888, WSOP to Share Liquidity in New Jersey
Monday will be a big day for online poker players in New Jersey. To start the work week, WSOP’s and 888 Poker‘s player pools will be partially merged in a move that will increase liquidity in the East Coast state.
David Licht, CEO of the All American Poker Network, commented in the AP article, “Shared liquidity will help create a better player experience that we hope will attract a diversity of players and begin to bring poker to a broader audience once again.”
In case you’re wondering how the merged player pools will affect the experience besides increased liquidity in certain games, the AP outlined, “Caesars Interactive Entertainment says the move will increase prize guarantees for tournaments and lead to a greater number of players available for cash games. The sites will begin sharing $130,000 in guaranteed tournaments each week. Each site will continue to maintain its individual reward and VIP programs.”
According to PokerScout, WSOP has a seven-day running average of 100 real money ring game players with a 24-hour peak of 187, while 888 has a seven-day running average of 90 cash game players with a 24-hour peak of 160. Therefore, the merged network could approach a seven-day average of 200 cash game players, although there is likely overlap between the player pools.
Unclear is what percent of the sites’ games will be shared. A WSOP representative told Online Poker Reportthat, starting Monday, low-limit cash games and select tournaments will be shared, but not every game on each site.
Meanwhile, Borgata Pokerand PartyPoker, which make up the largest network in New Jersey, have a seven-day running average of 160 cash game players with a 24-hour peak of 279.
In PocketFives’ New Jersey pokercommunity, players were buzzing about the news. As one person put it, “This is probably necessary to prep for… shared liquidity with other states if/when government ever makes that happen.” An 888-branded site launching in Nevada, coupled with WSOP already live in that state, could result in an interstate online poker network if and when laws permit it. Right now, only Delaware and Nevada have entered into a compact, while New Jersey has reportedly been in talks with Nevada and the UK.
If you’re in New Jersey, sign up for 888 here to get a jump-start on Monday’s combination. We’ll keep you posted on the latest.
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