May 1 Marks The Start Of Tri-State Online Poker Liquidity

A shared player pool for Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware was finally launched by WSOP.com and 888Poker.

According to a press release, the networks will implement a new model derived from a liquidity sharing agreement between the states, starting May 1.

WSOP.com’s head of online poker, Bill Rini, stated that this massive collaborative effort was initiated by elected leadership and regulatory authority.

Throughout this process, everyone has been considering the end user. As a result, we are confident that for the first time in a regulated setting, the United States will witness a large-scale, multi-state offering next month. We believe this will significantly advance the industry.

Online Poker Report announced that New Jersey finally joined Nevada and Delaware in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA) in October.

This makes it official. The impressive six-month turnaround was twice as fast as the initial agreement between Nevada and Delaware, which was signed in February 2014 and enacted in March 2015.

888, WSOP expanding

888Poker is the sole online poker operator across three states, holding a monopoly in Delaware where it controls all three online sites, and also operating WSOP.com online in Nevada and New Jersey. Additionally, 888Poker maintains its proprietary site in New Jersey.

In the immediate future, 888 plans to merge traffic across its sites, which will almost double the traffic in Nevada and Delaware. Present figures for cash games suggest that traffic in New Jersey will likely more than double.

Overall, the average number of players in pre-established cash games and combined player pools will be at least 250, and it will exceed 500 during peak traffic.

The original plan was to launch before the World Series of Poker in late May. Nonetheless, New Jersey players can now join in online bracelet events for the 2018 WSOP. Previously, only players from Nevada were permitted to participate, but this expanded access is expected to maintain a high level of traffic during Nevada’s peak season.

888 and Caesars looking for new player numbers

888 and Caesars intend to merge their player pools, aiming to attract more players from other NJ poker sites, win back those disenchanted by low player numbers, and lure new players with larger tournaments and increased cash games.

The different time zones can also extend peak hours in all locations, potentially boosting cash game traffic.

What does a shared pool look like for players?

Regulations in New Jersey have simplified the process of determining server locations for WSOP.com. The state’s regulations demand that gaming equipment be physically present in the state where gameplay takes place. Therefore, WSOP and 888 will be moving the gameplay to New Jersey by May 1.

Therefore, players will essentially be logging in on servers located in New Jersey when they access their accounts. Although it’s pretty much business as usual in New Jersey (due to a software update), players in Nevada will be required to establish a new account on the integrated system.

Players in Delaware will also need to create an account and update their software in the same way. Those who are not located in these states or in the U.S. will be required to go through the identity verification process again, since these verifications are only stored in Nevada.

According to the FAQ from Online Poker Report, the players will have to set up new accounts and upload the documents again.

Essentially, this shuts down the existing account and transfers funds, tournament tickets, loyalty points, and responsible gaming limits, excluding hand histories and player notes.

The majority of players can keep their screen names, but those in Nevada and Delaware must verify that they are not already in use by players in New Jersey. If not confirmed, a screen name that is shared will be given to the player who has been established longer and has more activity and reward status.

Managing the technicalities of change

Players have the opportunity to get ahead by pre-transferring through the WSOP.com client. The possible commencement date for this is April 23. By doing so, players will have their accounts ready and loaded for the launch day. Please note that the transfer process takes 72 hours.

People who plan ahead are automatically enrolled in a drawing for a $10,000 Main Event seat. In addition, players receive a sign-up bonus, a 100 percent match up to $1,000, along with several tournament tickets. NJ also offers a reload bonus.

Logins may appear identical; however, players continue to log into clients in their existing market.

One noticeable alteration will be the absence of heads-up displays (HUD), a tool utilized by poker players to generate poker player profiles through providing on-screen information.

WSOP.com and 888 will not permit them going forward due to Nevada’s prohibition and New Jersey’s lack of stance. To avoid tracking software, hand history storage and mass downloading will also not be available. However, players can access the last 30 days of their history using the in-client replayer within the system.

WSOP online bracelet events are still playable for players in NJ or NV.

Currently, no other sites in New Jersey, such as Borgata and Pala Poker, have entries into the Nevada market.