The race is back on in California as the first online poker bill has been introduced to the state government. Proposed by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, this new online poker measure contains some interesting key alterations compared to previous attempts. While the context would greatly benefit land-based casinos and card rooms, horse racing tracks won’t be permitted to participate, and neither will PokerStars.

Starting with the most important text for online poker players in California, we’ll examine the newly revised ‘bad actors’ clause. It reads much like the old one supplied by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, where any operators that accepted Californians since 2007, (thereby breaching the UIGEA of 2006), are prohibited from obtaining a license. However, the amended section also eliminates operators that were acquired by a new parent company after breaching that law.

In reference to bad actors, Gatto’s online poker bill reads:

Hence PokerStars, under the new ownership of Canada-based Amaya Gaming, would be excluded.

Racing tracks won’t make the grade either, according to Gatto’s legislation. The bill says regulators should license “only those entities that are otherwise eligible to offer real-money poker games within the state that have significant experience operating in a regulated land-based gaming facility environment.” Therefore, the state would license “only those entities in California that have experience operating card rooms and tribal gaming facilities that are currently permitted to offer live real-money poker games”.

The bad actors clause and exclusion of racing tracks from participation in a California online poker market have been two of the most debated arguments since the state first began discussing legalization years ago. However, Gatto did say in an interview with PokerNews that he is not opposed to amending the bad actors clause or exclusion of racing facilities.

To get more tribal casinos and card rooms on board, the online poker bill was designed to ensure that all land-based operations are not cannibalized by online poker, including the smaller operators around the state. The bill would require new players to make their first deposit in person at the website’s corresponding casino or an associated ‘satellite service center’ (smaller casino / card room associated with the operator). In addition, deposits and withdrawals that exceed a certain amount must be made in person at a similarly eligible location. Gatto explained that every Californian should be at least within one hour of such a location, and that it would ensure all establishments are still patronized all over the state.

The actual minimum/maximum purchase and withdrawal amounts associated with that section were left blank in the text of the online poker bill. Gatto later said that the amount could range anywhere from $300 to $10,000. He also justified the in-person payment requirements as being added to help eliminate the threat of underage gambling and money laundering.

It should be noted that Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer is still expected to introduce a revamped version of his previous California online poker bill in the near future. That new bill is supposedly being scripted to allow more operators to participate in the industry, including PokerStars and possibly racing tracks.

The Carbon Online Poker Series was a highly anticipated, 76-event tournament series that members of the site had been looking forward to for quite some time. $2 million was guaranteed across the two week series that began on November 9^th. Unfortunately, just as things were about to wrap up last weekend, the server crashed, and that’s when all hell broke loose.

Server crashes aren’t all that rare in the online poker industry. What is rare, however, is when a crash leads to a major security breach. According to sources on the TwoPlusTwo poker forums, that’s exactly what happened at Carbon Poker.

Members of the online poker site who were playing in the final, $75k GTD leg of the Carbon OPS, as well as those participating in the Sunday Majors, began posting frantically on the forum. The majority of them were first complaining that they were logged out of the site with cards and chips on the table, and were unable to log back in. But when others started revealing that they were able to login, that’s when things got scary.

Those players who successfully logged back in were not logged into their own accounts, but alleged were given access to other player’s accounts. They were returned to the tournament tables that the true account holder was playing on at the time of the crash, able to use the money in those accounts to play. Even worse, they were able to view sensitive information on those accounts. And while the players posting this information on TwoPlusTwo were not using any of this information in a duplicitous way, rather trying to inform the community of the disastrous breach of security that was taking place, it’s impossible to say how many untrustworthy members of Carbon Poker were not so responsible.

To make matters worse, Carbon Poker seemed to be downplaying the incident in its initial response. One member of the forum posted the reply he got from Carbon Poker as follows:

“During a very brief window early this morning during a server restart, certain players using the auto-login setting were returned to another player’s session. You were one of the very few players affected. This view would have been visible only momentarily while the server completed restarting. We are confident that possible interaction with the account was limited, and we are taking measures to confirm that the situation is fully contained.”

The response was one of outrage, of course, and it didn’t help that (according to some posters) Carbon Poker was also responding to players who contacted support to report money missing from their accounts by telling them that no refunds would be given. As the ire of the community swelled, Carbon Poker officials apparently came to their senses and offered compensation. Players began sharing emails and confirmation that their accounts had been reimbursed for any equity lost during the crash.

