PA Might Be Winning The War, But NJ Online Poker Is Holding Its Own
The first New Jersey online poker tournament to compete with Pennsylvania’s online poker market is underway.
The Fox Bet and PokerStars Bounty Builder Series dealt its first cards on Feb. 20 to players in both PA and NJ online poker rooms. The event, which consists of 32 progressive knockout events, will conclude March 1.
After the first weekend, the clear winner is PA. Surprisingly, though, New Jersey held its own.
NJ online poker holding its own
When comparing the results of the two online poker markets, side by side, it is clear that PA outperformed NJ. It exceeded its guarantees by larger margins and had nearly 125% more total entries.
That should not be a surprise, though; it is a bigger market. Online poker is still “new” in the state, and PokerStars is the only live online poker app in PA.
On the surface, it is easy to see that PokerStars knows the NJ market thoroughly, as the majority of the tournaments barely exceeded the posted guarantee. PA, on the other hand, is a bit all over the place, with some tournaments crushing the guarantees by more than double.
PokerStars PA collected over $256,000 in prize money through the first 11 events, 38% above what was guaranteed. However, PokerStars NJ also performed well, securing $138,000 in prize money, eclipsing its posted guarantees by 24%.
When it comes to total entries, PA (5,592) wins the category by producing a staggering 125% more sign-ups than NJ (2,487).
It seems as if New Jersey online poker players are showing up to the virtual felt ready to rebuy more than PA players, though. Re-entries in NJ accounted for 35% of the total entries, while it was only 30% of the total in PA.
Notes from the PokerStars Bounty Builder series
Both online poker markets launched their respective series with a strong opening event, event No. 1 Bounty Builder Series kickoff.
PA welcomed 266 players rebuying 97 times for a total prize pool of $33,323.40. The guarantee for this event was $20,000, which set the stage for a strong tournament turnout.
NJ also started strong — not nearly as strong as PA — but strong, nonetheless. There were 103 NJ online poker players took to the felt. Paired with the number of rebuys (58), the NJ version exceeded its guarantee ($12,000) by $2,779.80.
It didn’t take long for the dreaded overlay to rear its ugly head. Well, it was ugly for PokerStars anyway.
Both online poker markets had one event that failed to meet its guarantee.
In NJ, event No. 10 Storm, the $10 Bounty Builder edition, missed its $4,000 guarantee by $481. Unfortunately, PA had to cough up a more sizeable overlay of $6,854 for event No. 11 Sunday Special, the $200 Bounty Builder edition.
Overall, while there was some initial concern at running simultaneous events in NJ and PA, it seems as if both markets are holding their own.
It is, however, too early to call it a success even though we want to. The biggest disparity in guarantees will come on the final Sunday.
There are five events on the calendar, including the main event. PA is offering $165,000 in guarantees during the day with a $100,000 guaranteed main event. On the other hand, NJ has only $97,500 in guarantees, with a $65,000 guaranteed main event.
Where players show up on the final Sunday will be telling. Maybe online poker players aren’t necessarily chasing the money; maybe they are just happy to play from home.
