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Free Money: New partypoker Sit and Go Leaderboards Pay Players $23,500 Weekly

Partypoker recently announced new sit and go leaderboards with free cash on the line.

Playing online at partypoker just became a little more festive. The platform announced last week the launch of new weekly leaderboards for its sit and go tournaments.

Players now have a shot at some nice free cash with $23,500 in prizes awarded every week. Free money is available for leaders at every level of buy-in.

“I started my professional career hunting sit and go leaderboards,” Team partypoker’s Jaime Staples said. “It’s a great way to practice and I love that partypoker is now offering something to shoot for.”

This is another move from partypoker in recent weeks. The site also announced an overhaul of its mobile platform. The addition of sit and go leaderboards should complement that move.

Getting in on the partypoker leaderboard cash

Taking a shot at the new leaderboards is pretty simple. Players simply have to play a sit and go on the site from Monday through Sunday.

Depending on the finish, he or she will earn points to climb up to four separate leaderboards. It’s an opportunity at some free prize pools just for playing online.

All tournaments fall under the following buy-in tiers:

Tiers – 

Leaderboard TierBuy-in RangePrize Pool
Low
$1 – $9.99$1,000
Mid$10 – $49.99$5,000
High
$50 – $199.99$10,000
High Roller
$200 and higher$7,500

What can winners expect from the partypoker leaderboards?

As part of the weekly promotion, partypoker is ponying up some nice money for winners. The top three in each tier will win cash with the remaining players receiving tournament dollars.

https://www.pokerscout.com/world/

The Low and Mid tiers pay out 100 players and the High tier pays out the top 50. The High Roller pays out the top 10 players.

Here’s a look at the payouts for those reaching the top five in each tier:

 

Place LowMidHighHigh Roller
1$150
$750$2,500$2,500
2$100$500$1,500$1,500
3$75$400$1,000$1,000
4T$50T$350T$750T$750
5T$50T$250T$500T$500

It’s important to note that the new leaderboards don’t include heads-up sit and go tournaments. Also, SPINS games don’t count toward the promotion.

Team partypoker’s Steven “DWstevie” Kok believes sit and go tournaments offer players plenty of bang for the buck. They can also help hone skills for tournament play.

“I am a big fan of sit and go’s, they are great practice for short-handed and short-stack play, and for learning ICM as you get into those spots way more often than in large field multi-table tournaments,” Kok says. “They also have lower variance and thus are great to help you build that bankroll.”

The leaderboards are already underway. PokerScout offers some great bonus opportunities for players to get in the action.

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Partypoker Product Overhaul Shows Industry’s Move Toward Mobile and Social gaming

The focus on mobile poker and social gaming continues to grow in the industry.

Just 15 years ago most players wouldn’t have imagined how big a role cell phones would play in online poker. Mobile gaming is now a major part of the industry and operators are catering to this growing segment of players.

Partypoker recently announced a new mobile experience for its players. A more social gaming experience is also included – also a growing trend in the industry.

“The new SPINS product shows our commitment to improving the mobile experience for our customers,” partypoker head of product Ross McQuater said. “The new lobby and portrait table for SPINS with new and exciting features … aims to provide our customers with a more fun and engaging playing experience.”

“This is just one of many updates that will be delivered in the coming months as we overhaul our mobile proposition.”

Partypoker brings new landscape design for social gaming

The new partypoker app offers significant changes and appeals to those accustomed to already using a mobile device for gaming. Partypoker SPINS are three-handed sit and go tournaments. A multiplier randomly determines the size of the prizepool before the first card is dealt.

These types of tournaments have become extremely popular since their debut on PokerStars in 2014. They include an added element of luck. That and such a low number of players make them perfect for mobile play.

Along with the focus on SPINS, partypoker players will find a new portrait layout meant to emphasize ease of use. With more players now betting and bluffing a small screen, supporting one-handed gameplay was a major focus.

“This app brings poker on your phone into the modern age,” partypoker Team Online member and Twitch streamer Jaime Staples said. “The experience of just being able to play with one finger is something I have never had the chance to experience before. It’s so simple and intuitive.”

