New Jersey Software, Geo-Location Overview with Dlorican

Regulated online poker launched in New Jersey in late November, making it the third state in the U.S. to go live with regulated online poker.  New Jersey, in many ways, is a major test to whether state-regulated online poker can be a success.  Borgata, PartyPoker, Betfair, WSOP.com, 888 Poker, and Ultimate Poker have all been licensed in New Jersey and have already launched poker sites.  We recently had the opportunity to learn from New Jersey poker player Dennis "Dlorican" Lopez about his experiences and opinions.
 
PokerSoftware: What New Jersey poker sites have you tried playing on?
 
Dlorican: I have played on WSOP, Borgata, Party, and Ultimate. I signed up for Betfair, but have not played there yet.  I like to play poker on my Mac, but not all sites have fully downloadable clients yet.  The ones that are fully compatible are WSOP, 888, Borgata, and PartyPoker. Ultimate Poker and Betfair still don't have Mac versions.

PokerSoftware: We have heard that many of the sites are having geo-location issues.  Can you give us a first-hand account of your experience?

Dlorican: The website that has given me the most problems getting geo-located is WSOP.com. At times, I can sign on at the first try and, other times, I have to log on several times before I am geo-located. I have about six WiFi signals that surround my house, so I am not sure what the issue is. I have also been disconnected in the middle of hands on WSOP. On Borgata/Party, I almost always get on the first try and it's very rare that I get disconnected while playing. Even when I do get disconnected, their software allows you to finish the hand. I've only played on Ultimate Poker a couple of times, but did not experience any disconnects or geo-location issues when signing in.

PokerSoftware: What are some of the different features each site has?

Dlorican: Borgata and Party, which use essentially the same software with the same player pool, have more features as far as extras. It has a buddy list so you can chat with your friends on the program. It has achievements, missions, and keeps track of your stats. It also has multi-tabling features like how you want your tables stacked and in what order do you want the tables to come up in front. You can use shortcuts for actions. The Borgata/Party software has an option for multi-monitor support. The look and feel of the software appear outdated.

WSOP is my favorite as far as look and feel of table play. It also changes background when you make a final table and, when you are heads-up, it shows the cash on the table. Ultimate Poker is my second favorite as far as graphics and game play go. It reminds me of Full Tilt with the avatars and the speed of how the cards are dealt.

PokerSoftware: Which of the New Jersey sites do you feel currently has the best selection of tournaments?

Dlorican: I think WSOP has a wider variety of MTTs and caters to every bankroll. It has a nightly $10 rebuy $5K guaranteed, a nightly $25 rebuy $10K guaranteed, and other smaller guarantees that range from a $100 guarantee to a $750 guarantee. Borgata/Party has a $10K guaranteed nightly with a buy-in of $100, which is a higher buy-in for a $10K compared to WSOP.

PokerSoftware: Which sites would you recommend people play on?

Dlorican: I would have to say WSOP for the large selection of MTTs they have for all bankroll levels. Right now, their software is what I prefer. However, Borgata/Party are running more attractive promotions and will catch up eventually with MTT selection. The player fields are larger on Borgata/Party due to both skins sharing player pools.

PokerSoftware: How does depositing and withdrawing work for most sites?  What methods are available?

Dlorican: The depositing method you can use is ACH, which is basically like a wire transfer from your checking account. You can also deposit using a credit card or debit card. However, you may run into more problems doing it that way versus ACH due to certain banks not approving casino and gambling transactions. For withdrawing, you can ask for a check, transfer back into your checking account, or go to a casino cage and get your money. I have deposited on WSOP and Borgata using my debit card and it was approved instantly.

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