The bigger question remains though – how could such a catastrophic breach of security be possible at an online poker room that, up until this incident, carried such a strong reputation? How could a server crash – something that isn’t uncommon, especially when so many people are logged in at the same time – result in such devastation as to allow players access to random accounts? And were players who weren’t aware of the situation reimbursed, or was that reserved only for those who noticed a drop in their account’s funds and complained about it?

Neither Carbon Poker nor the Merge Gaming Network has offered any public comments on the situation to date.

With the possibility of a regulated online poker market still up in the air in California, a local tribe has traversed the virtual countryside by launching a brand new online casino in New Jersey, Pala Casino. The Pala Band of Mission Indians launched PalaCasino.com after partnering with The Borgata in Atlantic City, and says an online poker venue is on the horizon.

Pala Casino received approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to launch the new Pala Casino dot-com, which went live late last week weekend in the Garden State. This marks the first time a real money, tribal owned online casino has launched under the authorized regulation of a US state, albeit located outside of the tribe’s home jurisdiction.

The Pala Band has been working diligently to increase the revenue at its Pala Casino Resort and Spa, situated on the Pala Indian Reservation just outside of San Diego, California. With 2,000 slot machines, nearly 100 table games and an assortment of 10 inviting restaurants, the 500-guest room facility is now in great shape, leaving the tribe with nothing more to do than wait on California legislators. The tribe has been anticipating the launch of regulated online poker in the Golden State, going so far as to contract American poker pro Phil Ivey as its brand ambassador last year, but the tribe had apparently grown weary of playing the waiting game.

“We will operate only in New Jersey and that means the product will change and improve over time; the player journey, issues related to geolocation, the gamification of the sign up process so that it is more engaging for the player,” said Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive, which operates the new Pala Casino website. “All this attention to detail will mean that the 90 plus games that we will be offering will be the best they can be for our customers.”

The tribe announced long ago that they intended to enter the online casino industry, but considering the landscape of iGaming in California, it makes sense that they would choose a more fertile ground for their operations. New Jersey has by far the highest population of the three states that have authorized online poker and/or casino gambling, and despite suspected market saturation, Pala feels thy will be able to gain a strong enough foothold in the Garden State.

“We had a solid weekend and we have yet to start marketing,” Ryan explained the tribe’s enthusiasm for the Pala Casino website. “We believe we are breaking into the New Jersey market at the perfect time.” The extension of the product to include an online poker room is expected to occur as early as the first quarter of 2015.

As for Phil Ivey’s former sponsorship deal with Pala, that has likely dissolved considering the current circumstances. Ivey’s relationship with The Borgata isn’t the best right now. He is currently in the middle of a lawsuit, filed by the Atlantic City casino, in which he is accused of cheating the Borgata out of $9.6 million by exploiting a defect in the cards at the Baccarat tables.

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has been backing a bill that would incite a blanket ban of online gambling in the US, titled Restoration of Americas Wire Act (RAWA). With billions behind it and not much distinguishable opposition ahead, many feared the lame duck legislative session would be an easy catalyst for Adelson to get his bill through Congress. As the hour draws nigh, however, it seems there’s a lot more resistance in the undercurrent than the anti-online gambling bill’s supporters first realized.

On Thursday, a letter was authored to the four most influential members of Congress; The U.S. Senates’  Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Perhaps more impressive than the heading, in quantity and quality, were the signatures upon the communique, which included Presidents, Executive Directors and Honorary Chairman’s for 12 powerful conservative organizations.

“We write to inform you of our strong concerns about S.2159, Restoration of America’s Wire Act, and its companion House legislation H.R. 4301, both known as RAWA,” the letter begins.

“While RAWA supporters contend that this legislation is a simple fix to 53 year old Wire Act legislation on sports betting, RAWA attempts to apply federal sports betting regulations to online gambling – even though this legislation was created decades before the invention of the internet.”

The conservatives went on to clarify that “states have always led the way in regulating gambling and that is why a diverse coalition of organizations including the Democratic Governors Association, National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures and numerous civil libertarian, free market and conservative groups have already spoken out against this legislation.

“Regardless of your personal opinions on gambling, we encourage you to preserve the authority of the states to prohibit or regulate gambling as the 10th Amendment directs.”

The letter called RAWA “an assault on our Federalist system,” arguing that New Jersey and Pennsylvania legislators are “considering resolutions to Congress to ask you to vote against such legislation.”