Players will also notice improved table tiling to easily cycle between games. The new platform is pleasing to the eye with easy to use action buttons, graphics, and icons. A player’s hand is easy to see as well as the flop, turn, and river.

Partypoker has taken a minimalist approach to make mobile play simple and efficient. Players won’t need to search among numerous small icons — finding what a player needs is easy.

The company plans to seek player feedback in the coming months to further improve the mobile product.

New mobile poker features include social currency

With 750 million players utilizing social games worldwide, it serves operators well to move in that direction with poker. Zynga Poker boasts hundreds of millions of users around the world.

Partypoker seems to be adopting that approach with hopes of continuing to grow its player base. The first phase of the mobile product overhaul includes a new SPINS interface with some innovative features. 

Gameplay now introduces a new social-friendly currency, known as Diamonds. App designers hope it “offers a more immersive playing experience.”

Diamonds are earned based on the number of hands played. They can be spent on in-game benefits such as rabbit hunting for cards cards or even throwing a variety of animations at opponents.

As an example, throwing an item at a player will cost one Diamond and comes with animated sounds adding to the experience.

Other features designed to provide a social element include:

  • bubble chat
  • emojis and animations
  • enhanced dialogues such as announcing tournament winners, aimed at generating greater excitement among players
  • new hand re-player
  • easier SPINS tournaments search tool
  • a redesigned and more user-friendly lobby
  • a redesigned multiplier animation

Mobile and social are huge parts of online poker’s future

Party certainly isn’t the only operator heading in this direction. PokerStars has emphasized social gaming and mobile poker. Daniel Negreanu mentioned GGPoker’s emphasis on mobile poker this week in his announcement about becoming an ambassador for the site.

“The mobile client is cutting edge,” he said. “It’s super user friendly, fun, and engaging.”

GG has even included a staking feature. Players can offer others the opportunity to buy their action or choose to back others.

While mobile and social has been a focus for years, that appears to be ramping up even more.

“Mobile gaming – on phones and tablets – has been the center of online poker for many years now, and it will likely increase its dominance in the future,” says longtime industry insider Michael Josem, who has worked as senior manager for game security and then as head of public relations for PokerStars.

“We can expect online poker operators to slowly de-prioritize their Windows and Mac downloadable software in the near future as the industry focuses on mobile clients and some sort of online HTML5 client for desktops and laptops.”

Mobile may be a priority now, but laptop players won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Operators remain open to reaching players on any medium.

“I’m surprised that recent online poker entrants like Run It Once even bothered creating a desktop client,” Josem notes, “but that shows a remarkable commitment to the legacy model of online poker.”

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partypoker POWERFEST Crushing Guarantees With Another Big Week Ahead

2019 partypoker POWERFEST

The 10th edition of the partypoker POWERFEST began last week, and the tournament is putting up some impressive numbers.

The series kicked off by running 25 tournaments on the first day with buy-ins ranging from $5.50 to $5,200.

Just about every guarantee was crushed as players came out in droves trying to score big. “DaslstMirWurst” and “UniqueDNA” were among the big winners of the day.

partypoker POWERFEST week-one highlights

“DaslstMirWurst” took down partypoker POWERFEST #04-HR, $2,100 $400,000 Guaranteed PKO. He collected $32,728 for his win. The real feat, however, is the $50,000 in bounties he added to his winnings for a total score of over $82k.

“DaslstMirWurst” battled “vaueffell” heads up to collect the last bounty of the day. Team partypoker pro Roberto Romanello also hit a nice payday when he won $17,237 + $3,281 in bounties for his fourth-place finish.

“UniqueDNA” dominated play in Event #02-HR, $1,050 $300,000 Guaranteed Deep. He pocketed $73,332 for his efforts after surviving a heads-up battle with “bybyblyat.”

However, it was ‘PauliBet’ who took home the biggest prize of the day after winning Event #03-SHR, $5,200 NLH $500,000 Guaranteed. He earned a $154,000 paycheck for his efforts after outlasting a field of 163 players.

