WSOP

WSOP.com is an online poker room that’s available to residents and visitors of Nevada and New Jersey. It’s owned by Caesars Entertainment, which is the parent company of the World Series of Poker.

WSOP.com is licensed by Nevada and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and features software from 888 Holdings.

888 and WSOP.com share their player pools to create more liquidity. Both sites are also part of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Alliance, which links 888/WSOP players in Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada.

Getting started at WSOP

The first step to playing at WSOP involves downloading the desktop client (PC/Mac) or the mobile app (Android/iOS).

The next step is to register for an account. Below, you’ll find instructions for downloading the desktop software and app, along with more on the signup process.

Desktop software

At the time of this review, you must have Windows 7 (or higher) or Mac OS 10.6.8 to run the desktop client. You also need at least 250MB of hardware space available on either a Mac or PC.

The first thing you’ll need to do is download the installation package, then install the software. The entire process takes around 15 minutes to complete.

Mobile app

The mobile version of WSOP.com can be found using the “Online Poker” link in the main menu. This link will direct you to either download the WSOP NJ app from the website (Android) or it will redirect you to the App Store (iOS), depending upon your device.

At the time of this writing, players need a minimum of Android 2.3 or iOS 6.1 to download and run the app.

Requirements to play

After securing the download-based client or app, you’ll be given the chance to register for an account. The registration process is self-explanatory and can be completed within a few minutes.

You’ll be asked to enter various details, such as your name, email, address, date of birth, and home state. Upon filling out the form, you must verify the account through a link that’s sent to your email address.

You may sign up at WSOP NJ from anywhere in the US. However, you won’t be able to legally play for real money until you are within New Jersey’s boundaries.

WSOP.com uses geo-location to pinpoint your location. This technology uses your computer’s or smartphone’s Wi-Fi signal to determine if you are within state lines.

For the geo-location technology to find you, you don’t necessarily have to be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. However, you do need to be able to see other Wi-Fi networks from your device.

WSOP signup bonus

The WSOP signup offer is quite large compared to other New Jersey online poker sites. It offers a 100% match on your first deposit up to $1,000.

Here are the main terms of this deal:

• $10 minimum deposit
• Cleared by earning Action Player Points (APPs)
• $10 of the bonus is released for every 100 APPs
• 2 APPs are awarded for every $1 paid in cash-game or tournament rake
• All unearned portions of the bonus are forfeited after 90 days

This signup bonus also includes seven tickets to $100 daily “Welcome Week Freerolls.” One ticket is awarded each day for seven consecutive days.

Other promotions

WSOP.com offers a wide range of promotions that cover freerolls, tournament leaderboards, and land-based tournament prize packages. Regarding the latter, you can win packages for the land-based WSOP events taking place in Vegas.

The one complaint we have regarding this site’s promotions is the lack of reload bonuses. Ideally, you’d have more chances at earning deposit bonuses behind the initial signup offer.

VIP rewards

WSOP has a five-tier VIP program that revolves around collecting APPs, which can be converted to cash. Higher statuses offer a point multiplier that helps you earn more cash for your play.

WSOP doesn’t feature any rewards for the points beyond converting them into money. You can’t, for example, use APPs to buy freeroll tickets or land-based tournament prize packages.

Odds are that most players will be fine with converting points to cash. However, more rewards options would improve this VIP program.

Earning APPs

Again, APPs are earned at a rate of 2 per $1 contributed in cash-game or tourney rake. You begin accumulating APPs as soon as you start playing real-money tournaments and cash games.

Cashing in APPs

Here are the steps for trading APPs in for cash:

1. Visit the “My Profile” section.
2. Choose “My Rewards.”
3. Select “Convert.”
4. 100 APPs = $1 cash.
5. You must have a minimum of 1,000 APPs to make the conversion.

Requirements & rewards at each tier

Here are the requirements, multipliers, and cashback for the different tiers:

• Player: requires 0 APPs per month / no multiplier / $1 cashback per $50 rake
• Bronze: requires 200 APPs per month / 4.0x multiplier / $1 cashback per $12.50 rake
• Silver: requires 750 APPs per month / 10.0x multiplier / $1 cashback per $5 rake
• Elite: requires 1,500 APPs per month / 12.5x multiplier / $1 cashback per $4 rake
• Champions Club: requires 20,000 APPs annually / 16.0x multiplier / $1 cashback per $3.13 rake

WSOP poker games

Despite the Multi-State Internet Gaming Alliance and the sharing of players with 888 NJ, WSOP NJ does not boast a huge player pool.

Although New Jersey is a large state, it does not feature enough liquidity for regular high-stakes play and huge tournaments.

WSOP.com has been wise enough to limit the scope of their offerings for both cash games and tournaments. They feature a basic mix of poker variations, with most of the play concentrated in low-stakes hold’em cash games and tourneys.

