a combined pool of poker players, one would think players would flock to the site.

Sure their numbers are higher than those of PokerStars NJ and partypoker NJ but are well below what the individual markets produced before shared liquidity.

Factors impacting U.S. regulated online poker in the coming weeks

It would not be surprising for the WSOP.com to start holding Online Bracelet Event qualifiers earlier rather than later.

Sure, the World Series of Poker won’t officially get underway until May. Even so, WSOP.com will most likely look for ways to capitalize on the popularity of the online events as quickly as possible.

PokerStars NJ will likely continue to mix up its Sunday major tournament offering. Poker players seem to respond well to shiny new objects.

One thing is for sure; all three major online poker rooms will continue to throw things at the virtual wall hoping something will stick.

The one thing that is predictable about the New Jersey online poker market is the unpredictability of it all. This past week seemed to be about righting some wrongs.

Players found their way back to their home felt, all three operators met their Sunday major tournament guarantees, and peak traffic trends are finally in positive territory.

It’s a good sign that we are heading into the holiday weeks with positive news. For now, though, let’s take a closer look at the key stories from the US regulated poker scene for the past two weeks:

• The total seven-day rolling average number of cash game players increased by over 100 players since our last report
• WSOP.com reclaimed the cash game players it gave up to the competition two weeks ago
• Pokerstars NJ is showing a noteworthy positive trend line in its peak traffic figures
• partypoker NJ was able to hold onto the increase in cash game players it gained a few weeks ago.

Now, let’s take a look back at the tournament and cash game trends in more detail for the two weeks ending Dec. 16, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Pala Poker also operates in New Jersey on its own network. We do not include Pala Poker in this report because the traffic volume is low and doesn’t affect the latest US online poker trends.

Major online poker tournaments summary

As mentioned, for the first time in three months, all three operators met their Sunday major tournament guarantee on Dec. 16. That is quite an accomplishment on a calendar that did not include any big buy-ins or have some fancy jewelry up for grabs.

And yet, only WSOP.com was able to meet its guarantees both weeks. After losing some ground over the past six weeks, and some slower-than-normal traffic, it appears WSOP.com is once again settling back into its typical traffic pattern.

Consistency, it not something often associated with the New Jersey poker market. Overall, though, the trend lines for the past two months have evened out. PokerStars NJ is showing a slightly positive trend, while WSOP.com and partypoker NJ are showing slightly negative ones. Even so, it is good to see the market stabilizing a bit.

It is going to take more of the same to attack the negative trend line that the overall number of entries since May is showing. 

Sunday major online tournaments by the numbers

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018:

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018:

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

New Jersey online poker cash games posted some positive news across the board this week. What WSOP.com lost in terms of players last week, it seems to have found.

It ended the recent two-week period posting a seven-day rolling average of 220 cash game players. That figure is almost double the number from our last report and the highest number since the summer when the World Series of Poker was in session.

After months of holding steady with a seven-day rolling average of 45 cash game players, two weeks ago partypoker NJ increased their average by five players. They maintained the increase this week.

PokerStars NJ was the big winner in our last report. They don’t get that distinction this week. It ended up giving a few cash game players back. Yet, it is still posting an average cash game player number that is well above what it has seen in months.

Overall, the total seven-day rolling average number of cash game players increased by 100 players when compared to the previous two weeks. We haven’t seen a jump like that in quite a while.

Peak traffic has ventured out of declining trend territory for all three operators. It is usually the tournaments that provide us with good news. It is nice to finally get some decent results on the cash side of the things.

Factors impacting US regulated online poker in the coming week

The most significant impact on New Jersey online poker in the next few weeks will be the holidays. Looking back over the past few years, there have been holiday seasons that were good and some that were bad. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give us a good sense of what to expect.

The data from the last two weeks is encouraging heading into the last few weeks of the year. At the same time, it is hard to set the expectations too high because we all know New Jersey poker is finicky.