It wasn’t an easy road for “PauliBet” as he battled the likes of Team partypoker members Sam Trickett and Renato Nomura to become the last man standing.

partypoker pros represented on the leaderboard as well. “Patrick_Leonard” came out on top in Event #14-H, $150,000 Guaranteed Big Antes PKO. After making a deal with eventual runner-up “TJQKAKQJT,” he pocketed $24,000, $10,000 for first place and $14,000 in bounties.

More partypoker POWERFEST to come

After an impressive week one, the party is just getting started. There are still over 125 events on the partypoker POWERFEST schedule spread out over four levels of play:

  • Low
  • Medium
  • High Roller
  • Super High Roller

Mark your calendars for Aug. 8 when the biggest tournament of the series takes place. partypoker POWERFEST Event #57-SHR, $25,500 NLH $2 Million Guaranteed will include the biggest names in poker.

If $25,000 is above your paygrade, partypoker has several low buy-ins during the day, so you can grind and watch the best of the best do their thing.

partypoker POWERFEST Championship Sunday

The series concludes on Aug. 11, Championship Sunday with eight major events on the schedule. Buy-ins range from $11 to $2,100 for the Main Events in both PKO and PLO.

DateTime (ET)Event nameGuaranteeBuy-in
Sunday, Aug. 112:00 p.m.Powerfest #74-HR: $750K Gtd
[Championship Event, PKO]		$750K$2,100
Sunday, Aug. 112:00 p.m.Powerfest #74-H: $500K Gtd
[Championship Event, PKO]		$500K$320
Sunday, Aug. 112:00 p.m.Powerfest #74-M: $150K Gtd
[Championship Event, PKO]		$150K$55
Sunday, Aug. 112:00 p.m.Powerfest #74-L: $50K Gtd
[Championship Event, PKO]		$50K$11
Sunday, Aug. 112:30 p.m.Powerfest #75-HR: $250K Gtd
[PLO Championship Event]		$250K$2,100
Sunday, Aug. 112:30 p.m.Powerfest #75-H: $100K Gtd
[PLO Championship Event]		$100K$320
Sunday, Aug. 112:30 p.m.Powerfest #75-M: $25K Gtd
[PLO Championship Event]		$25K$55
Sunday, Aug. 112:30 p.m.Powerfest #75-L: $10K Gtd
[PLO Championship Event]		$10K$11

Looking for somewhere to brag or to get that bad-beat story off your chest? Tell partypoker your POWERFEST story on social media using the hashtag #POWERFEST.

Image courtesy of partypoker.

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What PartyPoker NJ’s Click And Win Means For Your Sunday Plans

Online poker players around the world know that Sunday means hours of grinding for the week’s best prize pools. Now, Party Poker NJ is adding a little bonus to the first day of the week. Every Sunday, you can “Click and Win.”

How Click and WIn works

After you log in, proceed to the promotions section to opt in. From there, click your card to reveal your personal prize.

Prizes include casino bonuses, poker reload bonuses, and slot prizes for selected players. Each click card is a winner.

After you win, the bonus will appear in your account. Claim it within three days or it goes away.

One other thing to bear in mind about Click and Win is the playthrough requirement. Players must wager 35 times the amount of the prize in order to release it.

Furthermore, they will only have 3 days to do it. So, make sure to set aside some time if you plan to redeem this bonus.

Nevertheless, it’s free money that PartyPoker is leaving on the ground for you. Make sure to pick it up, if you can.

Partypoker NJ is the place to be on Sundays

Sundays in New Jersey are quite underrated. However, on Partypoker NJ, there is always something to do.

For one thing, the site offers a $55 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament at 4 p.m. This tournament, dubbed the Sunday Starter, carries a $3,000 guarantee.

The Sunday Starter is a nice warm up tournament for the big event. Each Sunday, PartyPoker NJ hosts a weekly $215 clash that guarantees a prizepool of $35,000. 

Finally, Party Poker NJ is offering a $400 super satellite to the Borgata Summer Open Championship. Each Sunday, this 7:40 p.m. satellite will send lucky winners to the big dance in Atlantic City.

The Borgata Summer Open Championship is a $2,700 buy-in tournament with a $1 million guaranteed prizepool. That kind of guarantee means that lifechanging money is going in someone’s pocket at Borgata. 

