Amongst the range of NJ poker sites, there are four prominent operators in New Jersey: WSOP.com, Borgata and Party Poker, and BetMGM. The table below gives you an overview of these four operators’ current Welcome Offers. We’ll explore what each of these, along with other NJ poker sites can offer you in a moment. 888poker NJ – The 888 Poker brand is a partner of Harrah’s Casino in New Jersey and is also the engine behind their own online poker room, as well as WSOP.com. Being the provider of software in Delaware and WSOP.com in Nevada, players on the 888 Poker client are co-mingled with players in both of those states as well. They have their own.
It feels like the New Jersey betting scene has gone from zero to 100 real quick. A couple of years ago, you’d be wishing and hoping for more sports betting, casino or NJ online poker options but now there is an embarrassment of riches.
With NJ online poker specifically, there are so many good options out there that we wanted to narrow down the field to our a few of our favorite places to play.
After doing a careful evaluation of the places to play and measuring them against each other, here are our Top 3 poker sites to play at for residents of the state of New Jersey.
PokerStars has long been one of the biggest names in the business and now that they’re back in the United States, they’re again one of the major players. While their deposit bonus might be on the lighter side than, say, 888Poker, the tournaments themselves are what draw people here.
To start, they have tons of games on the go as the multi-table tournaments is what most people love here. They have some major events like the annual NJSCOOP or NJCOOP, which have tournaments that reach $1 million in prize pool guarantees.
One of their most popular options will be live tournaments where you can take earn satellites to major events like the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure or PokerStars Live London if you play your cards right.
If you’re just looking for the basic nightly action, you’ll find it here with buy-ins as low as $5 to as high as $50 for various weekday events.
On weekends, guarantees reach as high as $50,000 and Sunday is a particularly good day to play with the Sunday Special ($45,000 guaranteed) and the Sunday High Roller ($15,000 guaranteed).
If tournaments are your flavor, this is the shop you’ll want to open an account.
PokerStars NJ has a slightly different bonus structure than the other two companies on this list. They’ll give you a slightly bigger welcome bonus, which is $30 into your account, but you have to make a deposit of $20.
This will appeal to players who are looking to have a small bankroll to start with.
If you like their product and you want to deposit some more, they’ll give you a 100% bonus up to $600. That means if you max this out and deposit $600, you’ll get another $600 into your account to boost it to $1200.
PokerStars has different branches with FOX Bet for sports betting and PokerStars Casino for casino gaming.
That means you can get into some poker and then also delve into hours of fun in the casino or all sorts of sports betting lines – if that’s what you’re looking for. You do not need to fun your account separately as you can use one balance to play.
WSOP is, of course, one of the biggest brand names in the poker industry. Each year, the World Series of Poker is the main event of the poker calendar as their events bring in some of the biggest fields (2019 main event saw 8569 entries) and biggest prizes (2019 main event award $10 million to the winner).
The online product is top-notch too as they offer plenty of the games that you’ll be looking for like No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and Stud Hi-Lo. You can get into games across a range of buy-ins, including as low as one or two-cent tables.
One place where WSOP has the edge over competitors is with sit-and-gos as they usually have a bit more on the go – pun intended – than the others in peak hours. You’ll find lots of options anywhere from $1 to $25. If there is a weakness here, it’s that they definitely skew more to Texas No Limit Hold’em versus any other games.
When you sign up at WSOP.com, you can get your hands on a couple of different bonuses. To start, they’ll hook you up with a free $10 just to sign up.
That won’t take you super far but at least this gives you an opportunity to register, poker around in the back end and enter a small tournament or two to see how you like the product.
Once you make a full deposit, though, WSOP will hook you up with a 100% bonus all the way up to $1000. In other words, if you deposit $50, they’ll give you another $50. If you deposit $1000, they’ll boost you up to $2000.
That’s a very generous offer as it gives you plenty of funds to play with.
The difference with WSOP versus the other two on our list is that they solely focus on poker. If you want to have accounts for sports betting or casino gaming, you’ll have to look to other shops.
That’s not going to be an issue for most players as they already typically have a few sportsbook accounts, a couple of places for casino gaming and a poker outlet too, but sometimes it’s nice to have it all under one roof.