Bounty Builder Series results
| Event | Name | Buyin | NJ Guarantee | Total Entries | NJ Prize Pool (Overlay) | PA Guarantee | Total Entries | PA Prize Pool (Overlay) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event 1: Bounty Builder Series Kick-Off | $100 | $12,000 | 161 | $14,779.80 | $20,000 | 363 | $33,323.40 |
| 2 | Event 2: Mini Kick-Off | $20 | $3,500 | 319 | $5,805.80 | $5,000 | 690 | $12,558.00 |
| 3 | Event 3: Bounty Builder $30 | $30 | $5,000 | 283 | $7,725.90 | $8,000 | 628 | $17,144.40 |
| 4 | Event 4: Turbo | $75 | $5,000 | 95 | $6,483.75 | $8,000 | 199 | $13,581.75 |
| 5 | Event 5: DeepStack | $100 | $10,000 | 111 | $10,189.80 | $20,000 | 319 | $29,284.20 |
| 6 | Event 6: 4-Max | $30 | $5,000 | 234 | $6,388.20 | $5,000 | 618 | $11,247.60 |
| 7 | Event 7: Hyper-Turbo | $50 | $3,000 | 73 | $3,431.00 | $5,000 | 152 | $7,144.00 |
| 8 | Event 8: Marathon | $150 | $10,000 | 97 | $13,356.90 | $20,000 | 250 | $22,950.00 |
| 9 | Event 9: Warm-Up – Bounty Builder Edition | $50 | $5,000 | 136 | $6,188.00 | $10,000 | 450 | $12,285.00 |
| 10 | Evetn 10: Storm – Bounty Builder Edition | $10 | $3,000 | 391 | $4,000.00 ($400) | $5,000 | 586 | $5,332.60 |
| 11 | Event 11: Sunday Special – Bounty Builder Edition | $200 | $30,000 | 165 | $30,690.00 | $50,000 | 470 | $50,000 ($6,854) |
| 12 | Event 12: Mini Special | $25 | $6,000 | 292 | $6,643.00 | $10,000 | 619 | $14,082.25 |
| 13 | Event 13: Sunday High Roller – Bounty Builder Edition | $500 | $10,000 | 33 | $15,510.00 | $15,000 | 88 | $20,504.00 |
| 14 | Event 14: SuperSonic – Bounty Builder Edition | $75 | $4,000 | 97 | $6,838.50 | $5,000 | 160 | $7,520.00 |
| 15 | Event 15: Bounty Builder $50 | $50 | $8,000 | 154 | $8,000.00 ($977) | $15,000 | 472 | $21,476.00 |
| 16 | Event 16: PL Omaha | $100 | $5,000 | 60 | $5,508.00 | $8,000 | 124 | $11,383.20 |
| 17 | Event 17: Bounty Builder $75 | $75 | $7,500 | 157 | $10,715.25 | $10,000 | 297 | $20,270.25 |
| 18 | Event 18: High Roller | $750 | $20,000 | 38 | $26,980.00 | $35,000 | 41 | $35,000.00 ($5890) |
| 19 | Event 19: 6-Max | $50 | $4,000 | 158 | $7,189.00 | $5,000 | 335 | $15,242.50 |
| 20 | Event 20: NL Omaha Hi/Lo | $100 | $4,000 | 39 | $4,000.00 ($419) | $8,000 | 91 | $8,353.50 |
| 21 | Event 21: Thursday Thrill SE | $250 | $10,000 | 65 | $15,145.00 | $25,000 | 194 | $36,084.00 |
| 22 | Event 22: Mini Thrill | $30 | $5,000 | 247 | $6,743.10 | $12,000 | 593 | $16,188.90 |
| 23 | Event 23: 6-Max, Turbo | $50 | $3,500 | 113 | $5,141.50 | $5,000 | 291 | $13,240.50 |
| 24 | Event 24: Hyper-Turbo | $100 | $5,000 | 61 | $5,795.00 | $8,000 | 127 | $12,065.00 |
| 25 | Event 25: 25% KO | $100 | $7,500 | 122 | $11,199.60 | $10,000 | 201 | $18,451.80 |
| 26 | Event 26: Turbo | $50 | $3,500 | 114 | $5,187.00 | $5,000 | 188 | $8,554.00 |
| 27 | Event 27: 8-Max, Turbo | $10 | $2,000 | 271 | $2,466.10 | $3,000 | 87 | $4,804.80 |
| 28 | Event 28: Warm-Up | $30 | $3,000 | 194 | $5,292.20 | $10,000 | 492 | $13,4361.00 |
| 29 | Event 29: Main Event | $300 | $75,000 | 234 | $65,520.00 | $100,000 | 405 | $113,400.00 |
| 30 | Event 30: Mini Main Event | $50 | $12,000 | 313 | $14,241.50 | $25,000 | 640 | $29,120.00 |
| 31 | Event 31: Bounty Builder $100 | $100 | $10,000 | 104 | $10,000.00 ($452) | $20,000 | 203 | $20,000.00 ($1,364) |
| 32 | Event 32: Series Wrap-Up | $75 | $7,500 | 103 | $7,500.00 ($465) | $10,000 | 192 | $13,104.00 |
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