Posted on

PokerStars MicroMillions Brings Big Bang for Micro Bucks

Players have a shot at big bucks for small buy-ins in the PokerStars MicroMillions.

It’s certainly a good time to be a low roller. In November PokerStars is catering to this segment of poker players with the MicroMillions low-stakes tournament series.

MicroMillions XXVI runs from Nov. 10-24 and while the buy-ins may be small, the series promises plenty of big payouts. The 147-event series features tournament guarantees totaling $4.3 million – nice haul for some low price points.

Across the series, the great majority of buy-ins are in the range of $1.10 to $5.50 – perfect for recreational players on a low roller budget. And just because the buy-ins are low doesn’t mean some handsome rewards await winners.

PokerStars debuts Phase tournament event with $500,000 guarantee

Along with big paydays, the series will debut PokerStars’ new Phase Event featuring a $4.40 buy-in and $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. Phase 1 online poker events have already begun and are running daily.

Players can jump in as many Phase 1 events as they like until they finish with chips and reach Phase 2. Nov. 24 is the deadline to reach Phase 2, where players will then officially be in the money.

Phase 2 offers a chance at some nice money for those with determination. Players can continue to battle it out in Phase 1 for a shot at even nice cash the further they advance in the second stage.

A look at some highlights from the MicroMillions schedule

MicroMillions offers a fun shot at some major money for a reasonable buy-in. There are just a few events with buy-ins larger than $5.50, but even those are manageable.  

The $11 buy-in Sunday Storm on Nov. 17 features a $250,000 guarantee. The entire series is wrapped up on Nov. 24 with the $22 Main Event – featuring a cool $1 million guarantee.

The MicroMillions offers a chance at some life-changing money for less than a night out at the pub or sports bar. Some of the highlights and promotions on the schedule include:

  • $0.35 Spin and Go’s – These are running until Nov. 24 and award MicroMillions tournament tickets or cash prizes.
  • $10,000 Freeroll – This event is set for Nov. 18 and will be awarding numerous MicroMillions tickets. To qualify, players simply must play in 10 MicroMillions events and one Phase Event from Nov. 10-17.
  • Second Chance freerolls – Get back in the game with these events, which run Nov. 18-24. Any player eliminated from a MicroMillions event after Nov. 17 receives automatic entry into an all-in shootout the following day. The freerolls will award $2,000 worth of MicroMillions tickets.
  • MicroMillions leaderboards – Players can win a share of $5,000 in extra prizes depending on where they stand on the leaderboards. Points are awarded based on how players finish in MicroMillions events.

PokerStars goes all in on Twitch streaming for MicroMillions

In recent days, PokerStars has made plenty of news in the poker world. The company launched in Pennsylvania in the US and has also outlined its plans for Twitch users and viewers.

PokerStars will soon be integrating new Twitch features into its poker client. Players would be able to stream their play at the tables and view others including gaming PokerStars ambassadors and celebrities.

The video game live streaming service has become popular with poker players the last few years including Jason Somerville. The site is planning on utilizing some of its sponsored streamers during the MicroMillions.

Viewers can follow the play of several PokerStars streamers including:

The event may be micro, but it should make for a massive series and plenty of fun. Get in the action – that micro bankroll could definitely pay off.

Posted on

NJSCOOP Reaching A Fever Pitch This Weekend

PokerStars NJ‘s New Jersey Spring Championship of Online Poker (NJSCOOP) has been running for almost two weeks. Things are building to a fever pitch this weekend, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in guarantees on the line.

NJSCOOP is one of PokerStars’ premier events. The annual series promises more than $1 million in guaranteed prizepools and buy-ins for every bankroll level.

Much like a stack of pancakes, the last part of NJSCOOP is going to be the best. The buttery, syrup-laden center, if you will, includes the two main events and tournaments for every major type of poker game.