Cash games

This site features several ring-game variations, including hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, and Stud Hi-Lo. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of betting formats for these games:

• Hold’em: fixed limit, pot limit, and no limit
• Omaha: pot limit
• Omaha Hi-Lo: fixed limit and pot limit
• Stud: fixed limit
• Stud Hi-Lo: fixed limit

Most online poker rooms feature these exact games, or at least hold’em and Omaha. Therefore, WSOP NJ isn’t shaking the industry up with their game selection.

However, they’ve done a good job of paying attention to the market and limiting their games to what New Jersey residents actually want to play. They don’t try to do too much by offering Crazy Pineapple or Razz, for example.

Hold’em

The vast majority of WSOP NJ’s cash-game action focuses on no-limit hold’em, where stakes range from $0.01/$0.02 to $200/$400.

Most of the players are found at NL with bets ranging from $0.01/$0.02 to $1/$2. Sometimes a $10/$20 or $25/$50 table will run, but not very often.

Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo

PL Omaha and PL Omaha Hi-Lo tables draw relatively equal crowds, although the former is slightly more popular at WSOP.com.

Unlike hold’em players, Omaha players tend to spread throughout the various stakes. Tables are usually running from $0.01/$0.02 to $5/$10, even during non-peak hours.

Stud

FL Stud traffic is almost nonexistent, while FL Stud Hi-Lo draws a slim crowd. Most Stud Hi-Lo games take place at $2/$4 and $3/$6 tables.

Tournament action

Almost all of the WSOP NJ multi-table tournaments are NL hold’em events. Buy-ins range from $1 to $1,000, with the latter being reserved for special events and WSOP Vegas satellites.

The tourney traffic and prize pools are competitive with other top New Jersey poker sites. WSOP NJ also offers a solid variety of tournament types.

$100,000 Sunday tournament

This site runs a $100k guaranteed tourney with a $320 buy-in every Sunday. WSOP NJ offers many $100k satellites throughout the week if you can’t cover the regular buy-in.

WSOP Vegas satellites and bracelet events

Thanks to their association with the World Series of Poker, WSOP.com stands out from all other online poker operations.

They run WSOP satellites every year leading up to the big event in Vegas, and players have the opportunity to win a seat in the $10k WSOP Main Event or spots in online bracelet events.

Speaking of which, you can compete for gold bracelets in various WSOP online tournaments that coincide with the Vegas land-based events.

$10,000 Daily

This site runs a $10,000 guaranteed tournament every day at 9 pm EST. The buy-in is $100, and there are a fair number of daily satellites that feed into this event.

What else is available for play at WSOP?

The rest of WSOP’s offerings revolve around sit and go’s, featuring both regular SNGs and timed “Blast” tourneys.

Sit and Go’s

The SNG selection includes heads-up, 9-handed, turbo, and super turbo options. Available stakes range from $1 to $200.

Blast Poker

Blast Poker features four-handed SNGs that offer prizes worth up to 10,000x your buy-in. The prizes and time limit are kept secret until each tournament starts.

Each Blast SNG features a timer that counts down how much time is remaining. Once the timer reaches zero, you and your opponents are forced to go all-in on every hand until there’s a winner.

WSOP deposit methods

You can use any of the following deposit options at WSOP.com NJ:

• ACH (eChecks) – Move money from your bank account to WSOP NJ. This method can take up to 7 days to clear, but your account will be credited with the proper funds until then.
• Cash at Cage – Fund your account in person with cash at any of Caesars’ New Jersey properties (i.e. Bally’s, Caesars, and Harrah’s).
• Mastercard & Visa – Use one of the world’s two most-popular credit cards to deposit. Be aware, though, that Visa and Mastercard may reject your transaction, despite WSOP NJ being perfectly legal.
• PayPal – This trusted e-wallet allows you to deposit funds through a linked bank account.
• PayNearMe – Visit a New Jersey 7-Eleven store to deposit using a payslip. You need at least one valid ID to complete the process.

WSOP withdrawal methods

Most of the deposit options can also be used to cash out from this poker site:

• ACH – Move funds directly to your account without a third party (i.e. e-wallet) involved. The drawback is that eChecks are the slowest withdrawal method available.
• Cash at the Cage – This option is perfect if you live near Atlantic City. However, it’s not feasible if you live an hour or further away.
• PayPal – Although PayPal offers relatively quick cashouts, it does take around 3% of each transaction in fees.

Customer support

The support section is found through the “Help” option in the software. Email is the only way to contact WSOP reps at this time.

You’ll usually receive a response to your email within 1-2 hours. Assuming you don’t want to wait, the Help section covers many support topics, like depositing, geo-location, and technical issues.

Final Verdict

WSOP doesn’t have a wide array of poker variations for cash games or tournaments. However, they rate well in a number of other important categories.

Their traffic, promotions, VIP program, and tournament prize pools all stand out in the New Jersey internet poker market.

What really sets them apart is their WSOP-themed promos and prize packages. This is the only operator that gives you a chance to earn WSOP Vegas tournament seats online.

If you’ve ever had big dreams of winning a bracelet, then this site is the ultimate pick. Even if you don’t have these aspirations, then WSOP.com is still a good choice.