PartyPoker Review Poker

PartyPoker in New Jersey is a venture of Bwin.Party and part of a robust NJ online poker network that includes Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker. Players are met by a neatly organized site that is easy to use, and teeming with an exciting assortment of poker games and tournaments.

Pros/ Cons of PartyPoker New Jersey

Pros

• Superior player support is available 24/7 via multiple channels
• Anonymous play is available in some cases
• Lucrative bonuses right from day one
• Great cash-game traffic
• Buy-in tickets attract instant bonuses
• Well-designed and responsive mobile app/client
• Reputable poker site that has repeatedly proven its mettle
• Decent selection of deposit and withdrawal methods
• Earn comps for play, and exchange for tourney tickets
• Frequent software updates improve stability

Cons

• Software design aesthetics (graphics and animals) are basic at best
• Not ideal for high-stakes play
• The software can be a little choppy and sluggish during peak hours
• A limited number of free-play tables

PartyPoker New Jersey Highlights

Fairly generous welcome bonus and ongoing promos: PartyPoker will make you feel right at home from the outset. When you sign up with the poker site, you will receive $30 on the house, so you can take their cash games, SnGs, and tournaments for a ride without risking your own money.

That’s just a taste of what’s awaiting you when you choose to fund your account. With a 100% match bonus of up to $600 for your first deposit, PartyPoker’s welcome offer is fairly generous for the market. Although its sister poker sites, Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker, offer better welcome bonuses, you’ll be glad that this one comes with a more favorable wagering requirement. You will earn $1 towards your bonus wagering for every four points you collect.

Trustworthy and well-known poker site: If you’re after a reliable and trusted online poker website in New Jersey that has stood the test of time, then PartyPoker is certainly your best bet. During online poker’s heyday of the early 2000s, PartyPoker was the site to beat. It was first established by PartyGaming in 2001. At its peak before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, it had become one of the largest and most popular poker sites in the US, boasting more than 80,000 active players.

PartyPoker’s re-entry into the NJ market in 2013 made it one of the most recognizable names on the market. It helps that it’s powered by Bwin.Party and Borgata Atlantic City, two well-known and trusted players in the New Jersey gambling industry.

Decent game and tournament selection: As one of the most sought-after poker sites in New Jersey, it flaunts a decent yet sophisticated library of cash-game tables and stakes. Although No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the bread and-butter of the site, you can expect to enjoy several versions of Pot-Limit Omaha, Fixed-Limit Texas Hold’em, Three-Card Draw, and much more.

PartyPoker brings its A-game to the tournaments section of the site. Along with exciting fast-forward and cash-game tables, you can experience several daily and weekly tournaments, including Sit-and-Go contests and Multi-table Tournaments. Regular tourneys with high, guaranteed payouts include Tuesday 500, Sunday $35K, and $10K Daily Guaranteed.

Regular software updates: PartyPoker uses GVC software skin and some proprietary enhancements. During its 2013 re-launch, the software was plagued by glitches, lagging, and an extended load time. The good thing is that the operator is known for regularly updating its poker software.

Despite being a bit sluggish and choppy during peak hours, the current software has pretty much everything a player wants: stability, customizable features, helpful game filters, and lovely design.

Simple yet robust rewards system: PartyPoker has outdone itself and other poker sites in NJ when it comes to the rewards program. Although it uses the familiar leveling up system, the program is simple and straightforward, making it easy for poker players to rake up points and redeem them for a variety of goodies. You can convert your points into bonus cash or tourney tickets.

Like most poker site tiered systems, you will move up the ladder based on how much rake you contribute to the platform every month. What’s more exciting, every $1 you contribute in tourney fees and rake will earn you two points. It’s easy and hassle-free.

Sign-Up Process for PartyPoker NJ

A visit to the PartyPoker site will reveal a poker platform that was built and optimized with simplicity and user-friendliness in mind. Creating a new player account at the poker site should be easy and fuss-free, but the registration form is a little elaborate.

The reason behind this is that New Jersey players have to take a few extra measures to verify their identities and make sure they are eligible to play. To kickstart the sign-up process, navigate to the home page of PartyPoker. You can’t miss the big bright orange “REGISTER” button featured on the upper-left side of the static header.