Play on Sundays at PartyPoker NJ, and it could be yours!

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Always Wanted a New Screenname? Partypoker Players Will Get Their Wish

Normally, a poker site’s software update would not merit mention. However, an update on the partypoker dotcom client will mandate that all players change their screennames.

The change will take place at 9:00 a.m. British Summer Time, or 10:00 a.m. Central European Time, on June 17. Players logged into the partypoker client will see a pop-up window that will prompt them to select a new name.

Names will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. As with any screenname, players may not use inappropriate words or phrases as part of the name.

Like any other occasion, Partypoker will celebrate the name changes

The shock of losing a screenname might be disconcerting to some players. After all, some base their entire online persona around the exact screenname’s phrasing.

So, to cushion the blow and celebrate new beginnings, partypoker is hosting the “Race to Alias” giveaway. This giveaway, open to all players except those in Sweden and the Czech Republic, will see the dispensing of more than $500,000 in various cash prizes.

partypoker will spread the giveaways across three different avenues. So, players may receive cash prizes for a variety of different actions onsite.

First, partypoker will award “Login Click Cards” to players choosing their new alias. These cards will randomly dole out up to $10,000 to each individual player as the day goes on.

Additionally, partypoker will also be giving out “Hourly Click Cards” to any player that earns at least .1 loyalty points per hour. In giving away these cards, partypoker will, in sum, award $10,000 to $40,000 in prizes to players.

Finally, the site will host several “10K Freerolls” for players who earn entries through either the Login or Hourly Cards. As stated earlier, partypoker plans to give out more than $500,000 in prizes over the course of the single day.

Czech players, don’t despair – partypoker will host a dedicated $25,000 giveaway for changing your alias. Swedish players, unfortunately, may just be out of luck.

The update goes beyond a name change

Obviously, a poker site does not require its players to choose names again on a whim. This update is part of the site’s ongoing initiative to improve performance and security site-wide.

“This client update is one of a number of initiatives that we are working on in order to provide players with a safe environment where they can play online poker,” said partypoker managing director Tom Waters.

One of the major areas of change so far is around the hand replayer. Partypoker has redesigned the device to run smoother and with a better set of controls.

Additionally, partypoker is making the client dashboard simpler and easier to navigate. So, expect any clunky aspects of the interface to receive attention during the update.

These elements are merely the pieces that are known so far. Look for more developments and adjustments to occur in the coming months.

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partypoker MILLIONS Beats $20 Million Guarantee To Produce The Richest Online Poker Tournament In History

partypoker millions

After the fourth starting flight Dec. 4, partypoker succeeded in putting together the richest online poker tournament ever.

There were a total of 4,367 entries. The event attracted 2,190 unique entries; the rest came from re-entries.

At a $5,300 buy-in, it added up to a record-breaking prize pool of $21,835,000.

PokerStars set the previous record in 2011. The 10th anniversary Sunday Million set a $10 million guaranteed prize. That was enough to convince 62,000 players to sign up and create a $12.4 million prize pool.

Partypoker has smashed that record.

The partypoker Millions was a hugely ambitious undertaking

When the partypoker Millions event was announced, many doubted that the guarantee would hit. Doubters can now take a back seat and watch the final day of the event as partypoker triumphs.

The payout structure is relatively flat. Twenty-nine players survived Day 2 to make it to the final day. Each will receive a minimum of $65,000.

The winner is set to secure $2.7 million and second place will take home $1.9 million.

Third place merits a prize of $1.3 million with a little more than $1 million going to fourth.

Partypoker has set its cap at competing with PokerStars. The industry leader uses the tagline “PokerStars makes millionaires.”

Well, so does partypoker!

The message of four millionaires in one online poker tournament is one for the record books.

Satellites and overlays make for an expensive marketing pitch

No one can take away from partypoker’s achievement here, but it was not accomplished by merely posting a tournament in the lobby.

Since the event was announced in December 2017, partypoker has been handing out free seats.

Partypoker used every trick in the book to fill the event.

