Borgata Online Poker NJ: Bonus & Review

Borgata online poker room operates in New Jersey via a partnership with bwin.party. Borgata Poker uses the same software as partypoker NJ, but the two sites share players offer some unique promotions and rewards.

Borgata is licensed and regulated by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement.

BorgataPoker short-term promotions

– Millions (May 27 – June 23): fight your way through daily qualifiers or super satellites to get a free ticket for the $5 Million Guaranteed PartyPoker Millions tournament at Aria.

Borgata Online Poker Fact Sheet

Borgata Software

Borgata uses the same software platform as partypoker NJ. Players can access the Borgata’s online poker room in the following ways:

• Downloadable client: Primary client offers the most games and features for New Jersey online poker players.
• Browser-based client: Java-based client offers access to same game lineup but lacks some peripheral features. Chrome no longer supports Java plug-ins, so players are best off accessing this version of the client via Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer.
• Mobile: Borgata launched a mobile version of their New Jersey software in early 2014. The mobile version of the software is available for iPad and iPhone. An Android version is also available.

Network partners

The Borgata shares its player pool with partypoker NJ. That means players at one site see the same games and opponents as someone at the other – only the branding, promotions and a handful of tournaments offered to players differ.

Games available

Currently Borgata Poker offers cash games, sngs and multi-table tournament play. You can choose from NLHE, Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, PLO, and Omaha Hi-Lo at Borgata online.

Play at BorgataPoker.com.

Player Incentives at Borgata Online

Deposit Bonus 100% up to $600

What you get

• Borgata Poker offers new players at the site a 100% match bonus of the first deposit up to $600.
• The clear rate of the BorgataPoker.com opening bonus in New Jersey is equivalent to a 50% cashback/rakeback deal.
• The Borgata’s opening bonus expires 45 days after the first deposit.
• Bonus Money is released in 10% increments (a deposit $20 is cleared in $2 increments, while a deposit of $600 clears in $60 increments).

The lowdown

With a ceiling of $600, BorgataPoker.com’s opening bonus ranks right around average relative to other opening bonuses in New Jersey. However, the quick clear rate of 50% ranks near the top.

Another nice aspect of the Borgata’s opening bonus is that it clears in increments based on the amount deposited (in 10% chunks), making it the most individualized bonus in New Jersey. This is virtually offset by the most negative aspect of the welcome bonus, which is the brief 45 day expiration period.

To clear the full $600 from Borgata Poker in New Jersey you’ll need to accrue 2,400 iRP’s, a number that amounts to contributing $1,200 in rake at the site in a month and a half. Most casual players will likely find that number unattainable, but any low-to-mid stakes grinder should have little trouble clearing the full bonus before it expires.

Free $20 signup bonus

BorgataPoker.com is gifting players who register for its poker room with $20 in free cash and bonuses.

Terms

• No deposit required. New registrants must be able to successfully create a verifiable real-money account on BorgataPoker.com in order to be eligible for the bonus.
• $10 of the bonus is released as cash, the other $10 is credited as a poker bonus – difference being that players will only need to earn 1 iRP in order to withdraw the cash portion of the bonus, while the poker bonus will not be earned out until 40 iRPs are accumulated. 40 iRPs is the equivalent of $20 in rake and tournament fees.
• Only one $20 bonus is permitted per new account.

The lowdown

A $20 sign up bonus, with $10 of that received as cash is among the better “no deposit required” registration bonuses in New Jersey. Granted, asking players to run up 40 iRP on a $20 bankroll may be a bit much for most casual types, but it does provide them with a smidgen of extra incentive for loading up their accounts.

Borgata’s signup bonus is released at a 50 percent cashback rate, which is on par with its welcome bonus rate.

Current Promotions

• The Grind: Earn as little as 100 iRPs per month to reap the rewards of Borgata Poker’s tiered rewards promo. Top grinders who generate $25,000 or more in rake and entry fees per calendar month will receive a total of $4,500 in cash and prizes – that’s the equivalent of an 18% cashback deal.
• Tournament Leader Board: Play and perform well in qualifying tournaments and watch yourself shoot up the tournament leaderboard rankings. Each and every month, BorgataPoker.com is awarding a combination of tournament dollars, tournament entries (both land-based and online), and cash to the 30 players who consistently prove their mettle in the MTT arena. Total promotional value equals $7,800.

VIP Rewards Program at Borgata Online

What you get

• Borgata’s VIP scheme is worth anywhere from 1% to 15% cashback depending on the level you have attained and the method you use to exchange your points.
• Players can convert their points into cash, bonuses, comp points at the Borgata, or exchange them for merchandise or tournament tickets.

The lowdown

Borgata’s online VIP scheme is called iRewards, and is a tiered VIP scheme where the more you play the higher your rewards level. To increase your rank in the program you will have to reach monthly thresholds (or a quarterly threshold for Black Label Plus).

