New Jersey Online Poker Software Revealed with Jaybone2315

We sat down with New Jersey poker player Jack "Jaybone2315" King to talk about his thoughts on poker software.  Jaybone is well known at PocketFives.com, particularly in the Off Topic forum and on the New Jersey Local Poker Community pages.
 
PokerSoftware:  New Jersey regulated poker sites have been up and running now for nine months.  Can you tell us your thoughts about the software on the various poker sites?
 
Jaybone:  WSOP.com is the site that crashes the least, which might not sound important, but it is.  However, I am not a fan of their layout and look.  I pretty much hate everything about their layout. They don't even have the four-color deck right.  For example, spades are green for freak's sake.
 
I feel Ultimate Poker has the best look, game-play, and feel, with PartyPoker/Borgata Poker coming in second place.  I can't play at Ultimate Poker since I work there.  Crashing wise, PartyPoker is hands-down the worst.  There is nothing more tilting then being deep in a tournament and experiencing a crash, but I do like their layout.  I just wish the site didn't crash as much as it did and also didn't have added social media-type features.
 
I just switched from PartyPoker to Borgata, so I was stuck having to deal with all the awards all over again.  You seriously get an award for everything: winning with every combination of hands, play X number, of MTTs/SNGs/cash game hands, etc.  It is so absurd and tilting to me.
 
PokerSoftware:  Are you excited about the prospects of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker potentially returning to the New Jersey marketplace now that many of the hurdles of the Amaya purchase have been completed?
 
Jaybone:  I feel like I'm one of the few who is on the fence about this. The player pool is already being spread thin as it is since I assume most casual players aren't playing across 888, WSOP, Borgata/Party, Ultimate Poker, and Betfair at the same time.  So, the casual players already stay on one site.  Now we want to add to more?
 
While their software is obviously better than all the current sites, the only way I feel PokerStars and/or Full Tilt entering the New Jersey market will be good is if everyone moves to their site, which in turn will ruin all the other sites.  There just aren't enough players to sustain seven sites.  And make that nine sites if Tropicana/Virgin and Golden Nugget finally decide to get in on the action.

I feel adding a huge presence like PokerStars could work well if somehow California and Pennsylvania are on board and share intrastate player pools.  But, the biggest thing for New Jersey is letting people know that online poker is legal since most people still don't even know online gambling with the New Jersey borders is legal yet.  So, adding another site is just going to shift the current player pool around in my opinion.
 
PokerSoftware:  I understand that HUDs are permitted on US sites.  Which one do you use and how does it help your game?
 
Jaybone:  I use Holdem Manager 2.  I’m somewhat new to it, so I’m still learning.  I have been using it for about two months.  I've always been more of an instinct player, so I try not to rely on it all the time, but it does help when I have a bunch of hands on a player and it also helps identifying who the really bad players are and who the solid players are right away so I don't have to spend time playing with them to figure it out first.
 
PokerSoftware:  Do you think HUDs are good for the game?  Should they be allowed?
 
Jaybone:  I like using them, so I obviously think they should be allowed.  However, from the casual player's point of view, I can understand the argument of not allowing them, especially since the majority of them probably don't know something like that exists, so it could be looked at as an unfair advantage.
 
As someone who plays a lot, it's basically a way for me to save time against the bad players.  If a player is bad, we are going to figure it out eventually.  Plus, it helps with remembering who players are.  I won't remember a name at all and then their stats will pop up and I won't have to worry about playing 100 hands to remember that they are awful and are running at like 50/3.
 
I feel the playing field is even if we are both using it, so I don't see any sort of arguments that can be made to outlaw them based off the presence of the software itself.  The advantage that HUD players have over the casual players who don't know they exist is minimal in my opinion. And the regs who decide not to use them, that's their decision.

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