Click ‘Register’ on desktop, tablet, or mobile device, and you will be taken to the three-step registration form.

•     Create your username: In the first window, you will be asked to input your email address (which will double up as your username) and preferred password.
•     Enter personal details: PartyPoker will require your first and last names, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your SSN for security purposes.
•     Supply contact details: You will need to enter your physical address (which of course should be a New Jersey address) and phone number. If you have a bonus code, you can enter it at this point to claim your free welcome offer.

Before you click “Create My Account”, you must acknowledge that you are at least 21 years of age, confirm that the information you have provided is accurate, and then agree to their Terms and Conditions.

When you have completed and verified your details, PartyPoker will give you $30 on the house. If you decide to fund your wagering account, the site will match your deposit dollar for dollar up to $600. You can spend the bonus amount on cash/fast-forward cash games, daily $10K guaranteed tournament, Sunday $35K guaranteed, and other mouth-watering tournaments.

Ease of Use of PartyPoker NJ Website

Right from the moment you arrive on the homepage, you will find a huge banner advertising the welcome offer. Easily accessible at the homepage’s static header is a clearly labeled menu with essential buttons. They will deliver you to the most important sections of the poker site — Download, Tournaments, Promotions, How to Play, and Loyalty pages. Make sure to check out the Promotions page to find out what sort of offers are available, including recurrent weekly bonuses.

The same homepage simplicity and ease of use follow through into other inner areas of the website, notably the Account and Banking sections. It’s painlessly easy to fund your account and cash out your winnings. Convenient methods like PayPal, cash at the casino cage, and Play+ make this aspect seamless and smooth.

Technically speaking, the site is rock-solid and stable with only a few hiccups and glitches reported since it was re-launched in 2013. Over a handful of years, the software has undergone numerous updates and upgrades. Today, the site and gaming software load and run in a snappy fashion.

Mobile device-readiness is definitely one aspect players consider when it comes to ease of use.  Being able to quickly access tournaments, help pages, and cash games on mobile devices is of paramount importance. We’ll say this for PartyPoker – it loads quickly, runs in a fairly streamlined manner, and is effortless to navigate on mobile devices, without any major technical issues or losing any features.

The Download page is perhaps the most important page on the site. From here you will be able to download a desktop or mobile device software app incorporated with a few extra features for good measure.

The bottom line: while PartyPoker is not as comprehensive as leading poker sites like PokerStars, you will certainly enjoy streamlined and hassle-free gaming sessions. You are not likely to notice the lack of extras since all the basic features are right in place. What’s more — in the past couple of years, PartyPoker has rolled out an array of upgrades targeting design, stability, and game filters. These changes have paid off in terms of enhanced UI and UX experiences.

PartyPoker New Jersey Deposit Options

The ability to deposit and withdraw funds at a poker site is of critical importance to players. Thankfully, PartyPoker has gone above and beyond to offer myriad deposit banking methods to its New Jersey customers.

Given that it is tied to the land-based Borgata Hotel, Resort, and Spa Casino in Atlantic City, players can expect to take advantage of the company’s physical banking instruments. Even so, some credit card/bank card processors are notorious for refusing to process payments made to online gambling establishments, and PartyPoker has been no exception to that problem.

Rejected deposits may happen even though the site is fully regulated and licensed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. This is particularly true for some credit cards issued by Visa and Discover Card. We suggest that you try a different card or contact your bank issuer if this happens to you. Lucky for you, the site boasts a long listing of other viable deposit methods:

Online Banking Transfer: PartyPoker allows you to deposit directly from your online banking account via the Bill Pay feature (which you should make sure is enabled). Online bank accounts are not the only institutions elected for this e-payment feature. If you’re enrolled in online banking and the Bill Pay function is enabled, you can directly move funds to your PartyPoker account from BB&T, Bank of America, Capital One 360, Chase Bank, CitiBank, HSBC Bank USA, New York Community Bank, PNC, Regions Bank, Sovereign Bank, SunTrust Bank, TD Bank NA, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.