  • Leaderboard prizes throughout 2018 included seats to partypoker Millions.
  • Satellites with buy-ins as low as $2.20 guaranteed seats to the Millions.
  • Millions event tickets were won as sit-and-go jackpot prizes.
  • Partypoker Live tournaments offered Millions’ event seats as extra prizes.

The cost of putting on partypoker Millions must have made a dent in the marketing budget. But what a prize.

The secondary marketing impact is likely to exceed partypoker’s most optimistic forecasts.

Partypoker has tried for $20 million before

In what must now count as ancient history in the fast-moving world of online gaming, it’s worth remembering partypoker’s last attempt at a giant tournament prize pool.

In summer 2006, partypoker launched the “Monster.”

The Monster tournament consisted of 32 $100,000 weekly freerolls, eight monthly $1,000,000 tournaments and a final tournament with more than $5 million in prize money.

Partypoker put up $16 million to seed the events, so rack it all up, and you get close to a $20 million prize pool.

Sadly in 2006, the US passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and partypoker exited the US market midway through the tournament. All players were paid out an amount equivalent to their expected value at their respective stages of progress.

The world online poker market is smaller than it was back in 2006 because US online poker remains forbidden outside of New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.

Pennsylvania will soon join that elite band of states when it launches state-regulated online poker in the first quarter of 2019.

The smaller global market only serves to accentuate partypoker’s achievement with the Millions. It has out-monstered the Monster.

GVC leadership has transformed partypoker

GVC completed its acquisition of partypoker on Feb. 1, 2016. Under the direction of GVC CEO Kenny Alexander, the online poker room has flourished.

The truth is the former bwin.party management paid little attention to partypoker. Sports betting and online casino were much larger business verticals.

Alexander gave partypoker much more management focus and in the first year of GVC ownership, partypoker returned to growth.

In July this year, partypoker global cash-game traffic surged ahead of 888poker. Partypoker traffic had been greater than 888’s right up until June 2013. From then until August this year, 888 was the clear leader.

WSOP and 888 share a network in New Jersey. In that market, partypoker remains behind its competitor, but the rest of the world experience may well translate across the Atlantic.

Now that GVC has a US partner in the form of MGM, sports betting is its main focus in the US market. However, the deal between the two companies includes launching more partypoker branded poker rooms in any state that allows online poker.

Partypoker can enjoy its day in the sun with the superb achievement of the Millions event. But 2019 will bring a lot more work, and the market remains extremely competitive.

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New Jersey Online Poker Revenue Down 14.5% Since Last Year

NJ Online Poker

Last week, the Department of Gaming Enforcement released the revenue figures for New Jersey online poker.

Overall, online poker posted a 0.60 percent decline in revenue in October 2018 when compared to September 2018. Year-over-year also showed a decrease of 14.5 percent. The revenue figures support the trends we have been reporting here.

Each week this report is a mixed bag of news, this week is no different. The most notable story, though, is it appears the cash games welcomed some new players. It has been a while since we have been able to say that.

Let’s take a closer look. Here are the key stories from the US regulated poker scene since our last report published on Nov. 12:

  • PokerStars NJ implemented its new Star Rewards program
  • WSOP.com continued to host the Coast 2 Coast III concluded with enough entries to exceed the $200,000 guarantee for its Main Event
  • partypoker NJ continues to hold down third place while posting the most consistent numbers from week to week

Now, let’s take a look back at the tournament and cash game trends for the two-week period ending Nov. 18, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Operator Network Provider Other Sites in the Network
WSOP.com 888 888poker
PokerStarsNJ PokerStars None
partypokerNJ partypoker Borgata Poker and PlayMGM-NJ

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

The tournament summary continues to rely on big tournament series to produce decent prize pools. Last week we reported that it appears tournaments are losing their appeal.

This report supports that hypothesis. During the last two weeks, each of the three operators exceeded their guarantee once, and each posted an overlay once. There just doesn’t seem to be any consistency.

WSOP.com posted strong numbers both weeks most likely due to the continuation of the Coast 2 Coast Classic III. Even so, it still contributed to the prize pool on Nov. 11 to match the larger than usual guarantee.