Here is a look at the five different levels of the iRewards Program and what it will take to achieve each rank:

• Red Label: 0 iRp’s (every player begins at this level)
• Red Label Plus: 150 iRP’s each month
• Silver Label: 650 iRP’s each month
• Black Label: 2,500 iRP’s each month
• Black Label Plus: 15,000 iRP’s in a quarter (three month period)

You will earn 2 iRP’s from BorgataPoker.com for every $1 you contribute to the rake.

Unlike some programs, each level in the iRewards scheme seems fairly attainable. Consider that it only takes $1,250 in contributed rake to maintain Black Label status; a number that equates to roughly 1,000 to 5,000 hands per month depending on the stakes and formats you play.

Of all the VIP programs out there, iRewards one of the largest selection of redemption options (only PokerStars NJ offers more), letting players convert their points into tournament entries, prize-packages, or merchandise in the iRewards online store. In addition to turning their iRPs into tournament tickets, buying packages at the Borgata or purchasing merchandise, Borgata offers three ways for players to turn their comp points into cash.

You can convert comp points to:

• Comp Dollars usable at the Borgata Hotel
• Cash
• A bonus

Here is a look at the cashback conversion rates for those three option at each level in the iRewards program:

Red Label Conversions

• Borgata Comp $ = 10% cashback
• Bonus Dollars = 2% cashback*
• Cash = 1% cashback

Red Label Plus Conversions

• Borgata Comp $ = 11% cashback
• Bonus Dollars = 4% cashback*
• Cash = 2% cashback

Silver Label Conversions

• Borgata Comp $ = 13% cashback
• Bonus Dollars = 8% cashback*
• Cash = 3.2% cashback

Black Label Conversions

• Borgata Comp $ = 14% cashback
• Bonus Dollars = 11% cashback*
• Cash = 4% cashback

Black Label Elite Conversions (Quarterly Tier)

• Borgata Comp $ = 15% cashback
• Bonus Dollars = 15% cashback*
• Cash = 5.3% cashback

*Keep in mind you’ll need to clear the bonus so this return is not absolute

For complete details on the VIP program and current promotions, visit BorgataPoker.com.

Cashiering at Borgata Online

With the addition of 7-Eleven PayWith Cash and a prepaid card option, the Borgata cashier now ranks among the best in the industry, paralleled only by sister site PartyPoker and PokerStars NJ in the areas of flexibility and ease of use.

Deposit methods:

• Instant e-checks
• Visa/MasterCard credit/debit
• Online Banking Transfers
• Borgata PrePaid Card
• Neteller
• Skrill
• 7-Eleven PayWithCash
• Cash at the Borgata casino cage

Instant e-checks are still one of the fastest and most efficient ways of transferring funds onto your Borgata online account.

But if you don’t have a checking account then one of Borgata’s second-tier deposit methods – namely Neteller, Skrill or the pre-paid option – are probably your best bets.

Visa and MasterCard transactions are also an option, although attempts to load via credit and debit cards are often met with rejection. This has more to do with the issuing bank’s antiquated gaming policies than it does with Borgata.

Of course if you live near the casino, there’s no faster way to get your funds online than to load them directly at the cage. 7-Eleven PayWithCash is also a serviceable option for players who prefer person-to-person transactions, and don’t live near Atlantic City.

Withdrawal methods:

• Instant e-checks – transfers to your bank account three to seven business days after processing
• Borgata PrePaid Card – once processed, withdrawals will hit your pre-paid account in about two to six hours
• Checks by mail – delivered to your mailbox in five to seven days, on average
• Neteller – funds are cleared in three business days or less
• Skrill – low fees and quick turnaround times (2-3 days) render Skrill the third-party payment method of choice
• Cash at the cage  – this person-to-person exchange usually takes a maximum of 20 minutes

Borgata’s withdrawal times are by no means the fastest, but what they lack in speediness they make up for in consistency. You can also add “convenience” to that list, as unlike WSOP.com and 888, you won’t need to upload copies of your personal documents before making a withdrawal from Borgata’s online poker room.

Past reviews of Borgata Poker

Review from February 2015

Traffic: Borgata now shares lead with WSOP

The partial merger of WSOP and 888 brought those sites into the front of the pack in New Jersey in terms of cash game traffic.

But that traffic surge didn’t come at the expense of the Borgata, which still retains a healthy cash game lobby and what remains the largest overall tournament lobby in New Jersey.