PayPal: Considered one of the most popular electronic wallets across the globe, PayPal is the preferred e-wallet deposit option used by NJ players. When you have linked your PayPal account to your PartyPoker account, you can easily move funds from your wallet balance or draw from your credit card/bank account into PayPal and then transfer funds to your wagering account.

7/Eleven’s PayNearMe: This is a cash deposit service available across thousands of participating 7/Eleven convenience outlets. All you have to do is provide your PartyPoker details and confirm them before making a cash deposit. The funds will be instantly reflected in your wagering account when the cashier has processed the transaction.

Skrill: Formerly known as Moneybookers, Skrill is another highly popular and convenient e-wallet option for New Jersey players who want to make deposits to PartyPoker. Skrill deposits are usually processed instantly, anonymously, and without any additional fees.

VIP Preferred e-check:  If you have a personal account with a US bank, you can securely and safely move funds from it into PartyPoker using an ACH (Automatic Clearing House) or preferred echeck option. When making your first deposit, you will have to enroll your bank account with VIP Preferred by giving your bank account number, routing number, and your driver’s license number. Then money can be drawn directly from your bank account to PartyPoker.

PartyPoker Play+ Prepaid Card: This is the go-to method for players who want to make instant deposits at the site. Enroll online for the Play+ Prepaid card and fund it with an online bank transfer, credit card, or debit card. You can also use the card to cash out your winnings from any eligible ATM.

Visa: PartyPoker accepts Visa debit and credit cards. Note that some banks may not process your deposit owing to the UIGEA. Visa deposits are usually processed immediately, making funds instantly available for play.

MasterCard: You can also use your MasterCard-issued debit and credit cards. They are more popular than Visa cards because transactions to online gambling sites are more likely to be processed by the bank.

American Express: PartyPoker accepts payments made using Amex-branded credit cards and debit cards. Please note that Bank Co-Branded, Small Business Cards, Prepaid Cards and Corporate Travel Cards won’t be accepted.

Discover: Credit cards issued by Discover Network are accepted at the site. The deposit transactions are processed at no additional cost and funds will be immediately available for use.

Cash at Borgata Atlantic City: Walk up to the cashier at the cage of the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, and prove your identity and PartyPoker account. You can fund your account using cash, chips, and credit/debit cards.

PartyPoker New Jersey Withdrawal Options

Cashing out your payouts from PartyPoker is equally easy and smooth, because the site offers a handful of expedient withdrawal methods. The method you used to make a deposit in the first place is usually the quickest and most convenient. However, a few exceptions to this rule exist thanks to certain online gambling banking regulations.

You can use the following banking methods to withdraw your winnings at PartyPoker:

Online Bank Transfer: You can withdraw your payouts directly to a pre-qualified online banking account. This will be an obvious choice if you used it to deposit funds in the first place.

Skrill: Your winnings can be easily cashed out using Skrill, after which you can move funds to your bank account, or use them for online shopping with a Skrill debit card.

MasterCard: Even though Visa, Amex, and Discover cards don’t accept withdrawals from PartyPoker, MasterCard does. It’s a reliable, easy, and relatively safe way to do so, plus MasterCard has numerous applications poised to make the whole process smooth.

PartyPoker Play+ Prepaid Account: You can also transfer your winnings to your Play+ prepaid card account. As a PartyPoker-issued prepaid card, you can withdraw the money at NYCE and PULSE branded ATMs.  Don’t forget that you can use the card anywhere Discover is accepted.

VIP Preferred e-check: Move your payouts directly into your pre-enrolled bank account using ACH or e-checks. This only applies to personal checking accounts held with US banks.

Cash at Borgata Hotel and Casino: You can pick up your payouts at the cashier cage at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City. This withdrawal method, unique to New Jersey play, is safe and fairly anonymous given that it doesn’t involve any third-party processors or your bank.

Check by Mail: If you opt for this method, PartyPoker will issue and send a physical check to the address on file. This is by far the slowest withdrawal option available at the site, taking between 2 and 3 weeks for the check to reach your mailbox.

Note: Most PartyPoker withdrawals must go through a 48-hour pending processing period, during which you can still reverse the withdrawals and continue playing using the funds. Upon expiry of this pending period, your withdrawals will be processed almost immediately.

