Not only were Ohioans happy to see online gambling expand on New Year’s Day, but so was New Jersey. New Jerseyans and Michiganders celebrated the joining of players at PokerStars.
PokerStars launched a Sunday tourney to honor the combo of two states. It is the first time that players from Michigan have been able to participate in an online poker website that does not restrict their geographical reach. Since 2018, New Jersey poker players can play on WSOP.com in a pool that is shared with Nevada and Delaware.
PokerStars increased the guarantee on Sunday’s major tournaments by combining their pool. The Sunday Special was an example of this. It used to have a New Jersey guarantee of $50,000 but it was increased to $100,000.
The prize pool, which came in at $200,000.95.20, was nearly double the amount of the registration closing. There were 2,189 total entries to the $100 buy-in tournament that allowed for up to five reentries. With 959 re-entries, there were 1,230 entries.
Pokerstars, on the other hand, ran an Fall Fest Main Event with a $50,000 Guarantee in New Jersey and a $100,000 Guarantee in Michigan. This buy-in cost $200, and resulted in 281 entries and 571 entries.
Just shy of $35,000 will be awarded to the winner of this two-day tournament. There are 160 remaining players and play will continue at 6PM ET.
PokerStars increased the guarantee for a Sunday Special to $50,000. This $10 tournament saw 6,378 players enter and an $88,039.80 prize fund. There were 3,424 participants and 2,954 replays. This was a tournament that allowed unlimited re-entry.
While the pooling of Michigan’s players is a big deal, online poker players still wait for Pennsylvania to sign the Multi-State Interstate Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Although Pennsylvania has launched online poker before Michigan, it is yet to begin pooling players with other states. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board states that the matter is currently at Gov. Tom Wolfe’s office.