Here’s a list of all the remaining events:

Event #ClassificationTournament NameJanuary 12, 1900TimeGame TypeBuy-inGuarantee
32HighBigStack TurboMay 17, 20198 PMNLHE$15012,000
32LowBigStack TurboMay 17, 20198 PMNLHE$15$3,500
33HighFinal Weekend KickoffMay 18, 20196 PMNLHE$200$17,500
33LowFinal Weekend KickoffMay 18, 20196 PMNLHE$20$7,500
34HighStud Hi/Lo [8-Max]May 18, 20197 PMStud8$200$5,000
34LowStud Hi/Lo [8-Max]May 18, 20197 PMStud8$20$1,500
35HighNLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Rebuy]May 18, 20199 PMNLHE$50$7,500
35LowNLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Rebuy]May 18, 20199 PMNLHE$5$2,000
36HighMixed NLHE/PLO [Progressive KO]May 19, 20192:30 PMMixed NLH/PLO$200$14,000
36LowMixed NLHE/PLO [Progressive KO]May 19, 20192:30 PMMixed NLH/PLO$20$4,000
37HighMain Event, 2-Day EventMay 19, 20195 PMNLHE$500$130,000
37LowMain Event, 2-Day EventMay 19, 20195 PMNLHE$50$40,000
38HighPL Omaha [6-Max]May 19, 20198 PMPLO$150$12,500
38LowPL Omaha [6-Max]May 19, 20198 PMPLO$15$2,000
39HighSunday Supersonic SE, Hyper-TurboMay 19, 201910 PMNLHE$100$10,000
39LowHyper-TurboMay 19, 201910 PMNLHE$10$2,500
40HighNightly Stars - NJSCOOP Wrap-UpMay 20, 20197 PMNLHE$100$18,000
40LowNJSCOOP Wrap-UpMay 20, 20197 PMNLHE$10$5,000
41HighWrap-up - Deep, Hyper-TurboMay 20, 20199 PMNLHE$150$12,500
41LowWrap-up - Deep, Hyper-TurboMay 20, 20199 PMNLHE$15$4,000

The NJSCOOP Main Events

NJSCOOP has a unique two-tiered system of tournaments to allow play from every level of poker player. So, each event is a pair of tournaments that are designated High and Low.

NJSCOOP’s Main Event is no different. There are two awesome tournaments that bear the name of the top tournament in this series.

The High event is a whopper. The $500 buy-in event will run on Sunday, May 19 at 5:00 p.m. There is a mouth-watering $130,000 guaranteed prizepool with the primo tournament.

For those on a budget, the Low main event only costs $50 to enter. However, players who choose to throw their hats in the ring will compete for at least $40,000. The Low tournament will kick at the same time as the High – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The other NLHE NJSCOOP events remaining

For those looking for something smaller or a supplement to the main events, there are plenty of other no-limit hold’em events available.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the remaining tournaments is the aptly-named Final Weekend Kickoff. This pair of contests will get things started on the last Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

The High event for the kickoff is a $200 buy-in collision. There will be $17,500 guaranteed in the prizepool, ensuring that there’s plenty to smile about.

The Low event will run concurrently with a scant $20 buy-in. Still, players will be able to compete for $7,500 in this tournament – not too shabby for such a cheap entry fee.

There is also the NJSCOOP Wrap-up that should send everyone out with a smile on their faces. The High and Low iterations of this event are $100 and $10 to enter, respectively. However, they have extremely appealing guarantees, with the High drawing $18,000 and the Low $5,000.

The other other NJSCOOP events remaining

If no-limit hold’em is not your cup of tea, don’t worry. There are still opportunities for players with other games in mind.

The next most popular game after hold’em is likely pot-limit Omaha. So, it figures that any tournament series worth its salt would have some great Omaha events.

NJSCOOP doesn’t disappoint, even on the final weekend. There are a pair of PLO tournaments that will run at the same time on Sunday, May 19, at 8:00 p.m.

The two tournaments come with buy-ins of $150 and $15. The High event will have $12,500 as a guaranteed prizepool, and the Low will carry $2,000. Since Omaha players tend to be a more specialized group, this pair of contests should have certain PokerStars patrons licking their chops.

There is also a mixed event a few hours earlier on that same day. The progressive KO tournaments will require entry fees of $200 or $20. Each tournament will have quite a healthy guarantee, with $14,000 and $4,000, respectively.

Finally, there is also a Stud Hi/Lo event yet to be played. While this game is a bit more esoteric, the combined guarantees of $6,500 are as mainstream as they come.