Regardless, it would be nice to write two positive New Jersey online poker reports in a row. This is week one. Here’s hoping we don’t find any coal in our stockings or headaches from too much champagne when we report back here on Jan. 2, 2019.

It is good to know New Jersey poker players still love their tournaments. Over the past week, players have been flocking to WSOP.com for their chance to win one of 13 WSOP Circuit gold rings.

There is more good news on the horizon. Once the Online Circuit event concludes, PokerStars NJ will pick up where WSOP.com leaves off with its 47-event NJCOOP.

While things are looking up in the tournament world, cash games are still just hanging on. Shared liquidity just didn’t increase the player pool in the Garden State enough to make much of a difference.

Even so, it is nice to finally report some good news about the New Jersey online poker scene for a change.

Here are the key stories from the U.S. regulated poker scene since our last report published on Sept. 11 are:

• All three operators exceeded their major tournament guarantees for two weeks in a row
• WSOP.com is hosting the Online Circuit event and is posting some big numbers
• PokerStars NJ took a hit in cash games this week posting some of its lowest numbers in months
• partypoker NJ is just chugging along without any big wins or significant losses

Now, let’s take a look back at the tournament and cash game trends for the two-week period ending Sept. 23, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Pala Poker also operates in New Jersey on its own network. We do not include Pala Poker in this report because the traffic volume is low and doesn’t affect the latest US online poker trends.

Major online poker tournaments summary

Finally, some good news to share. For the first time in two months, all three operators exceeded their guarantees for both of the last two Sundays.

This is a big deal. There have only been three other Sundays since shared liquidity launched on May 1 that all three operators avoided paying out of pocket.

WSOP.com is in the middle of hosting the inaugural WSOP.com Online Circuit tournament series. The 13-event series promises over $700,000 guarantees and 13 gold rings.

So far, every tournament smashed its guarantee. It must feel good to both WSOP.com and the players to have some of the WSOP mojo back.

WSOP.com combines the player pools between Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey and that undoubtedly contributes to its tournament success. It will be interesting to see if PokerStars’ NJCOOP will have similar success or if shared liquidity really does have an impact. Look for NJCOOP kicks off this upcoming weekend.

The declining trends for the past two months are flattening out. They are not quite as sharp as they were immediately following the WSOP.

What is surprising is partypoker NJ showing a slight positive trend. It rarely posts the big numbers that WSOP.com and PokerStars NJ do during a big tournament series. As a result, it doesn’t see the big drop in entries following a series either. It just holds steady week after week.

Sunday major online tournaments by the numbers

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

Cash game players usually go where the big tournaments are. After two months of sharply declining trends, WSOP.com is finally back on an upward climb.

It appears most of the players came from PokerStars NJ. Its seven-day rolling cash game average fell into the 70s for an entire week. The only time it has been consistently that low is during the WSOP. Of course, that is when half of New Jersey poker players make the trek to the Nevada desert.

No doubt, PokerStars NJ is hoping to reverse the trend when it takes over tournament hosting duties from the WSOP.com this weekend.

While the tournament baton passes from WSOP.com to PokerStars NJ, partypoker NJ will most likely be hanging steady. partypoker NJ is consistently in third place, but it hasn’t had the fluctuations in numbers the other two online poker sites have had.

Peak traffic numbers are still showing declines across the board. The sites seem to have a hard time posting solid traffic for more than a few days in a row.

Even the very popular Online Circuit event doesn’t seem to be impacting peak traffic numbers consistently day after day. Although, WSOP.com did produce some noticeable spikes in traffic during the past week.

Factors that will impact U.S. regulated online poker in the coming weeks

We’ll be watching tournament traffic transition from WSOP.com to PokerStars NJ this next weekend. WSOP.com will be wrapping up the Online Circuit event, and PokerStars will be starting NJCOOP.