888Poker is a fantastic outlet for those looking to have a little poker fun. One of the main highlights here is the tournament action, as it feels like they’re running almost every hour of the day.
As a matter of fact, they basically do except between 1 AM to 4 AM.
During the week, you’ll usually see a tournament guarantees get into the $10,000 range but those can go 10 times as high during the weekends. However, keep in mind that buy-ins for those do get pricier, ranging all the way up to $500.
If you’re looking for sit-and-go games, since they don’t involve as much of a time commitment as tournaments, you’ll find plenty here too but it’s only No-Limit Texas Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha. You can get into games for as little as 11 cents all the way up to $250.
888Poker presents new players with a couple of promotions. The first is a $20 welcome bonus, which is for anyone who simply signs up for an account.
You don’t even need to make a deposit. The idea here is they want you to try out the product as they’re quite confident you’ll like it.
Once you see that you do and want to take that next step, you can make a deposit and get a 100% bonus up to $1500. This is quite sizable as you can see the other two companies on this list offer less – if you’re planning to deposit up to $1500.
The benefit of having an account at 888 is you’re part of a company that delivers some really good products across multiple outlets.
Not only do they offer poker, you can play in their casino, which has hundreds of slots, table games and classics, and you can bet on sports too.
partypoker is viewed as one of the best options for poker players in the state of New Jersey. This is the place to be if you’re looking for tournaments as they’re constantly running crowded events – often bigger than WSOP or 888poker. Of course, you’ll find all of the main classics here like Texas Hold’em – by far the most popular – as well as Omaha and Stud.
They run plenty of multi-table tournaments throughout the week with Tuesday and Sunday being the big days. Sunday offers up the $40,000 guaranteed event, which comes with a $200 buy-in, or players looking for another way in can enter the qualifiers for anywhere from $5-$20. On Tuesday, it’s the Mega Tuesday tournament, which present a prize pool of at least $15,000. Those buy-ins are at $535 but again, you can earn yourself a ticket through the $5 qualifiers.
They have plenty of sit & go tournaments here too as well as a cool Fast-Forward Poker, weekly reload bonuses and a loyalty program. Overall, this is the place to be if tournaments are your main priority.
For new players, partypoker is offering up a 100% match bonus up to $1000. That means if you deposit anything up to $1000, they’ll match you and boost you to $2000. The one catch here is that the cash doesn’t immediately land in your account. How it works is they’ll pay it out in 10 equal parts. The more you play, the more you collect points and the more your bonus is unlocked.
For example, if you deposit $100, you’ll eventually get a $100 bonus. The requirement here is that you play. For every four points you accrue playing poker, you’ll get $10 of that bonus money. It’s basically just a wagering requirement.
Just like the other options on the board, partypoker does offer casino and sports betting that you can do through one account. That means when you’ve had your fill of poker, you can click over to the partycasino, which is a gorgeous online casino. There you can play hundreds of slots (including progressives with jackpots in the millions), live casino, table games and much more.
After that, if you’re looking to dive into sports, you can also do that at partypoker sports. It’s a high-quality sportsbook that offers tons of live betting on a daily basis, a huge menu of sports betting odds and plenty of action on all of the major sports.
New Jersey has offered legal online poker since 2013. The state signed a compact in 2018 that shares a player pool with Delaware and Nevada.
We, at Play NJ, will cover several topics regarding New Jersey’s evolving online poker market, including how to play for real money.
New Jersey requires all online poker players to be within its state boundaries. The Garden State’s gaming laws don’t cover other states, which is why it’s essential to ensure real money players are within NJ.
Online poker websites use geolocation software to determine one’s whereabouts. This process doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it does appropriately locate players in most cases.
Players should thoroughly research poker sites when they’re in New Jersey and ready to start playing. Reviews, such as ours at PlayNJ, are helpful tools in finding quality operations.
Players should, of course, visit the sites themselves to see what’s available. This process will provide a feel for the software, game selection, stakes, promotions, and more.
After finding a good site, the next step is to register for an account. Operators ask for each player’s name, email, home address, date of birth, mobile number, and Social Security number.
New Jersey also requires the Social Security number for both verification and taxation purposes. Sites may also request a photo ID and/or utility bill for further identification.