PartyPoker doesn’t assess any additional fees for any of these methods of withdrawal. However, that doesn’t mean your bank won’t charge fees. Be sure to inquire with your financial institution about fees you may incur with each withdrawal method.

PartyPoker New Jersey Games and Tournaments

As of this writing, PartyPoker is still a fairly simple poker platform, but it does offer an elaborate library of cash games, contests, and tournaments, as well as many stake options. You must download the software client to access them. Just go to the homepage, click on the Download tab, and it should be easy to install and get started.

There is also a dedicated “How to Play” section for novice players and those who want to refresh their poker strategies. The software itself is lightweight and resource-friendly, requiring only 512MB of RAM to rev on.

Cash games: PartyPoker has a relatively limited collection of cash games and fast-forward cash games from which players can choose. It doesn’t help that the traffic to most cash-game tables has reduced considerably in recent months. Still, No-Limit Texas Hold’em remains one of the most popular and reliable runs for NJ players who want to snag some decent wins. That’s partly thanks to the table’s low buy-in price which can run as low as 1 or 2 cents.

Players can also enjoy several variants of Pot-Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, and Fixed-Limit Texas Hold’em, amongst other favorite poker games. The vast majority of these cash poker games are played on multi-handed tables, including six-handed, heads up, nine-handed, and ten-handed. In all PartyPoker poker rooms, players can choose from dual, 6, 9, and 10-seating configurations.

Once again, you have several stake options, starting from as low as 1¢, which means practically every type of poker player can enjoy a round at the site. Tourney tickets are also quite affordable, with buy-ins as low as 10¢.

PartyPoker shaves off 5 percent as a rake for each pot of a cash game. The max rake for each hand dealt is typically higher at PartyPoker, meaning that it takes a bigger cut out of every round across all betting stakes.

Missions: This is an exciting feature offered by PartyPoker that has made it a darling of newbie and seasoned players alike. The mission is essentially a checklist of milestones, achievements, or goals you must achieve as you play your favorite poker games. Missions are tasks you complete when you beat someone at a contest, knock down a certain number of hands, or finish some tournaments.

Every milestone achieved will earn you more lucrative bonuses. The more missions you complete, the harder it gets, and the better the prizes. Live poker is a highly social game, and PartyPoker tries to bring some elements of interaction to the tables with Friends Lists. This allows you to keep tabs on your friends’ missions and achievements.

Poker contests and tournaments: PartyPoker has certainly made its presence known in the realm of poker tournaments. You won’t be hard-pressed to find the most rewarding daily and weekly tournaments with delightfully affordable buy-in fees. Tourney fees run the gamut from 25¢ up to $535.

Although traffic has gone down a bit, PartyPoker’s tournament atmosphere is pretty solid and bustling.  The portal acts much like a satellite for all major live poker events. It runs a myriad of guaranteed pool prize contests and tournaments daily, every weekend, and every week.

Here are some popular tournaments:

Daily $10K – This regular tourney has a guaranteed pool prize of $10,000 and a modest buy-in of $109. It is held nightly at 7 pm and No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the poker game of choice for the card-room. Your starting chip stack is 50,000.

Mega Tuesday 535 – This is another fairly regular tournament that gets some buzz and traffic. It has a buy-in of $535 and a $12,000 guaranteed pool prize. Alternatively, you can participate in the daily qualifier action, so you can qualify for a seat with a small entry cap of only $5.

Sunday $35K – You can also get some action with the Sunday $35K Guaranteed tournament. The entry cap is pegged at $215 and the guaranteed prize is $35,000. Make sure to book your seat by 5 pm every Sunday for a chance to walk away with the $35K guaranteed prize.

Freerolls and Sit-n-Gos: If you’re still thirsty for some poker tournament action after attempting the $35K and Daily $10K, you can also try your luck on many freerolls which are free to enter with a chance of snagging real cash prizes. You can also dabble in the Mega Thursday tourney which has a middle-tier buy-in of $320 and a guaranteed prize of $7,500.

PartyPoker New Jersey Loyalty Program

PartyPoker offers a robust VIP program with somewhat complicated terms. For some regular poker players, it may at first seem a little convoluted but you will get accustomed to the nuts and bolts of the program as you continue to patronize the site.

