For the first time in nearly five years, players in the United States will be able to play on PokerStars for real money beginning Wednesday, March 16 – but only those who are actually in New Jersey.

With the official launch of PokerStars’ New Jersey product set for March 21, the online poker giant has decided to “soft-launch” on March 16. Soft launches are required under New Jersey gaming regulations to allow the operator and regulators to review and correct any potential issues.

The soft-launch announcement comes five months after PokerStars’ parent company, Amaya Gaming, announced they had received approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to bring their online gaming products, poker and casino, to the Garden State in a partnership with land-based Resorts Casino.

The site will have limited operating hours during the first three days before moving to an around-the-clock product on March 19. There is also a cap of 500 active players at any given time.

Soft Launch Hours

• · March 16 & 17: 4 pm – Midnight
• · March 18: 8 am – Midnight
• · March 19 & 20: 24 hours

Players can create a new account if they wish, however PokerStars has created a Quick Account Creation process for those who had a previous account that includes exclusive benefits. Beginning March 16, players can download the PokerStars NJ software and login using their previous User ID and password. Those that do will be credited with their previous VIP status and be able to convert Frequent Player Points into StarsCoin immediately at a rate of 1.6 FPP per StarsCoin.

Players who complete the Quick Account Creation process will have their previous account closed. For those wishing to continue playing on their PokerStars account outside of the U.S., they’ll need to create an entirely new account and will not be credited with any previous VIP status levels.

For further information on the return of PokerStars visit thePokerStars NJ FAQ.