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Right from the get, there were several variables working against the NJSCOOP:
Yet, through 14 of the tournament series’ 70 events, the NJSCOOP has shown little sign of cracking under the pressure.
The $1.2 million guaranteed series, which kicked off on May 6 and runs through May 22, is currently on tap to award more prize money than any tournament extravaganza in regulated NJ online poker history.
Thus far, the NJSCOOP is defying expectations, but it’s not been completely smooth sailing.
Also worth noting, is that cash game liquidity on PokerStars is on the rise, although this appears to be more a byproduct of the site’s cleverly timed 100 percent up to $500 reload bonus, than the onset of NJSCOOP.
Although not as lucrative as the site’s first-time deposit match, the reload offer does offer players an additional 27 percent rakeback — which is well above par for industry standards.
PokerStars now holds a minimal lead over WSOP/888 on the cash game front. The duo have swapped leads a nearly innumerable amount of times since PokerStars launched its NJ operation in March 2016.
The NJSCOOP is currently in the midst of what I would characterize as the conservative part of the series’ schedule. This tendency toward caution on the part of PokerStars will continue throughout the next week, as there isn’t a single event through May 15 that guarantees more than $65,000.
It’s at that juncture that the big hitters roll out:
The last time PokerStars hosted an event on scale with the Main was during October’s NJCOOP. That event fell just one buy-in short of meeting its guarantee, although the state’s online poker playing climate was more hospitable compared to now.
Also worth keeping track of are the performance of alternative format events. Typically, these are far more prone to overlays.
Should PokerStars NJ prove able to cover the guarantees for mixed game and other alt events, many of which take place in the next week, it’ll go a long way toward defining the second annual NJSCOOP as a success.