So, if you were concerned about missing the NJSCOOP this year, never fear – there’s still time. Make sure to check out all the great action this year.

Posted on

4 Ways You Can Celebrate PokerStars’ 200 Billionth Hand

Online poker giant PokerStars is about to deal its 200 billionth hand of poker. To commemorate the occasion, Stars is offering four different ways for players to celebrate with them.

200 billion is almost too big a number to comprehend. To give some context, the Milky Way galaxy contains roughly 250 billion stars, including our sun.

So, to have dealt that many hands of poker is quite the achievement. Here are the four ways that PokerStars is marking the occasion.

PokerStars’ 200 billionth hand itself

Naturally, players who sit for Hand #200,000,000,000 are going to be handsomely rewarded. So, because a round number deserves another round number, each player seated for the milestone hand will receive $10,000.

It does not matter the outcome of the hand. Even players who fold preflop will still receive their five-digit bonus.

Needless to say, players should keep an eye on their hand counters. The lucky hand is not one anyone wants to miss.

Cash Game Surprises

However, there’s not just one lucky hand at PokerStars. In fact, during select hours between now and April 30, there will be one lucky hand per hour.

All players must do is play at a table between 7:00 p.m. and midnight Eastern. At some point during each hour, Stars will drop a reward chest onto a random active table.

The chest will contain a reward worth 20 times the big blind at that table. So, some players will find themselves hundreds or thousands of dollars richer instantly.

There is no opt-in for this promotion. Players must simply be seated during that time.

The one caveat is that heads-up tables are not eligible for the drops. So, consider your game selection if you want to remain active in the promotion.

Milestone tournaments

If cash games aren’t your thing, don’t worry. PokerStars is doing random drops in various tournaments, too.

During select tournaments, Stars will randomly select a table to receive a free tournament ticket. Each player at that table will receive a tournament ticket of equal value to the buy-in of that tournament.

So, for instance, a player in the Sunday Special could potentially receive a $200 tournament ticket. Effectively, players are getting a BOGO deal for the tournament they’re playing.

The milestone tournaments in which these drops will occur are:

  • Sunday tournaments
    • $10 Sunday Storm
    • $200 Sunday Special
    • $75 Sunday Supersonic
  • Daily tournaments
    • The Big $20
    • $5 KO Fever
    • The Hot $20

Daily Rewards

Finally, if playing is not your thing, you can still benefit from the celebration. PokerStars is giving away thousands of dollars every day through random pop-up rewards.

The only requirement is that you must play a single hand of poker at some point between now and May 1. That’s it – there’s no other requirement.

In response, you will be eligible to receive a rewards chest worth up to $2,000 in your account – instantly. Potentially, you could win a chest each day of the promotion, so make sure to log in at least once a day during the next couple of weeks.

In addition, the very first chest you win will come with an added bonus. There will be a ticket to a special $10,000 Mega Freeroll inside.

The Mega Freeroll will run on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. The only people between you and a share of $10,000 will be other chest recipients.

So, PokerStars is celebrating 200 billion hands in grand style. Make sure you check it out – money might just appear in front of you.

Posted on

Three Ways To Qualify For PokerStars’ Final Big Game

The annual showcase of buzzer beaters and upsets, March Madness, is drawing to a close. In recognition, PokerStars NJ is offering a chance at a $50k guaranteed prizepool in the Final Big Game tournament.

This tournament will run on April 7 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. It will be a no-limit hold’em freezeout with a $50 buy-in.

Compared to some of PokerStars’ other tournaments, a $50,000 guarantee might seem a bit ho-hum. However, the winner of this tournament might be looking at a five-digit score.

It’s easy to get a ticket for the Final Big Game

One of the best parts about the Final Big Game is how accessible it is. Players can receive tickets for almost nothing – literally.

The first and most obvious way to receive a ticket is to deposit with the proper promotional code. Simply deposit $250 or more and use promo code FINAL to receive a $50 ticket to the Final Big Game – completely free. This code will be valid and active all the way through late registration for the tournament.

If that avenue isn’t appealing, then players can also acquire a ticket through a sports betting deposit. All they must do is wager $500 on basketball games of any type before the NCAA final game begins, and a free ticket will be on its way.