After citing original debates leading to the US Department of Justice’s evaluation of the Wire Act in 2011 that resulted in intrastate online gambling becoming a viable regulatory avenue for individual states, authors closed the document with the following appeal.

“The real intention of this bill is to remove the state’s 10th Amendment authority to regulate online gambling as states see fit within their own borders. We hope you will not allow RAWA to become yet another instance where the federal government expands its encroachment into the states’ purview. State governments are more than capable of making this decision.”

Signatures on the oppositional letter included:

It’s becoming clear now that RAWA, and its billionaire backer, Sheldon Adelson, face a lot more hostility than once believed in terms of filtering RAWA through a fiscally-empathetic lame duck session. Now, with the public eye narrowly trained on the issue, it’s doubtful the anti-online gambling bill will see the light of day before the 2015 legislative session reconvenes, and harvesting support won’t be so easy then either.

Each week, former Congressman Ron Paul authors a weekly column on his personal website, Ron Paul Institute, where he shares his views on current political matters. This week, he tapped into the hearts of America’s online poker community by writing a piece entitled, ‘Internet Gambling Ban: A Winner for Sheldon Adelson, a Losing Bet for the Rest of the US’. The article blasts Adelson’s campaign to push a new bill, Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), while supporting state’s rights to regulate online poker, lottery and casino gambling as they see fit.

RAWA was introduced earlier this year on dual platforms; to the House of Representatives by Rep Jason Chafetz of Utah, and to the US Senate by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp, has backed the bill every step of the way, vowing to spend “whatever it takes” to get online gambling banned across the United States, even if it means swiping the rug out from under states like Delaware, Georgia, Nevada and New Jersey, where some form of legal internet wagering is already taking place.

The opening statements of Ron Paul’s column defined the term “crony capitalism”, aka “cronyism”, a as common practice in which “politicians write laws aimed at helping their favored business beneficiaries”, (i.e. Adelson and his virtually unlimited billions worth of campaign donations). Paul pointed the finger at Congress, which was expected to vote on RAWA in the lame duck session, calling potential passage of the legislation “a favor to billionaire casino owner, Sheldon Adelson.”

Paul accused supporters of the online poker ban of masking their motives, saying they “publicly deny…a desire to curry favor with a wealthy donor. Instead, they give a number of high-minded reasons for wanting to ban this activity.” Paul cited such excuses as iGaming benefiting criminals and “even terrorists!”

In direct opposition to that common political scare tactic, Paul argued that “criminalizing online casinos will not eliminate the demand for online casinos. Instead, passage of this legislation will likely guarantee that the online gambling market is controlled by criminals. Thus, it is those who support outlawing online gambling who may be aiding criminals and terrorists.”

Furthermore, Paul appreciated the fact that “many supporters of an Internet gambling ban sincerely believe that gambling is an immoral and destructive activity that should be outlawed.” But he then went on to explain that, “the proposed legislation is not at all about the morality of gambling. It is about whether Americans who do gamble should have the choice to do so online, or be forced to visit brick-and-mortar casinos.”

Ron Paul said that RAWA “has no place in a free society”, comparing a blanket ban of regulated online poker to forcibly preventing people from reading biased, pro-war publications. “The proposed ban on Internet gambling is a blatantly unconstitutional infringement on our liberties that will likely expand the surveillance state,” wrote Paul. “Worst of all, it is all being done for the benefit of one powerful billionaire. Anyone who thinks banning online gambling will not diminish our freedoms while enriching criminals is making a losing bet.”

Interestingly enough, on Monday evening, just one day after Ron Paul’s column appeared, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) said an inside source had confirmed that the hearing to discuss RAWA had been stricken from the docket. If true, the federal bill to ban online poker will not be voted upon in the lame duck session.

Real Gaming went live in Nevada in February of 2014, giving the state’s other two online poker sites, Ultimate Poker and WSOP.com, a new rival to contend with. Month after month, Real Gaming attracted only a few players to tables due to its requirement by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to remain in beta testing mode. That changed last month with the regulator’s approval for a full-scale launch of Real Gaming, and the marketing team has been throwing out one promotion after another to drive traffic into the online poker site.

One of the latest additions to the Real Gaming promotional line-up is a Sit & Go Awards campaign. Best of all, it’s not a leaderboard style competition where only a select few win a prize. Every member of the online poker room can reap the rewards, in cold hard cash, just for winning 10, 9-player SNGs in a calendar month. The size of the prize will be based on the buy-in level of the tournaments.

