New Jersey is one of the most poker friendly of all US States. With 12 huge casinos making up the resort of Atlantic City, and newly regulated internet poker gaining some serious traction with residents – there are new places outside of Nevada with more poker action available. You can also enjoy social poker games in New Jersey.

Recommended New Jersey Poker Site

The New Jersey online poker scene is one of the best in the US. Not only did it kick off the culture of state-based regulation, but it also attracted many of the leading names in the business. From the WSOP / 888 to PokerStars and Partypoker, New Jersey’s online poker industry is brimming with quality. BetMGM Poker: BetMGM Poker is one of the newer online poker sites in New Jersey. Like its network mate Borgata, the site offers the opportunity to play many games that were more popular in earlier days. Early expectations from legalized online poker in New Jersey were much higher than the actual results, which discouraged some players, like Ultimate Gaming Looking at year-over-year for April 2014 and April 2015, things got even worse for online poker, as three was a revenue drop from almost $2.6 to slightly under $2 million.

This page gives you a complete overview of poker in its different formats in New Jersey. First of all you will find an overview of the live casino poker rooms available here. Next the social poker scene is covered, with topics like home games, bar leagues and charity events all included. After this the brand new regulated online poker arena is discussed – along with some notes on offshore poker sites. Next you’ll find some info covering poker from the NJ Statute books, followed by a summary and look to the future for poker in this State.

Live Poker Games In New Jersey

Seven of the huge casinos that make up Atlantic City have poker rooms, with some huge names including Harrah’s, the Borgata, the Trump Taj Mahal and the Tropicana all competing for the custom of the millions of visitors who enjoy the casinos here each year. Many of the biggest tournament events including the WPT (World Poker Tour) and WSOP Circuit events stop here – though Atlantic City is plenty big enough to hold its own regular events and scheduled tournaments too. Cash games can be played up to nosebleed stakes, and all of the major poker variations are spread in one poker room or another.

The casino poker rooms are only found in Atlantic City. This means that for some residents the rooms in neighboring Delaware or Pennsylvania are actually more accessible.

Are Home Games Legal In New Jersey?

You can legally enjoy home games in New Jersey, with the common legal requirement that there is no individual making a profit from the games. There are also bar poker leagues covering this State, for those players who prefer their games both social and without a buy-in. Real prizes are offered in these games. The final social poker format which is permitted in New Jersey is charity poker tournaments or poker nights. These often give away prizes which are donated by sponsors.

Online Poker Games In New Jersey

Nj Online Poker Sites

In 2013, New Jersey caused quite a stir by opening the first regulated online poker sites. This was not the first State to open legal internet poker to residents, both Nevada and Delaware already offered these games. The difference is that New Jersey is the first State with a big enough population to create the critical mass needed for a thriving poker economy. With 8.8 million prospective players, some of the biggest names in global poker were attracted to set up sites here – each one being required to partner with a licensed Atlantic City Casino. So far the results have been fair, not quite living up to expectation in terms of revenue generated, though still managing to grow month on month.

Some of the offshore poker sites which are still open to New Jersey players are actually much bigger than the State regulated sites. These are based in the Caribbean, in countries where online poker is completely legal – and welcome players from a number of US States.

It is not yet known how internet poker will look for New Jersey when more States join the push to regulate these games. Having a head-start could mean that NJ becomes the center of business for a wider regulated market at some point down the line.

New Jersey Online Poker Sites

What Do The New Jersey Gambling Statutes Say?

Even though New Jersey is a poker-friendly State, their laws still work on the ‘ban it all’ method – followed by very specific carve outs for different types of gambling. There are two parts to the laws which cover all the formats. The first concerns the act of ‘wagering’, and the second defines a ‘contest of chance’. Unfortunately the contest of chance definition does include the fact that some skill can also be involved – so poker is almost certainly covered by this.

Here is the main definition of a contest of chance from the New Jersey Criminal Code Section 2-40.1:

…any contest, game, pool, gaming scheme or gaming device in which the outcome depends in a material degree upon an element of chance, notwithstanding that skill of the contestants or some other persons may also be a factor therein…

New Jersey Online Poker – Summing It Up

There are very few States which offer the full range of poker games you’ll be able to enjoy in New Jersey. There are poker card rooms, home games, bar and charity games and the newly regulated online poker sites all available for you.

New Jersey Online Poker Sites

With so many big names already operating poker sites in New Jersey, this State has put itself in a great position to be the center of the online poker business as things move forward and other States bring in their own regulation.