NJ Online Poker

New Jersey online poker offers one of the most diverse options for online poker apps in the country. New Jersey offers four online poker networks from seven different brands. While PokerStars and the World Series of Poker (WSOP.com) are the most well-known names, additional platforms offer a large pool of players. 

All legal US poker sites require you to download the platform onto your computer or tablet device.

Some online poker platforms in New Jersey boast shared liquidity player pools with other states. For example, members of WSOP.com can compete against players in-state as well as in Delaware and Nevada. 

Michigan launched online poker as well, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a multijurisdictional poker bill in January 2021. The law is in place, but Michigan’s online poker sites have yet to announce a plan to merge player pools.

It is unlikely that additional online poker networks will come to the state. The market is already relatively saturated with the addition of newcomer Pala Poker, which sits in its own network. 

The four New Jersey online poker networks should satisfy even the highest rolling, most experienced online poker players. The network has plenty of budget-friendly action for everyone else as well.

New Yorkers don’t have access to online poker within New York’s borders but can travel to New Jersey and play any of these New Jersey online poker apps. 

List Of Online Poker Sites In New Jersey

Partypoker Network

The Partypoker Network encompasses BetMGM Poker, partypoker, and Borgata Poker, but despite the triple threat, it receives lower traffic than both the All-American Poker Network and PokerStars. Still, it’s a great place for all levels of playing ability and offers welcome bonuses all its own.

BetMGM Poker

BetMGM is the ultimate all-in-one online gaming platform. On top of downloading the poker platform for access to the Partypoker Network, you can play a huge selection of online casino games and bet at one of the highest-rated sportsbooks in the US.

Interestingly, BetMGM Poker offers a better welcome package than the standard Partypoker New Jersey site. New players at BetMGM Poker can receive a $25 no-deposit sign-up bonus. Then they can have their first deposit matched by 100% up to $1,000. Terms and conditions apply.

Partypoker

The Partypoker NJ website offers a robust selection of casino games, which is a great outlet for those who like to spread their bets around. Also, the welcome bonus is a 100% deposit match up to $600 to be used in poker, but it can be unlocked in 10% increments for playing poker or casino games. Other terms and conditions apply.

One of the more unique features of the Partypoker Network is the Sit & Go weekly leaderboard tournaments. The better you do and the more of the single-table tournaments you play, the higher you climb on the leaderboard and the bigger your weekly prize.

Borgata Poker

Borgata is another all-in-one online gaming platform, although we personally prefer the overall quality and nationwide accessibility of BetMGM. In fact, the Borgata Sportsbook is just a reskin of the BetMGM sportsbook.

The Borgata Poker NJ welcome bonus is a 100% first-deposit bonus up to $600, which is the same as Partypoker NJ and has generally the same terms and conditions. One difference is that Borgata will give you a $20 no-deposit bonus for creating an account.

Still, this means that BetMGM Poker is the best route for playing in the Partypoker Network in terms of the welcome offers and overall quality of the casino games and sportsbooks.

All-American Poker Network

The All-American Poker Network consists of WSOP.com and 888poker. WSOP.com is also available in Nevada while 888poker is available in Delaware, which means you’ll be playing against folks in those states as well. On top of the name recognition power of the World Series of Poker, this is a massive player pool.

WSOP.com

WSOP.com NJ, the official online poker site of the World Series of Poker, offers new members a 100% deposit bonus of up to $1,000 plus $100 worth of tournament entries for your first week of membership.

You can also qualify for the World Series of Poker through online satellite tournaments at WSOP.com, although that’s true for most of the platforms in New Jersey, including WSOP’s competitors.

WSOP.com is also available in Nevada, which means you’re getting Atlantic City and Las Vegas players all on the same platform. That’s on top of playing against members of 888poker on the All-American Poker Network, which has players in New Jersey and Delaware.

888poker

New members at 888poker NJ can receive $20 in betting credits just for signing up for an account. Then you can opt into the 888poker welcome bonus of 100% up to $1,500. Bonus cash is unlocked in $10 increments for every $10 in real-money play.

But 888poker NJ’s quality goes beyond the deluge of great bonuses. This brand offers a high-quality platform and shares the All-American Poker Network, which makes its popularity on par with its sister company WSOP.com. 

888poker is also the winner of EGaming Review’s Best Poker Operator three years running, so it is doing something right.

PokerStars

PokerStars is the standalone titan of New Jersey online poker. Despite not having multiple brands under the network, PokerStars could still compete well even if all the other New Jersey online poker sites combined into one network.