For example, winning 10 of the cheapest SNG’s on the menu, with a buy-in of $1.07, will award $5 in cash at the end of the month. The highest prize of $150 is awarded to all players who win 10 SNG’s with the largest buy-in of $32.10. The following chart depicts all SNG levels and their respective awards.

The rules of the online poker promotion state that all qualifying SNG’s must have a full, single table of 9 players, and must occur between the hours of 2:00pm and 10:00pm daily.

Real Gaming also introduced a High Score of the Hour promotion in which ring game players can earn cash prizes for generating the highest Loyalty Score during specified hours throughout the day. Every single active table can award its own prize, based on the stakes level being played. As such, if there are 30 active cash games, then 30 players could be eligible to win a prize.

To become eligible for a prize, players must earn a minimum Loyalty Score during the qualifying hour of play. Minimum scores are decided by the stakes of the online poker table, with cash prizes scaling from $2 at micro-limit stakes of $0.01/$0.02, up to $30 at $2/$4 stakes. The following chart shows the stakes, minimum Loyalty Score and respective prizes.

The High Score of the Hour promotion takes place four times daily, at 2:00p, 5:00pm, 8:00pm and 11:00pm. Only Loyalty Score (LS) earnings for hands that are dealt and completed during the promotional period will count towards the accumulation of LS (i.e. 2:00:00pm to 2:59:59pm).

In addition, to help spread the word and generate even more online poker traffic, Real Gaming is offering Power Up rewards for players who boast their High Score of the Hour win over social media outlets. If a player wins a High Score of the Hour prize, then visits the Power Up link at the online poker room, they can use the links provided to Tweet their winnings, or ‘Like’ and Comment their win on Real Gaming’s Facebook page. Doing so awards an additional $1 Power Up prize, and there is no limit to the amount of times a player can receive Power Ups.

After two days of grueling final table action, Swedish poker pro Martin Jacobson has emerged victorious from the 2014 World Series of Poker. Jacobson adds $10 million to his live tournament winnings, along with the most coveted prize in the history of the sport, the WSOP Championship bracelet. Although fellow European poker pro Jorryt van Hoof was the favorite coming into the November Nine on Monday, it was Norway’s Felix Stephensen that took on Jacobson in last night’s epic heads-up duel.

When the final table of the 2014 WSOP Main Event reconvened on November 10^th after a four month hiatus, it took 12 hours to whittle the field down to three. First out was American Mark Newhouse (9^th, $730,725), who amazingly finished in the exact same position in last year’s WSOP. Next to hit the rails was Brazilian Bruno Politano (8^th, $947,077), followed by American Dan Sindelar (7^th, $1,235,862), Spaniard Andoni Larrabe (6^th, $1,622,080), and Americans Billy ‘Pappas’ Pappaconstantinou (5^th, $2,143,174) and William Tonking (4^th, $2,848,833).

When the final three returned on Tuesday, Jorryt van Hoof still held a sizable lead, with Martin Jacobson in second and Felix Stephensen trailing. 49 hands into the day (hand #293 of the 2014 WOSP final table), Jacobson, who started yesterday’s action as the second smallest stack, was responsible for the elimination of the November Nines’ majority leader.

Van Hoof opened with 3.6mm from the button, raised 9.2mm by Jacobson. Stephensen folded and the Dutchman hit the tank before shoving his remaining 46.2mm into the pot. Jacobson snap called, tabling As-10c to van Hoof’s Ad-5d. The board played out 10h-5s-2h, keeping the Swede in the lead with the higher pair. Silence overcame the arena as the Qc came on the turn, ultimately changing nothing. Van Hoof would need a 5 to save his tournament life, but a Qs fell instead. Jorryt van Hoof claimed $3,807,753 for the 3^rd place finish, leaving Martin Jacobson (142mm) well ahead of Felix Stephensen (58.5mm) going into heads-up.

Martin played the next 35 hands fabulously, never coming close to giving up the lead in a duel that lasted just over an hour. On what would become the final hand, #328 (the 84^th of the day), Felix bet 3.5mm from the button just before Jacobson announced he was all in with 170mm. Stephensen acquiesced, putting his last 28.3mm into the pot. Jacobson turned over 10h-10d, Stephensen Ah-9h.