If both options remain unpalatable, a player can possibly win a ticket for free. They simply must play in the Final Big Game Depositors Freeroll.

To enter, a player must deposit $10 or more and use promotional code FREEROLL. The freeroll, which will run two hours before the actual tournament, will award 40 free seats to the tournament.

Finally, there are lower-cost satellites running to allow players into the tournament. So, there are a multitude of ways to punch one’s ticket to the Final Big Game.

Sundays are special on PokerStars NJ

If the Final Big Game is not appealing, there are plenty of other options. Sundays on PokerStars are very special, with a group of excellent tournaments called the Sunday Majors.

All five of them are no-limit hold’em events. Each comes with a guaranteed prizepool and enough money to brighten any weekend. They are:

  • Sunday Warm-up
    • $50 buy-in
    • $5k guarantee
  • Sunday Storm
    • $10 buy-in
    • $3.5k guarantee
    • 6-max tables
    • 5 minute blinds
  • Sunday Special
    • $200 buy-in
    • $25k guarantee
  • Sunday High-Roller
    • $500 buy-in
    • $10,000 guarantee
    • 6-max tables
  • Sunday Supersonic
    • $75 buy-in
    • $4k guarantee
    • 3 minute blinds

So, there is truly something for everyone this Sunday on PokerStars. There’s no reason not to play – at the very least, it may ease the pain of watching your bracket go up in flames.

Posted on

13th Anniversary Sunday Million Going Big with $10 Million Prize Pool and $1 Million First Prize

PokerStars‘ vaunted Sunday Million tournament will mark its 13th anniversary on April 14. To celebrate, PokerStars is bumping the guarantees into the stratosphere.

For the milestone edition of the tournament, the guarantee will increase by order of magnitude to $10 million. Part of that bump will be a first-prize guarantee of $1 million.

In other words, the Sunday Million’s 13th birthday will create a brand-new millionaire. Needless to say, there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming event.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this poker milestone,” said Severin Rasset, PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations, in a statement. “(B)ut the credit goes to all of the poker lovers out there who have made the Sunday Million happen nearly every week for the past 13 years, so we hope to see them at the tables on April 14.”

Sunday Million has lived up to its name for more than a decade

PokerStars’ Sunday Million has been one of the more prominent online tournaments since before Black Friday. The simple promise of a big tournament for a relatively small price has generated a loyal following for the weekly event.

The inaugural Sunday Million occurred on March 4, 2006. Since then, PokerStars has hosted more than 600 iterations of the tournament.

That first tournament eclipsed the guarantee and generated a prize pool worth $1,178,600. The alliteratively named Canadian player “aaaaaaaa” took first prize in that event for $173,843.50.

The anniversary tournament in April is hardly the first time that PokerStars has raised the prize pool to nosebleed heights. The tournament to commemorate PokerStars’ 10th anniversary remains the largest in Sunday Million’s history.

In that event, more than 62,000 entrants combined to create a $12,423,000 prize pool. Kyle “First-Eagle” Weir took the grand prize on that day in 2011, winning more than $1.1 million for his $215 investment.

PokerStars recently halved the price, but not for the usual reason

The Sunday Million’s $215 buy-in has become part of the tournament’s signature over the years. So, PokerStars’ decision to cut the price in half in January seemed quite shocking.

For most businesses, a price reduction would tend to suggest that the product was not selling at a high enough level. However, that seemed not to be the case for the Sunday Million.

In actuality, the price drop occurred for a different reason. As part of its new recreational player-centric ethos, PokerStars wanted its marquee tournament simply to be more accessible to the public.

Naturally, slicing the buy-in in half means that twice as many players must compete to meet the guarantee each week.  So far, PokerStars has not had trouble doing so, but making a $10 million promise will be difficult, regardless of the buy-in level.

Still, PokerStars is the worldwide leader for traffic for a reason. So, if any site were to eclipse that figure, it would be PokerStars.

Make sure to play the upcoming anniversary tournament if you can. There’s going to be a ton of money floating around.

Posted on

PokerStars Is Challenging You To Hit The Golden Button

PokerStars NJ is rewarding New Jersey players who demonstrate persistence. That’s why players who hang on and complete their puzzles in the Golden Button Challenge may win $20,000 — every day.