The multi-state liquidity pool of the PokerStars Network extends to Nevada and Delaware as well as New Jersey, the same as WSOP.com. PokerStars Michigan could join the fray, too.

The PokerStars NJ welcome bonuses start with a $30 no-deposit signup bonus. You can then do the 100% deposit-match bonus up to $600. Terms and conditions apply.

Aside from the massive tournaments, particularly the Sunday Majors and its $1 million guaranteed prize pool, PokerStars NJ offers a lucrative Stars Rewards program, which gives players personalized rewards.

PokerStars NJ also has an extensive casino, and you can use the same login to bet at the FOX Bet Sportsbook.

Pala Poker

Pala Poker is the smallest online poker network in New Jersey and just launched in 2019, making it the newest platform as well, but online poker players can never have too many options.

Despite partnering with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Pala Poker is removed from Borgata’s Partypoker Network. So, while the traffic is pretty poor, you get a completely different pool of players to practice your skills against.

The Pala Poker welcome bonus offers new players a $25 no-deposit bonus.

Online Poker Partnerships In New Jersey

Your Five-Minute Guide To Legal New Jersey Online Poker Sites

Bonuses At New Jersey’s Online Poker Sites

No-Deposit Bonuses

An online poker no-deposit bonus means you receive betting credits without making a deposit. All you have to do is create an account and confirm it via text or email. 

Most poker sites in New Jersey offer no-deposit bonuses, including 888poker ($20), BetMGM Poker ($25), Borgata Poker ($20), PokerStars ($30), and Pala Poker ($25).

Deposit Bonuses

A deposit bonus is where the poker site matches your deposit by a certain percentage up to a maximum amount. The minimum is usually $10 but you should check the terms and conditions beforehand to make sure.

888poker offers the biggest welcome bonus in New Jersey with a 100% match up to $1,500.

Reload Bonuses

A reload bonus is any deposit bonus that’s offered to established members (rather than new members). A reload bonus is designed to help players “reload” their accounts with additional funds.

For example, WSOP.com NJ offered all players a 100% reload bonus up to $500 in February 2021.

Freeroll Tournaments

A freeroll tournament is a multi-table or Sit & Go tournament with free entry. But you’re not playing for bragging rights. Winners of a freeroll tournament win real-money prizes.

Freeroll tournaments usually have low win potential relative to the paid tournaments. For example, there’s usually a freeroll tournament at WSOP going on every day with a $100 prize pool.

Leaderboard Tournaments

Leaderboard tournaments involve earning points for playing a specific type of poker game (depending on the tournament). The more you play or the better you do, the higher up the leaderboard you’ll climb. Basically, the most active or best players win even more. 

Leaderboard tournaments can occur daily, weekly, monthly, or any span of time the poker site decides. Top players receive a slice of the prize pool, with the number one player getting the biggest piece. 

Online Poker Cash Games In New Jersey

Online poker cash games in New Jersey, also known as ring games, are where you can sit at a table with an open seat as long as you have the minimum buy-in to enter. 

The buy-in refers to your chips at the table, not an admission fee. You can leave the table at any time with all of your chips. These are different from single- or multi-table tournaments, which require an entry fee.

Usually, the buy-in for cash games is around 10-20 big blinds, meaning a $0.50/$1.00 table would require a minimum of $10 to $20 to sit down.

Unlike tournaments, there’s no guaranteed win potential. Players will come and go as the hands are played, and the blinds never change. Some players will be conservative bettors and others will be high-rollers. Some will have a lot of experience and skill, and others will be new to the game. The vast majority of players fall somewhere in the middle.

The best online poker sites in New Jersey for cash games are the sites with the highest traffic. That means the All-American Poker Network, Partypoker Network, and PokerStars all have great action throughout their cash game tables.

New Jersey Poker Tournaments

You could play a different online poker tournament in New Jersey practically every hour of the day. For the biggest tournaments, particularly the World Series of Poker satellites, the buy-ins can be hundreds of dollars, with the top prize being $25,000 or more. You can also find countless smaller tournaments with much more reasonable buy-ins.

An online poker tournament buy-in contributes to the prize pool as well as the poker site’s fee, which is usually 10% of the contribution. For example, a poker tournament where each player contributes $50 to the prize pool would cost a $55 buy-in.