Martin was already in the lead and both competitors’ rails were on their feet. From Jacobson’s side, a steady chant of “Ten for Ten!” could be heard, while Felix’s fans called “Ace! Ace! Ace!” The flop favored the Swede, bringing 3s-9c-10c, much to the delight of his rail. After a brief hesitation for the crowd’s sake, the dealer tabled a Kd turn. That left no outs for the Norwegian, who was already drawing dead when the 4c river was dealt.

Stephensen, whose disappointment was still worth a massive $5,147,911, shook hands with Martin Jacobson as the Swede’s friends and family rushed the stage to celebrate his 2014 WSOP Championship and $10 million victory. “This is what I played for, this is all that mattered to me,” Jacobson told reporters as he clutched the prestigious WSOP Championship bracelet. And with that, Martin Jacobson has become the first Swedish poker pro to ever win the World Series of Poker Main Event; the first since 2006 to even make an appearance at the final table.

On July 15, 120 days ago, the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event reached its final table of 9 players. It happened just after midnight when Louis Velador became the unfortunate recipient of $565,193; unfortunate because it meant he was out in 10^th place, one position shy of a final table appearance in the poker world’s most prestigious event. With that, the November Nine was formed, and now, four months later, they are all preparing a return to the felt tonight, Monday, November 10^th.

The conclusion of the 2014 WSOP Main Event begins at 7:30 pm ET in the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio All Suite in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Live” coverage begins on ESPN2 at 8:00pm, imposing a 30-minute delay to preserve the integrity of the game. Thanks to that delay, for the first time in history, viewers will be able to see the hole cards of all players from the start of the hand, rather than when the hand concludes. The November Nine will continue to play until just two competitors remain, then resume with the final heads-up battle Tuesday night, where the eventual winner is guaranteed $10 million.

This year’s WSOP Main Event will feature a bevy of young greenhorns. None of the 2014 November Nines has ever won a WSOP bracelet, and the oldest at the table will be Brazilian Bruno Politano, just 32 years old. Only one player has experience in the November Nine; Mark Newhouse, who came into the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table as the low stack, finishing 9^th to the surprise of no one.

The highest stack belongs to 31 year old Jorryt van Hoof (38,375,000), a Dutch poker pro residing in London who operates his own online poker training website. In second position is 24 year old Felix Stephensen (32,775,000) of Oslo, Norway, a relatively inexperienced poker player who was inspired to join the WSOP Main Event after he and his friend won $60k betting on the World Cup. The third highest stack belongs to 29 year old American poker pro Mark Newhouse (26,000,000), one of the most experienced of the November Nine with a WPT Title and nearly $3 million in live tournament winnings.

The youngest player in the mix at 22, Andoni Larrabe (22,550,000) of Spain holds the fourth highest stack. Coming in fifth is 30 year old Dan Sindelar (21,200,000), another American poker pro who dropped out of college in Nebraska to pursue his career in Las Vegas. Another 30 year old American, Billy Pappaconstantinou (aka ‘Billy Pappa’; 17,500,000) will bring the 6^th highest stack to the table, but is considered the greenest of the bunch, having very little live poker experience, but an extensive championship status in the foosball world.

27 year old Will Tonking (15,050,000) joins the table from New Jersey where he plays online poker professionally. 27 year old British poker pro Martin Jacobson is the second smallest stack, but the most experienced poker player in the field as the only 2014 November Niner with 7-figures in WSOP tournament winnings under his belt. Last but certainly not least is 32 year old Brazilian poker hobbyist Bruno Politano (12,125,000), who is dead last in the chip counts, but expected to rally the most extravagant fan support of any player in the history of the WSOP Main Event Final Table.

When it rains, it pours. There’s a reason that saying became so popular over the centuries, and it couldn’t provide a more appropriate description of the online poker news headlines flooding France at the moment. In the last week alone, Winamax has reclaimed the top spot in the French online poker market, PokerStars has cancelled its intended stop in Paris along the French Poker Series (FPS), and a meeting between players and the state’s internet poker regulator, ARJEL, actually ended on a positive note.

Winamax seizes #1 spot from PokerStars

In what could be the most surprising story of the entire month, Winamax has arrogated the title of #1 French online poker site from PokerStars.fr. The former leader held onto a slight lead for awhile, but a recent dip in activity has dropped PokerStars down to an average of just 900 concurrent players over the last 7 days, while Winamax’s numbers rose to 1,250. The original online poker site of France now maintains a sizable 35% lead over PokerStars in the region.