The PartyPoker VIP Loyalty Program is a 4-tiered rewards scheme based on how much you spend on cash games and tourney tickets. You will be automatically entered into the entry-level tier and from this point, the more money you spend on the site, the quicker and higher you move up the loyalty ladder.

You must earn a certain number of points to move up to the next VIP level:

•     Bronze – this is the lowest tier. New players are automatically assigned to this level.
•     Silver – You must earn at least 50 points each month to qualify for and stay in this tier.
•     Gold – 750 points per month are required to maintain this status. As a bonus, you will receive rewards up to $200 per month.
•     Palladium – You must earn 2,000 loyalty points per month. As a member of this tier, you will receive higher bonuses and better tourney tickets.

The rewards for participating in the PartyPoker VIP Program come in the form of tournament buy-in and cash tickets.

PartyPoker New Jersey Poker Website

When you land on the PartyPoker website, you will find a poker site that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use.  Although it is definitely not the best-looking site in the business, it is extremely easy to find your way around. That’s primarily because this is a pared-down, no-frills site built with minimalism in mind.

Whether this minimalist website design approach is a positive or negative point will depend entirely on your personal preference. Do you want a streamlined site or one that’s jam-packed with an overwhelming choice of features on the same page?

The topmost menu has everything you need to get started on the site. This includes the Help and Contact page, which has multiple rich FAQ-style pages, as well as a live-chat feature, phone number, and other contact information. Login and Register buttons are conveniently nestled adjacent to the help page, so you can easily sign into or sign up for an account. You will also see buttons that allow you to seamlessly switch between the Poker and Casino sections.

Overall, the PartyPoker website is nicely-built, reasonably stable, and has virtually everything you need within your eye-view. This means you don’t have to waste minutes looking for games, tournaments, banking options, and help. It is all about getting down to the brass tacks of playing right from the get-go. You will appreciate that the site is mobile device-optimized and loads super-fast.

PartyPoker New Jersey Mobile Poker App

The PartyPoker website is decidedly mobile device-friendly. The respective pages adjust automatically for an optimal mobile browsing and experience. The software also transitions smoothly and quickly for seamless mobile play.

On top of that, PartyPoker has a mobile poker app for both Android and iOS devices. You can enjoy cash games, fast-forward games, tournaments, contests, and Sit-n-Gos on the go! The PartyPoker mobile app can be downloaded by simply visiting the homepage on your favorite tablet, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. Click or tap the conveniently-located big orange “DOWNLOAD” button.

The PartyPoker mobile poker app comes pretty close to imitating the desktop experience. All of the menu options, buttons, and features are transitioned into the mobile app without losing much in the way of functional ability. The app loads surprisingly fast and without any significant glitches or hang-ups.

The mobile layout mimics the primary software clients because it uses drop-down menu items and a tabular approach for game/tournament categories. All Banking and Account management features have been shipped to the mobile version. You won’t have a hard time finding the cashier section, FAQs, loyalty program rules, games, and promotions.

PartyPoker New Jersey Contact Information

Toll-Free Customer Support Line: +1 (877) 448-5831

Physical Address: 820 Bear Tavern Road, Trenton, New Jersey, NJ 08628, USA

Email: Reach customer support through support.nj@partypoker.com. Note that it can take up to 24 hours to get a reply.

24/7 live chat support is available here.

The main Help and Contact page is available here.

PartyPoker New Jersey – The Verdict

Freshly re-launched in 2013, PartyPoker has found its way to the top of the New Jersey online poker scene. It’s currently the favorite online card-room for thousands of players, thanks to its decent selection of tournaments, fair traffic, robust loyalty program, and low buy-ins. Part of its charm is that PartyPoker belongs to the popular and well-respected poker network that includes Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker.

The website and software have a minimalist look and feel, making PartyPoker a darling destination for every poker player, from novice to veteran. As a production of Bwin.Party, a trusted and reliable online gambling operator, it has lived up to expectation. It offers a variety of popular deposit and withdrawal methods, plus their payouts are quick and fee-free.

With iOS and Android mobile apps, huge welcome and ongoing bonuses, and a seamless banking experience, PartyPoker is worth a try.