On Nov. 18, WSOP.com surpassed the $200,000 guarantee by $15,000. It’s only the second time since shared liquidity that NJ players have had a $200,000 guarantee tournament. Considering, WSOP.com failed to meet its guarantees the previous two weeks, the site took a big gamble. Luckily it paid off.

Now that the Coast 2 Coast Classic III concluded, there is sure to be a new tournament series starting soon. It seems as if a week doesn’t go by without one.

Both partypoker NJ and PokerStars NJ both held a series in Oct. So, it is hard to predict which operator will be the lucky host.

One last thing worth mentioning is PokerStars brought its global Star Rewards customer loyalty program to NJ. However, it is unlikely to have an effect on the results.

Sunday major online tournaments by the numbers

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018,

Tournament Entries Guarantee Actual Prize Pool Difference
WSOP $320 Coast 2 Coast III #25 $150,000 Guaranteed 488 $150,000 $146,400 -$3,600
PokerStarsNJ $200 Sunday Special $30,000 Guaranteed 188 $30,000 $34,968 $4,968
partypokerNJ $215 Sunday NLH $35,000 Guaranteed 203 $35,000 40,600 5,600

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018:

Tournament Entries Guarantee Actual Prize Pool Difference
WSOP $525 Coast 2 Coast III #48 $200,000 Guaranteed 430 $200,000 $215,000 $15,000
PokerStarsNJ $200 Sunday Special $30,000 Guaranteed 171 $30,000 $31,806 $1,806
partypokerNJ $215 Sunday NLH $35,000 Guaranteed 157 $35,000 $31,400 -$3,600

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

For the first time in many weeks, NJ poker seemed to grow. Both WSOP.com and PokerStars NJ posted gains to their 7-day rolling average number of cash game players.

It is encouraging that the gains happened without stealing players from partypoker NJ, who remained consistent posting a 7-day average of 45 cash game players.

There hasn’t been much good news for online poker in the Garden State. So it is understandable to latch on to the first glimmer of hope for a growing market in quite a while – no matter how small.

WSOP.com posted a 7-day rolling average of 200 cash game players. It hasn’t seen that number consistently since the summer.

PokerStars NJ showed a 7-day rolling average of 85 cash game players. It, too, was one of its highest figures in quite a while. Although, it was not quite enough to reverse the site’s declining trend line.

Peak traffic numbers were pretty much more of the same for the operators with one exception. PokerStars NJ, for the first time, posted a peak traffic number in the double digits. That, by the way, is not good news. They haven’t even really come close to dropping down that far before this week. We contacted PokerStars for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

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

The holidays are upon us. That means some players will have more time to play and others will have less. Looking back over the past few years, online poker took a small hit over Thanksgiving weekend but rebounded nicely in the following weeks.

It will be interesting to compare last year’s online poker trends without sports betting over the holidays and this year’s trends that include sports betting.

We will take a look at that, and other news affecting the New Jersey poker scene, and the complete U.S. regulated online poker landscape. We will be back here on Dec. 4.

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New Jersey Online Poker Outlook: Fair To Partly Cloudy

New Jersey

New Jersey poker players are still flocking to tournaments more so than cash games. Thankfully, the news is not bad. But it isn’t great either.

There were some tournament overlays during the past two weeks, and some cash game players went into hiding, but nothing too drastic.

Overall, New Jersey poker keeps chugging along waiting for the next big thing. What that is remains a mystery.

Most are pointing to Pennsylvania coming online as the jump start New Jersey online poker needs. We are not so sure.

Even when it does launch online poker, Pennsylvania likely won’t join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) immediately.

So for the foreseeable future look for New Jersey poker to keep doing its thing and keep banking on a big poker tournament series here and there to add a little excitement.

Here are the key stories from the U.S. regulated poker scene since our last report published on Sept. 25 are:

  • New Jersey’s three major poker operators all posted positive tournament trend lines
  • The WSOP.com Online Circuit event ended on a high note
  • PokerStars NJ‘s NJCOOP takes center stage
  • partypoker NJ reports the most consistent numbers of the bunch

Now, let’s take a look back at the tournament and cash game trends for the two-week period ending Oct. 7, 2018.