The more players in a tournament and the higher the buy-in, the larger the prize pool. Prize pools can either go to the winner in their entirety or be split between the top finishers. Tournaments will also have rules such as the pace of the big blind increase and whether or not you can re-buy or add-on. 

For example, in freezeout tournaments, all buy-ins are the extent of what is included in the prize pool. 

For Sit & Go (single-table tournaments), the big blind increases based on time, player elimination, or the number of hands. In multi-table tournaments, the big blind usually goes up based on time. 

What Online Poker Sites Are Coming Soon In New Jersey?

New Jersey already has a saturated market, so it’s unlikely that any new online poker sites are entering the state. 

New Jersey Online Poker Player Pooling

Multi-state player pooling is also allowed in New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, and Nevada. Because WSOP.com is available in Nevada and 888poker is available in Delaware, the All-American Poker Network features players in all three states.

PokerStars launched in Michigan in January 2021. The Michigan Gaming Control Board greenlighted player pools, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed the bill into law, but no player pool additions have been announced.

Also, BetMGM Poker is expected to launch in Michigan the moment shared pools are approved, which would mean New Jersey and Michigan share the Partypoker Network.

While West Virginia legalized online poker, regulators do not allow player pooling, which is likely why there are no legal sites available in the state despite the legality.

Legal New Jersey Online Poker Sites Versus Illegal Online Poker Sites

If you live in a state where online poker is illegal, you have four options.

• You can go to a legal card room
• You can go to a land-based casino with poker
• You can visit New Jersey, Nevada, Michigan, or Delaware
• You can play at an illegal site.

There is a problem with illegal sites. You’re not protected.

These sites are breaking New Jersey law by offering their services, which automatically makes them suspect. No matter what the guarantees say on their site, there’s nothing really to stop them from refusing payouts or disappearing with your money altogether.

Illegal Sites Offer Little Protections

Illegal sites don’t have the same level of protection that legally licensed, legitimate online poker sites are required to have. This includes sharing information with third-parties that go beyond any sort of reasonable practices.

These sites also don’t have the same level of protection when it comes to blocking bots from sitting at tables or detecting human coordination. They probably have a high level of protection against anyone trying to cheat the system, but there’s no guarantee. It’s also more likely that they’re protecting their bottom line rather than their players’ funds.

New Jersey Has The Best Poker Sites

We’d be hard-pressed to judge someone without any other poker outlets, but if you’re in New Jersey, you have legal access to the safest poker sites. They’re heavily trafficked, too.

How Do I Know That Legal Online Poker Sites In New Jersey Are Fair?

Legal online poker sites in New Jersey are safe and legitimate for all the same reasons you should avoid illegal sites. This includes:

• Strict regulations by the New Jersey DGE.
• State-of-the-art player collusion and bot detection and prevention.
• Transparent privacy policies.

Who Regulates Legal Online Poker Sites In New Jersey?

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is a gambling regulator notorious for being extremely strict with a reputation second only to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. They will not give a license to an illegitimate site, and if you ever have a dispute with an online poker operator, don’t hesitate to take it up with the DGE.

Per regulations, players’ information and finances also must be protected using top security encryption. All terms and conditions must be spelled out and presented with all bonus offers. And their public, the transparent privacy policy has to be pre-approved by the DGE before the site can launch.

Why Should I Trust Legal New Jersey Online Poker Rooms Sites?

Legitimate online poker sites use state-of-the-art technology to prevent player collusion and block bots from entering the site. They also take player reports extremely seriously and act quickly to shut down collusion or bots.

That means you can rest easy knowing that you’re playing against real people and that you have an outlet if you detect suspicious behavior. If you believe the site isn’t doing enough to stop collusion or bots, send a message to the DGE, cash out your funds, and play elsewhere.

How Do I Get Paid If I Win?

New Jersey online poker sites accept a wide range of banking methods for deposits and withdrawals. When you’re ready to cash out, go to your account at the specific online poker site and request to cash out. While the banking methods can vary depending on the platform, most New Jersey poker sites offer the following payment methods:

• Online bank transfer
• ACH/eCheck
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Debit card
• Cash at the casino cage

We do not recommend using your credit card to deposit or withdraw at an online poker site. Not only does the bank often block all transactions at gambling sites, adding funds can count as a cash advance, which comes with fees. Imagine depositing $10 just to pay a $10 cash advance fee on top of that?

While debit cards get blocked like credit cards, transactions that do go through will not count as a cash advance, making debit cards a legitimate option for online poker banking.

New Jersey Legal Online Poker Rooms: Common Questions