PokerStars NJ Online Poker Bonus: $150 Free

PokerStars made its heralded returned to New Jersey nearly two-and-a-half years after the first regulated NJ online poker sites went live. Despite this, site quickly became the go-to site for cash games and tournaments.

Today, PokerStars controls a more than 40 percent share of the market. It particularly excels in the areas of tournament series, and is the only operator to offer a lottery sit & go variant.

Play 1 hand, get $150 in free play from PokerStars NJ!

PokerStars offers first time players a choice of two welcome bonuses. For the more casual-minded player the site offers you to play 1 hand, receive $150 in free play broken down as follows:

• Day 1: 2 x $5 Spin & Go tickets
• Day 3: 2 x $5 Spin & Go tickets and 1 x $10 ticket
• Day 5: 2 x $10 tickets

Each chest must be opened within 7 days of receipt.

Poker enthusiasts may be more interested in PokerStars’ other welcome package — a 100% match up to $600 on first deposits. The bonus clears at a rate of $10 for every 100 VIP Player Points earned, which works out to an extraordinary 55 percent rakeback rate. Use PokerStars NJ bonus code STARS600 to take advantage of this offer.

Players can only choose one welcome offer. The site does not award players free money just for signing up.

PokerStars NJ welcome bonus

Online Poker	Pokerstars
PokerStars online bonus code	Click to claim promo
Free-play bonus (no deposit required)	Play 1 hand, get $150 in free play
Deposit Match Bonus	Up to $600
Best games for clearing bonuses	No Limit Hold'em cash games
Land-based casino partner	Resorts AC
Last verified	January 2025

PokerStars NJ welcome bonus available regions

PokerStars NJ’s welcome package is available to new players 21 and over who are both physically situated in New Jersey at the time of play.

Welcome bonus terms

For the $150 free play offer there are no negative terms. Simply play the 1 hand, and the freebies will start floating in your direction.

Do note, however, that the Spin & Go tickets will expire within 21 days.

For the 100 percent match up to $600, players will unlock $10 of their bonus for every 100 VPPs earned. VPPs are earned by paying cash game rake and tournament fees. For most formats, players earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 paid in rake/fees.

Thus, to unlock $10 of their bonus, players will have to generate $18.18 for the site — meaning they’ll receive roughly 55 percent of their paid rake/entry fees back as cash.

Another favorable aspect of the offer is that a player’s first three deposits will be eligible for the welcome bonus, so long as subsequent deposits are made wi  thin 60 days of the first. That means if a player makes a $200 deposit three times within their first two months on the site, they’ll still qualify for the full $600 bonus.

Regardless of which bonus players settle upon, they will receive a $5,000 Depositor Freeroll ticket. This special tournament runs on the last Sunday of each month.

Mobile play on PokerStars NJ

There’s PokerStars’ mobile app, and then there’s the rest. As come to be expected from the provider of the world’s best online poker client, the PokerStars NJ mobile app is nothing short of masterfully crafted.

The app can be downloaded for modern, or at least semi-modern, Android and iOS-enabled devices, either directly from the main site or via iTunes (iOS users only).

Upon loading the app, players will immediately notice its comprehensiveness. All of the main client’s formats have been the transition to mobile, including cash games, tournaments, sit & go’s, fast-fold (Zoom), and Spin & Go’s.

Each format has its own dedicated submenu, stocked with a variety of filters for ease of use. Not to mention, most of the site’s numerous account management and quality-of-life features have made the transition to mobile.

But it’s not until a player is seated at a table that the app truly displays its power. From there the app sings — lag and server crashes are virtually nonexistent. And the interface is intuitively crafted and robust.

This is an online poker app we can get behind.

Highlights of PokerStars NJ

PokerStars is the only NJ online poker site to offer lottery-style sit & go’s. It’s also the only site where fast-fold games get off on a semi-regular basis.

But the real strength of PokerStars NJ is its one-off tournament series that often guarantee $1.2 million or more. The site also runs smaller series ($100k-$300k guarantees) regularly.

PokerStars NJ traffic

For the most part, PokerStars NJ averages more cash game players than either WSOP/888 or Party/Borgata. The site averages between 100 and 120 concurrent players pending on the time of year.

The overwhelming majority of the site’s cash games are of the No Limit Hold’em variety, although Pot Limit Omaha and Mixed Games do get off with some frequency, especially during the evening hours.

Sit & go traffic on the site is very low, probably because most SNG grinders spend their time at the Spin & Go tables. Spin & Go’s are far and away the most popular format on the site.

Tournament traffic is generally solid, with nightly majors averaging between 30 and 200 entries. Sunday majors do even better, commonly drawing between 50 and 600 runners, depending on the tournament.

During special events, like the NJSCOOP, tournament traffic goes through the roof, with enough to players to fulfill five- and often six-figure guarantees.

Anything unique about PokerStars NJ?

Spin & Go’s. These three-man hyper-turbo sit & go’s feature randomized payouts, determined at the onset of the match. Prize pools range anywhere from two times a player’s buy-in to 1,000 times or more.

Be warned, the effective rake for this format is on the high side, and the skill cap is low. But for players who want their poker fast, and who relish the idea of mammoth payouts, there’s nothing better.

Also unique to PokerStars are its two highest-profile tournament series. The NJSCOOP traditionally runs in May, while the NJCOOP runs in October. Both series feature guarantees that top $1.2 million, making them the largest one-off events in the NJ online poker market.

What player types will take to PokerStars NJ?

Anyone who appreciates stellar online poker software — which should be everyone — will take to PokerStars NJ.

Beyond that, PokerStars is an appealing site for tournament grinders, as it offers a more stocked and diversified schedule than either of its competitors. The only drawback is that it’s more difficult to find overlays on PokerStars than on other sites, which may deter some value hunters.

That, and play is generally a bit tougher relative to other networks, especially WSOP/888. Although it’s still nowhere near as difficult as playing on PokerStars’ international sites.

Otherwise, PokerStars is about as good as it gets for a small market, offering plenty of casual-friendly promotions, a solid VIP program, and enough cash games to satisfy most player archetypes.

PokerStars NJ deposit options

The following deposit options ($10 min) are available at PokerStars NJ:

• Visa/Mastercard
• PayPal
• Skrill
• PayNearMe
• Prepaid card
• Casino cage
• ECheck/ACH

PokerStars NJ January 2025 updates

October 12th marks the first day of the New Jersey Championship of Online Poker (NJCOOP). This year’s guarantee is the same as 2018, with $1 million up for grabs, but there will 50 events this year (3 more than last year). You’ll find two to six events each day, with Sunday’s holding the most events (five on 10/12, six on 10/19 and six on 10/26). The Main Event begins on October 26 and will run for two consecutive days. There is a $300 buy-in with a guarantee of $100,000 for this NL Hold’em event. Monday, October 28 is the final day and will host two events: $100 NLH (Phase Day 2) and $100 NLH Deep, Hyper-Turbo, 6-Max.

Check the site for the full schedule and for satellites that can land you a seat at a discounted price.