How the Golden Button Challenge works

To get started, simply log into a valid PokerStars NJ account. Proceed to the Challenges Window, and opt into the Challenge.

Then, start playing. Make sure to sit at a table with at least four players.

Every time you get dealt an ace, pay attention. If you can win the hand, you’ll match a regular ace on the puzzle.

Pay special attention to the game if you’re dealt an ace on the button. A winning hand from that position will match one of the golden aces on your puzzle.

Complete the challenge, and you’re guaranteed a win. You will receive a random cash prize of up to $20,000.

The best part is that these prizes come with absolutely no playthrough requirement. You will be able to keep your winnings the instant you receive them.

The fine print on the Golden Button Challenge

The Golden Button Challenge is currently running on PokerStars NJ. It will continue as an active promotion until Feb. 17.

The challenge will come with a minimum buy-in level. However, that level will be based on your historical gameplay and activity.

You must opt into the challenge before you begin playing. Any hands played before then won’t count toward the puzzle.

You can only receive a maximum of one puzzle piece per hand. The prize will only release once you complete the entire challenge.

However, there’s not much else to this promotion. Go check it out as soon as you can.

Enough about NJ; when is PokerStars heading to PA?

The question that people keep asking is about how soon PokerStars will make a move into Pennsylvania. PA poker players are hungry for the worldwide leader to open shop in the Keystone State.

So far, there is nothing to indicate a change to the previous timeframe. PokerStars has its approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in hand and looks to launch sometime in the next couple of months.

Unfortunately, the recent Department of Justice opinion on the Wire Act has thrown the entire industry off its game. The prevailing wisdom right now is that all interested parties should wait to see how the DOJ instructs its prosecutors to proceed.

Until that happens, it seems unlikely that PokerStars will launch in PA, regardless of any other challenges it might have. But, for right now, there’s no reason to panic. PokerStars will be coming to PA soon enough.

 

Posted on

PokerStars Winter Series Gives Players 40 Million Reasons to Play

PokerStars Winter Series

The end of the year is a time of giving and receiving. PokerStars is generously giving players the opportunity to win their share of $40 million in the PokerStars Winter Series.

The PokerStars Winter Series will commence on Dec. 23. The series will offer 60 online events over the course of 16 days.

Well, actually, it’s a bit misleading to say that there are just 60 events up for grabs. Each of the events has four tiers – micro, low, medium, and high – that essentially quadruples the actual number of events.

The tiers are separated according to their buy-in levels. They break down as follows:

  • Micro – up to $5.50
  • Low – up to $55
  • Medium – up to $530
  • High – up to $5200

So, there’s an opportunity to hit it big no matter the size of one’s bankroll. Each event carries guarantees on all four tiers.

Notable PokerStars Winter Series events

The series will build to a fantastic Main Event on Jan. 6. The guaranteed prize pools for the four tiers of this tournament are worth nearly $4 million alone.

The Main Event will feature 8-max no-limit hold’em. The four tiers of the event are:

  • Micro: $2.20 buy-in – $100,000 guaranteed
  • Low: $22 buy-in – $750,000 guaranteed
  • Medium: $215 buy-in – $1,500,000 guaranteed
  • High: $2,100 buy-in – $1,500,000 guaranteed

If a $2,100 buy-in seems a bit steep, PokerStars is running special Spin & Gos that will award seats to the big table. For either $2.50 or $20, players can compete against two other players in a hyper-turbo winner-take-all battle for a seat or, at least, a random cash prize.

There will also be two High Roller events during the series, running Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. These events, which 8-max no-limit hold’em tournaments as well, carry a $5,200 buy-in with a $500,000 guarantee.

Even players who are down on their luck can take part in the Winter Series, thanks to the series’s special freeroll. Players who complete the appropriate challenge will earn entry to the Winter Series $25K Freeroll.

Finally, the Winter Series will offer $3,500,000 in guarantees on its selection of phased tournaments. A phased tournament is a fancy way to describe tournaments with multiple flights or Day 1s.

The great thing about them is that they can allow players to lever themselves into a huge payday, even at the lowest buy-in levels. The Winter Series micro tier of the phased tournaments has a buy-in of just $2.20, but a whopping guarantee of $250,000.