PokerStars scratches Paris off French Poker Series

The Paris leg of the FPS was set to kick off on November 21^st, 2014 with a series of events leading up to a $1,100 Main Event. Unfortunately for professional poker players all throughout Europe and beyond, legal issues resulted in the closure of the Cercle Cadet, the live poker room where the FPS Paris was slated to take place.

The poker room (among others) was raided by French authorities on October 14^th. With no insight as to when the location will be allowed to reopen, FPS President Cédric Billot said, “it was impossible to find, in such a short time, another trusted partner that would allow us to organize the FPS in Paris and in optimal conditions.”

PokerStars.fr assured live and online poker players who had already qualified via satellites to play in the event that they would receive some form of compensation. “We are really sorry to be forced to cancel this FPS stop,” said a representative of PokerStars.fr, who then alluded to a possible means of recompense when he added, “…we still have some other great events for our players as the ones in Deauville, Namur, Prague, or even the French Championship of Online Poker (FCOOP),” are still scheduled to take place.

Positive Meeting between ARJEL and French Online Poker Players

A long-awaited meeting was held this week that allowed French online poker players to voice their concerns about the ring-fenced market to ARJEL, the state’s regulatory body.  A multitude of issues were discussed, but added to the agenda at the last minute was the collapse of Europoker.fr and the absence of 6-figures worth of player funds. Online poker companies are required to keep segregated accounts, holding all player funds separate from company funds, to ensure that they will be able to fulfill account withdrawals should the company go under. However, when EP MEDIA’s subsidiary, Europoker, went under, only the amounts deposited by players were held in the segregated accounts.

There was no money in the account to cover players who exchanged their bonuses and tournament tickets for cash, nor additional funds to cover the value of bonuses and tournament tickets that had not yet been cashed in. ARJEL assured members of the defunct online poker site that their legal director, Frederick Guerchoun, would be discussing the matter at length with the EP MEDIA’s liquidators.

Like most pastimes, online poker is considered a seasonal activity in some regards. There will always be players on the virtual felt, but the height of their numbers tends to wax and wane with the change of the season. Early spring was a high point for the online poker market in New Jersey, while the approach of summer amputated the rate of participation. Likewise, fall was expected to bring players back into the computer-based gaming realm, and after taking quite bit longer than anticipated, the Garden State is finally reporting a notable growth of 8.7% at the cash game tables.

To what do we owe the imminent return of online poker players? The advent of autumn is now a month past; that clearly wasn’t enough to bring them back. Attractive land-based poker events in nearby state’s, like the Parx Big Stax VIII in Bensalem, Pennsylvania certainly didn’t contribute to a resurgence either. With that series now behind us, though, we can safely attribute the boost in New Jersey online poker traffic to the fresh marketing tactics of the state’s top operators.

One operator in particular really went all out in the month of October. WSOP.com started by enticing new players to make their first deposit (by Friday, Oct 31^st) with a promotional drawing that will award a trip for two to Las Vegas. They also issued an APP leaderboard race, delivering $5k a week in cash prizes for the rest of the month. According to last week’s cash game traffic tracking data, by targeting both new and existing players, WSOP NJ was able to generate the largest increase in traffic, up 14.3% from 112 to 128 players on a 7-day average.

Despite enjoying the most impressive increase in online poker players, WSOP NJ has yet to usurp the role of #1 brand in the Garden State. That title has belonged to the Party Borgata network, operator of Party Poker NJ and Borgata Poker, since the market first went live last November. The state’s leading online poker network experienced a 6% increase in the average number of cash game players over the same time period, with the hosting of a double-value $100k GTD tournament taking most of the credit. However, it should be noted that the traditional $50k GTD hasn’t been drawing enough support to meet its guaranteed prize pool of late, and regardless of the twofold guarantee that drew 512 players – twice that of the prior week’s event – it still fell short. Party Borgata was forced to splash the pool with just over $5,000 to meet the $100k GTD mark.

Although the rise in traffic at 888Poker NJ was comparably negligible, growing 3.3% from 60 to 62, it’s still worth mentioning in this context. 888’s big promotion of the season is a twice daily $1,000 freeroll that new and existing players can earn tickets for, and considering the relatively low level of traffic cash games are drawing to begin with, it presents quite an opportunity for grinders to generate a profit. And that, in turn, is getting palpable results all across the New Jersey online poker market.