The New Jersey internet poker market features seven sites:
We’ve thoroughly studied each operator and have determined the following three are the industry’s best.
WSOP.com is a reliable site in multiple areas including promotions, software and tournaments. It also boasts the market’s best liquidity, thanks to a deal where WSOP shares players with 888 (i.e., the WSOP/888 network).
Many NJ players appreciate being able to compete for World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets through this site. WSOP.com features multiple gold-bracelet events every summer.
Its desktop and mobile software are well designed, but the poker app is fairly basic and could use more features.
PokerStars NJ offers players the choice between two bonus deals when they first join the site. Each deal has its own merit, so you simply have to decide which one suits your personality better
Your first option is to receive $30 in free play on your first deposit. In order to redeem this deal, deposit $20 or more into your new account and enter the code FREE30 into the designated blank.
PokerStars will award you with $20 in bonus money and $10 in Spin & Go vouchers. The first $10 will hit your account within 36 hours of the deposit. Then, a week later, you’ll receive the other $10.
Meanwhile, the Spin & Go tickets will arrive according to the following breakdown:
If you prefer a more robust opportunity, you can instead qualify for a 100% deposit match up to $600. Simply use promotional code STARS600 when you make your first deposit in order to trigger the bonus.
Then, you will need to start playing. For every 140 redemption points you earn, PokerStars will release $10 of the bonus into your account. You earn 5 redemption points for every $1 in rake or fees that you pay.
If you can’t or don’t want to claim the full amount of the bonus, don’t worry. For 60 days after the first deposit, you can make two additional deposits that are eligible for the same match. Make sure to use the STARS600 code to activate them, however.
In either case, you will also receive a ticket to the Depositor Freeroll, which runs at 6:00 p.m. ET on the last Sunday of each month. You will also get 1 million in Play Money chips.
PartyPoker NJ offers a terrific one-two combination of bonuses for new players. Both are accessible as a welcome bonus and can be a great bump to your bankroll from the start.
PartyPoker is both a poker site and online casino, so it wants you to experience all that it has to offer. So, just for signing up, you can receive $25 in bonus money to use on various parts of the site.
After completing registration, you will receive bonus money in the following amounts:
There’s really not much to it. You can get started today, but that’s not the only offer on the table at Party.
You can also get an extra $1,000 on your first deposit into Party. After registering, simply make a deposit to activate the bonus.
PartyPoker will pay out your bonus money to you in 10 equal payments. These releases will come as you earn points through your play.
Every 4 points that you earn through poker and every 8 points in casino games will be worth $1 of bonus money. You earn 2 points for every $1 in fees and rake that you pay. So, as you build your bankroll, Party will be doling out increments of your initial deposit to you. Don’t miss out.
There are two great sign-up bonuses available on BorgataPoker that you can use to your advantage. Notably, there is a no-deposit promo to get you started and a deposit bonus to pad your bankroll.
The first bonus is a no-deposit offer that should allow you to get a good look at the site. For signing up, BorgataPoker will pay out $10 in cash and a $10 poker bonus.
In order to claim this bonus, you simply need to register for an account. While entering your information, make sure to enter promo code PLAYNJ to activate the deal.
You will have to begin the process of earning loyalty points (known as iRPs) in order to release this bonus for withdrawal. You need 1 iRP to get the $10 in cash, and 40 iRPs for the poker bonus.
You earn iRPs through your play in cash games and tournaments. Every $1 of rake or fees that you pay will net you 2 iRPs.
The other bonus that you can get at BorgataPoker is a fairly sizable deposit match. Borgata will go dollar-for-dollar on your first deposit up to $600.
All you have to do is make an account and a deposit to get started. As was the case with the no-deposit bonus above, use promo code PLAYNJ to activate this offer.
As you play, Borgata will dispense the bonus to you in 10% increments. You will need to earn 4 iRPs for every dollar of bonus that you need to release, so plan accordingly. Earning 2,400 iRPs for the full amount of bonus (or $1,200 in rake) might not be realistic for everyone.
Still, this bonus can serve as a nice little bump every so often as you play on Borgata.
BetMGM is the signature online product for a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings. So, it makes sense that companies of that stature could afford fairly generous bonus offers for new players.