Players who want some variety in their game selection won’t be disappointed, either. Almost every conceivable variation of hold’em has its own event, and there are multiple pot-limit Omaha and no-limit Omaha Eight or Better tournaments as well.

Millions in guarantees even without the Winter Series

Of course, the Winter Series is not the only thing going on at PokerStars. In fact, there’s even more money available just in the course of normal business for the site.

Concurrent to the Winter Series, PokerStars will offer tournaments with combined guarantees totaling $45 million. Chief among those tournaments are the ever-popular Sunday Million events.

The Sunday Million is a $215 buy-in no-limit hold’em donnybrook that has been a staple of PokerStars for more than ten years. The tournament runs every weekend and carries a $1 million guarantee on its prize pool. During the Winter Series, the Sunday Million will run on Dec. 23 and Dec. 30.

PokerStars remains one of the top sources of innovation for poker, too. There are numerous games exclusive to the site, such as Zoom, Spin & Go, and Fusion.

All in all, there’s simply no reason that PokerStars shouldn’t be on everyone’s list during the holidays. Make this a winter to remember!

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Not Quite Dead Yet: PokerStars May Bring Back Showtime, Split Hold’em For MTTs

Split Hold'em

PokerStars has distinguished itself this year with limited-time introductions of new poker variants. It is now possible that the online poker giant will bring two of them, Showtime and Split Hold’em, back for multi-table tournaments.

In an interview with Poker Industry Pro, PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations Severin Rasset indicated that the games might reappear due to player feedback.

“Some players were disappointed that they could not find games when we turned them off, so this is something that we want to potentially offer,” said Rasset.

What are all these PokerStars variants?

So far in 2018, PokerStars has released and withdrawn three different games. All three offered different mechanics and strategies for players to attempt to master.

Split Hold’em

The first variant, Split Hold’em debuted in March 2018. The concept was relatively simple: every hand would feature two full boards of community cards – two flops, two turns, and two rivers.

Essentially, it’s an entire game of running it twice. Each board would be worth half the pot. Players could win on either board or, potentially, scoop the entire pot.

Pots in this variant would typically be larger than an average Hold’em game. Players would have less idea why an opponent bet or which boards the opponent was betting.

Split Hold’em ran until May 2018. Then, PokerStars introduced Showtime Hold’em to the masses.

Showtime Hold’em

Compared to Split Hold’em, Showtime Hold’em was less of a shift from typical gameplay. Instead, the twist would occur when a player folded their cards.

Any players who folded would have their hands revealed to the entire table, The folded hands would remain visible for the rest of the hand.

There are two ways this twist would affect the game. The first is obvious: it became much easier to understand the type of opponents at a table.

Tight players accustomed to getting paid off might get folds. Loose players accustomed to getting folds might get called more often.

The other main difference would be that the odds would need calibration. The knowledge that certain cards had or had not been involved already would be invaluable information for marginal decisions.

The game introductions keep rolling at PokerStars

Rasset’s comments coincided with the site’s withdrawal of another variant, Unfold. As with the other two formats, PokerStars ran Unfold in a six-week trial period.

In Unfold, players contributed antes to a side pot at the beginning of each hand. After the flop, a folded player could match the side pot and retrieve their mucked cards.

The best “Unfolded” hand would receive the pot. However, folded players had no shot at the main, and could take no further action after buying back in.

Amazingly, PokerStars is not finished with running new variants out for players to try. In fact, PokerFuse is reporting that the site will release two more games in 2018 – Six Plus Hold’em and Fusion.

Six Plus Hold’em is also called Short Deck, and as its name implies, the game plays with all cards under six removed. The result is a Hold’em game with a tighter range of holdings for everyone at the table.

The game made a big splash at Macau this summer, with poker pro Nick Schulman winning his first short deck tournament in July. Undoubtedly, PokerStars players have been clamoring to try it out.

PokerStars will also roll out Fusion. Fusion remains a bit of a mystery, but will combine elements of different games.

In short, players of all calibers will not fail to find something new on PokerStars. Even though it’s the largest site on earth, PokerStars doesn’t seem to be resting on its laurels.