U.S. Regulated Online Poker Operators

The major U.S. poker operators are:

Operator Network Provider Other Sites in the Network
WSOP.com 888 888poker
PokerStarsNJ PokerStars None
partypokerNJ partypoker Borgata Poker and PlayMGM-NJ

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

Two major tournament series descended on the New Jersey poker scene on Sept. 30. WSOP.com hosted its 13th and final Online Circuit event, and PokerStars NJ kicked off the always popular NJCOOP.

The WSOP.com Online Circuit event was a huge success. It met all of its guarantees and handily. PlayNevada.com spoke to Bill Rini at the conclusion of the event to get his take.

“We were actually quite surprised at how well the event performed. We were aware that a lot of players wanted something like this on the schedule, but we were truly blown away at the draw. We thought our guarantees were fairly in-line, but when every event is doubling or tripling the guarantee, it shows we underestimated the demand.”

Piggybacking on that success, all three operators are showing positive trend lines when looking back on the last two months of tournament data. It’s the first time in quite a while that we’ve been able to say that. Granted, partypoker NJ is mostly flat, but a little something is better than nothing in this environment.

Making its Sunday major guarantee was almost a certainty for WSOP.com over the last few months. Without the Online Circuit event on the schedule, the online poker room went into overlay territory for only the second time since the launch of shared liquidity.

You might assume the players went over to PokerStars NJ. You would be wrong. PokerStars NJ actually had fewer tournament players during its NJCOOP event than WSOP.com had on its regular Sunday major.

For now, let’s just keep our eyes on those positive trend lines and hope for a repeat in a few weeks time. 

Sunday major online tournaments by the numbers

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018

Tournament Entries Guarantee Prize Pool Difference
WSOP $525 Circuit Event #13 – Main Event 439 $200,000 $341,000 $141,000
PokerStarsNJ $250 NJCOOP-05 Sunday Special, $60,000 Guaranteed 285 $60,000 $66,405 $6,405
partypokerNJ $215 Sunday $35,000 Guaranteed NLH 157 $35,000 $31,400 -$3,600

Information for the tournaments held on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018

Tournament Entries Guarantee Prize Pool Difference
WSOP $320 Sunday Weekly $100,000 NLH 245 $100,000 $73,500 -$26,500
PokerStarsNJ $350 NJCOOP-25 Sunday Special, $70,000 Guaranteed 224 $70,000 $73,472 $3,472
partypokerNJ $215 Sunday $35,000 Guaranteed NLH 174 $35,000 34,800 -200

Average cash game and peak traffic summary

The seven-day rolling average cash game traffic report is anything but exciting. It keeps posting a slightly declining trend line.

The only exception came during the few days when WSOP.com and PokerStars NJ hosted a big tournament. You can see the blip on the charts.

It doesn’t seem that PokerStars NJ was as attractive to players as WSOP.com’s Online Circuit event. Of course, that most likely has to do with the fact the WSOP.com’s player pool includes Nevada and Delaware.

The expectation was that some of the cash game players would jump ship over to PokerStars NJ once the Circuit event concluded. They jumped ship, all right. But they left the online poker scene altogether.

On average WSOP.com lost 30 cash game players, PokerStars NJ lost five, and partypoker NJ stayed the same. In fact, of all three poker operators, partypoker NJ has posted the most consistent figures. It is not helpful that it remains solidly in third place, though.

New Jersey’s online poker forecast is fair to partly cloudy at best — at least until more states join the MSIGA.

Peak traffic continues to spike a few days a week, but overall, traffic is trending downward over the last month.

With two big tournaments on the schedule for Sept. 30, one might expect a decent peak traffic number. However, that is not the case. Instead, that day posted some of the lowest peak traffic numbers of the month.

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

PokerStars NJ continues to host NJCOOP through Oct. 15. The big finale comes on Oct. 14 with the $500 NJCOOP-42 NL Holdem $150,000 guaranteed Main Event.

Online poker is entering its slow season. It would not be surprising to see an announcement of another tournament series soon.

It seems as if the industry is a one-trick pony these days. Players hop from one tournament to another, so the online poker rooms are giving them what they want. partypoker NJ hasn’t hosted one in a while; maybe it is time.

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. 23.