The first bonus that new players on BetMGM can earn is a simple no-deposit bonus. As a perk for signing up for an account, new players will receive $25 to use, absolutely free. You do not need to enter a promo code as long as you use our link.
The bonus will dispense as $10 of bonus cash and $15 of tournament money. You will have to do a bit of play to release the money for withdrawal from your account.
BetMGM uses a point system known as iRewards as a method to track your play volume online. Every $1 in rake or tournament fees that you pay is worth 5.5 iRewards points.
In order to release the $10 in cash, you must accrue a single iReward point. Obviously, the tournament dollars go to buy-ins for tournaments.
BetMGM also has an extremely generous deposit match for first time depositors. When you make your first deposit, be sure to use promotional code PLAYNJFREE in order to claim the offer.
The deal is that BetMGM will match the entirety of your first deposit up to $2,000. BetMGM will release the bonus to you in 10 equal portions.
While that maximum is higher than at most online poker rooms, there are a couple of catches associated with claiming the bonus. The first thing is that you will have to earn 20x your bonus amount in iRewards points in order to release it.
So, were you to realize the full amount possible for the bonus ($2,000), you’d have to earn 4,000 iRewards points for every 10% bump ($200 x 20). Earning that many points may not be something you’re interested in pursuing.
You also have a rather short timeframe to accomplish the goal. Any unclaimed bonus reverts to BetMGM 7 days after you activate the bonus.
So, be realistic about the volume of play you can undertake in a week when you claim
The 888 Poker site stands out with its frequentpromotions. It gives players a chance to enter plenty of freerolls and earn high rakeback.
This site also features good traffic due to the partnership with WSOP.com. Its relatively high liquidity allows 888 to offer quality tournaments.
One downside is 888 Poker’s software could use an update. The software’s look and features lag well behind what PokerStars offers.
Yes, New Jersey features a legal and regulated online poker market. New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) regulates the Garden State’s sites.
The DGE thoroughly vets every operator before issuing them an Internet Gaming Permit. Part of the process includes ensuring each site offers fair play. The DGE tests each operator’s poker software to confirm the random number generator offers results based on a 52-card deck.
Some players may confuse NJ real money poker rooms with offshore poker rooms. The latter are unlicensed sites that don’t undergo rigorous software testing.
New Jersey features a big, land-based poker hub in Atlantic City, but many players are enjoying the benefits NJ real money online poker offers.
Here are some key advantages to playing poker with real cash.
Poker is one of the slowest games in land-based casinos. Dealers must physically shuffle and deal cards, which is a time-consuming process.
In contrast, software shuffles and deals online poker hands within microseconds. The sites also provide players with a timer on decisions, which prevents taking minutes.
These aspects speed up the action, with the average ring game featuring around 50 hands per hour. This amount is approximately double the number of hourly hands gamblers play in land-based poker rooms.
New Jersey poker sites don’t need to cover salaries for dealers and other floor staff. They, therefore, don’t take as much rake from games.
Players can check rake charts at poker sites to see how much is collected from cash-game pots. They’ll find the rake is much lower than what’s featured at land-based venues.
Online poker doesn’t require players to travel anywhere. It instead offers a fast way to start playing the game immediately.
Rounders merely need a mobile device or computer and a working internet connection to begin. As long as one is 21 years of age or older and located within New Jersey’s boundaries, he or she can start playing right away.
Internet poker rooms don’t close in the twilight hours or for holidays like many land-based locations. They’re instead open 24 hours a day.
This constant availability ensures NJ players can enjoy poker whenever the urge strikes them. They also don’t need to worry about being forced to stop playing when the casino closes.
Poker sites in New Jersey offer the ability to multi-table, which involves playing multiple poker tables simultaneously.
Multi-tabling is great for successful players who want to increase their edge. It’s also nice for those who crave more action than a single table can provide.
The lowest no-limit stakes offered in Atlantic City are $1/$2. NJ sites go even lower by featuring $0.01/$0.02 no-limit tables.
These micro-stake games are popular among recreational players who want real money action without assuming much risk.
Poker sites allow visitors to play for free as long as they’re registered members. Players receive play-money chips that they can use to compete in these games.