The series will likely be huge considering PokerStars NJ is giving away three coveted Platinum Passes. The schedule consists of 47 events and over $1 million in guarantees.

We will keep our eyes on the New Jersey poker scene, and the complete U.S. regulated online poker landscape and report back here on Oct. 9.

Image courtesy of Larry Kang/Flickr

Where in the world are the poker players? Apparently, not in New Jersey.

There was hope that legal sports betting and shared liquidity in the Garden State would give the poker market a much-needed boost. So far, it seems to be having the opposite effect.

Usually, when one site loses some cash game players, another gains them. This week, players just didn’t show up to the tables.

Here are the key stories from the U.S. regulated poker scene since our last report published on Aug. 14 are:

• The report shows declining or relatively flat trends across the board for cash games and tournaments
• WSOP.com continues to lose cash game players
• The bump PokerStars NJ saw in the last report vanished
• partypoker NJ is showing the only positive trend line in the report in tournament entries, but it is nothing to write home about

Now, let’s take a look back at the cash game and tournament trends for the two-week period ending Aug. 26, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Pala Poker also operates in New Jersey on its own network. We do not include Pala Poker in this report because the traffic volume is low and doesn’t affect the latest US online poker trends.

Major online poker tournaments summary

These past two weeks there were no tournament series on the schedule. Each of the operators held their regular scheduled Sunday Major tournaments, and the results are anything but newsworthy.

Tournament entries continue to decline. The only time an operator seems to get a good boost is when they hold a tournament series.

Even so, a good series doesn’t pack the punch it used to as evidenced by WSOP.com posting its first overlay since shared liquidity in our last report.

The only New Jersey online poker site to enjoy a combined player pool with Nevada and Delaware, WSop.com did garner enough entries to meet its guarantees both weeks. The prize pools are far-off from some of the highs it posted during the World Series of Poker, though.

PokerStars NJ just met its guarantee one week, and just missed it the other. partypoker NJ failed to meet its guarantees both weeks. That makes it only four times since shared liquidity launched on May 1 that the site did not have to write a check to the prize pool.

The bottom line is WSOP.com continues to show a sharply declining trend. However, PokerStars NJ and partypoker NJ are showing relatively flat trends.

Sunday major online tournaments by the numbers

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

There is not a whole lot to say about cash games and peak traffic data from the past two weeks. All three operators are showing declining trends in both categories.

WSOP.com is showing the most severe trend line of the three. Looking at the past four to six weeks, it seems as if the online poker sites are settling into a new normal – and it is not good.

partypoker NJ was the only site not to lose cash game players in the past two weeks, but it didn’t gain any either. In our last report, it posted a seven-day rolling average of 50 cash game players, and in this report it holds steady.

WSOP.com and PokerStars NJ aren’t as lucky as partypoker NJ. WSOP.com shows a seven-day rolling average of 190 cash game players, while PokerStars NJ had 90. That is 50 and 10 fewer cash game players, respectively, when compared to our last report.

The peak traffic numbers, as they often do, follow the cash game trends. Not much else to say except there is a declining trend in peak traffic across the board.

Factors that will impact U.S. regulated online poker in the coming weeks

This report is starting to sound a bit like a broken record. It is a troubling sign that players are leaving, not just a site, but the market. It is August, and historically, it is a slower time for New Jersey poker. Let’s hope that is all there is to it.

Hopefully, the exodus of cash-game players is a one-off event, and we’ll see the players start to come back in our next report.

Unfortunately for poker players, sports betting seems to be getting all the attention these days. It is especially true with football season just around the corner.

No one would argue that something drastic needs to happen to shake up the New Jersey online poker market. Will Pennsylvania joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement be the thing? One can hope.

For now, though, it would not be surprising to see a poker tournament hit one or more of the online poker rooms in the coming weeks.

We will keep our eyes on the New Jersey poker scene, and the complete U.S. regulated online poker landscape and report back here on Sept. 11.