Free internet poker doesn’t offer the same competition and intensity as the real money version, but it can be a relaxing way to enjoy the game and try out a poker room’s software.
New Jersey used to feature a limited selection of variations. PokerStars changed this situation, though, when they entered the market.
PokerStars offers the most extensive variety of games:
Other sites offer a basic mix of Texas Hold ’em, seven-card stud and Omaha. The stud games don’t typically get much action across the board.
Real money cash games begin at $0.01/$0.02 and go up to $100/$200. Most players stick to the lower stakes, ranging from $0.01/$0.02 to $1/$2.
WSOP NJ gives players a chance to compete in online WSOP tournaments, with each event offering a coveted gold bracelet.
A no deposit bonus awards real-money funds just for completing account registration. Players don’t need to make a deposit to claim these offers.
No deposit bonuses are quite rare in online poker, but multiple New Jersey sites offer these deals. WSOP.com and 888 Poker provide no-deposit deals worth $10 and $20, respectively. The site will credit the bonus money to a your account as soon as you have successfully registered.
You can’t cash out your bonus until you’ve met through the play through requirements. To do this, you will need to earn loyalty points. Poker sites offer loyalty points based on the amount of rake a cash game takes in or the tournament fees you pay.
Each New Jersey poker site offers a welcome bonus to entice new customers, but not all of these deals are created equal.
Here are the best offers of the bunch.
The 888 Poker bonus features a 100% match bonus of up to $1,500, plus $20 free.
The $20 no deposit bonus is split up as follows:
The cash and tournament tickets expire seven days after a player places his or her deposit. Players can withdraw winnings from the no-deposit bonus immediately; however, they must release the original bonus funds by earning three status points for every dollar.
Players earn one status point for every $0.50 paid in cash-game rake or tournament fees. They therefore only need to spend $1.50 in rake to get each bonus dollar.
The 888 match bonus truly stands out, because it’s the largest one in the market. Players receive the funds in $10 increments whenever they collect 100 bonus points. They earn one bonus point for every $0.50 paid in tournament fees or cash-game rake.
Players are essentially paying $5 in rake/fees to unlock every $1 (100 / 10 x 0.5). This rate is equivalent to a 20% rakeback deal, which isn’t great in comparison to other NJ sites.
However, the key reason to choose 888’s deal is the sheer size of the offer. High-volume players should consider depositing enough to take advantage of the maximum $1,500 bonus.
The WSOP.com poker bonus is a 100% match bonus of up to $1,000, plus $10 free and tickets to seven different $100 freerolls.
The $10 no deposit bonus is available for both cash games and tournaments. Players must meet one-time wagering requirements on this offer before cashing out.
Match bonus funds are cleared by earning Action Player points, which are loyalty points at WSOP.com.
Here’s how players can release the bonus:
Players have 60 days from their first deposit to release as much of the bonus money as possible. Anything left after two months will expire.
PokerStars gives players a choice between one of two bonus options:
One must deposit $20 to claim the $30 in free play. Low-stakes players should consider this deal, given that it amounts to 150% rakeback.
The 100% match bonus of up to $600 doesn’t look so impressive when pitted against the 888 and WSOP offers, but players only need to pay $2 in rake for every $1 in bonus funds. This rate works out to an outstanding 50% rakeback deal.
New PokerStars NJ customers also receive 1 million play-money chips and a ticket to the “$5,000 Depositors Freeroll.”
New Jersey poker sites collectively offer a large amount of deposit and cashout methods. ACH, credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets and cash at the casino cage are all available.
Credit cards are an easy way to fund an online poker account. The catch, though, is that credit cards reject deposits at a higher rate than any other banking option.
Playing internet poker for money is perfectly legal for those at least 21 years and older, but Visa and Mastercard are still apprehensive about approving gambling-related transactions.
ACH is the gold standard for depositing at NJ sites. This option, which transfers funds from a player’s checking account, is easy to use and doesn’t require fees.
E-wallets, like Neteller and Skrill, are popular because they can be used for both deposits and withdrawals. The downside, however, is that e-wallets carry high processing fees.
Cash at the casino cage also lets players deposit and withdraw money. You must physically visit the Atlantic City casino associated with the poker site to do so.