Here’s a snapshot of the activity you’ll find at Borgata’s online poker room:

• Cash games: Several dozen ring games during peak weekday hours, concentrated primarily in the NLHE 6-Max games with stakes ranging from $.01 / $.02 – $5 / $10. Some full ring NLHE tables at lower stakes. PLO cash games are available, but less frequent than on WSOP.Not much traffic for other variants.
• SNG: Sit and Go traffic at Borgata is generally around the 10-20 active SNG level at peak traffic times. Like cash games, the majority of SNGs are lower-stakes NLHE.
• MTT: The Party / Borgata network maintains the lead in the multi-table tournament lobby, with the largest fields and biggest guarantees, making the room a must-try for poker tournament players.

Grade: C+ (C+) (last review grade in parenthesis)

Value/promotions: Borgata offering less than in past

Much like partner PartyPoker, the Borgata’s promotions appear to be transitioning away from poker and toward casino.

This comes as a great surprise, as the majority of poker players on the Party NJ network prefer playing on Borgata. One imagines that the site would want to do something to retain its recreational player base.

Nope.

Instead, the Borgata’s poker promotional page is a near barren wasteland, consisting of one recurrent rakeback promo and an Ultimate Entertainment Package promo that benefits exactly four players per month.

Two promotional offers stand out at Borgata:

• Both Borgata and Party offer frequent Spot Bonuses (match bonuses on deposits ranging from 50 – 100% up to $100).
• Borgata’s The Grind promo allows the highest volume players to earn an additional 18% in rakeback, although realistically it’s difficult to earn anything above 12%.

A few notes on rakeback at Borgata:

• Black Label Elite – Borgata’s top VIP tier – lets players exchange rewards points for cash bonuses at a rate of $.15 per $1 of rake / fees.
• Factor in The Grind promo and even players who hit a relatively modest 2,000 iRPs monthly will book 11% extra rakeback.

Grade: C (B)

Software: old issues remain, new ones emerge

Since September’s major software update, there’s been little in the way of positive news for the Party / Borgata software platform.

MFC errors continue to plague the site, and reportedly impacted several players during the recent GSSS II. The problems seem worst during:

• High-traffic periods like the GSSS.
• When players are playing more than four tables.

Beyond that pressing matter, players also have to contend with myriad bugs and a lack of features that would befuddle anyone used to a standard online poker platform from the international market.

The addition of tournament support to the mobile client is a bright spot on the software front.

Grade: D- (D)

Customer service issues persist

I’ve written at length about the structural deficiencies in the Party / Borgata approach to support. In short:

• Response times are far too long.
• Response quality is far too low.
• Resolutions to common problems appear inconsistent and are often plagued by poor communication.

Grade: D+ (D-)

Overall: Too many outstanding flaws, not enough improvement

It would be one thing if the customer service and platform issues at Borgata were balanced by promotional value, traffic or other positive features.

But that’s not the picture that’s emerging for Borgata poker in New Jersey.

Grade: C- (C)

Review from November 2014

Traffic: Borgata remains the NJ leader

The Borgata / Party NJ network currently controls a 43.6% cash game market share, a 2.6% improvement over July. But in terms of overall traffic, activity at the network has dropped dramatically since then.

Here’s a snapshot of the traffic levels for various games and formats at Borgata:

• Cash games: During peak weekday hours, players can expect to find anywhere between 40 – 50 ring games running, the vast majority of which are NLHE 6-Max games with stakes ranging from $.01 / $.02 – $5 / $10. PLO cash games run with less frequency than they do on WSOP.com, and O8, Fixed Limit and 7-Stud games are virtually nonexistent.
• SNG: Players will find an average of 15 active SNGs at peak times, with the majority running at lower-stakes NLHE.
• MTT: BOrgata’s schedule remains one of the most active in NJ, but it’s starting to thin out as participation dies down. Overlays are becoming a more regular occurrence. NLHE dominates the standing tournament schedule.

Grade: C+ (B-) (last review grade in parenthesis)

Value/promotions: Borgata delivers for poker

Borgata has settled into a habitual rhythm of offering exclusive freerolls and increased rakeback opportunities. Network partner Party has tilted their promotional efforts more toward the casino side of things.

From a strategic standpoint, the network’s approach makes sense, as BorgataPoker.com has always been the preferred choice of the Garden State’s poker community.

But that doesn’t negate the fact that unless you’re a new player or simply have to have New Jersey Devils tickets, there is little good reason to preference nj.partypoker.com over Borgata Poker.

A few notes on rakeback at Borgata:

• Upon reaching Black Label Elite – Borgata’s highest loyalty tier – players can exchange their rewards points for cash bonuses at a rate of $.15 per $1 contributed in rake and entry fees. That falls way short of industry standards.
• However, after factoring the additional rakeback generated by the site’s The Grind promo, even players who earn a relatively modest 2,000 iRPs a month will be entitled to 11% extra rakeback.

On a somewhat brighter note, the industry’s falling traffic margins have had a noticeably positive effect on MTT value.

Back in February, tournament overlays on Party / Borgata were nonexistent. By June, they were sporadic. And now they’re utterly abundant – not quite Ultimate Poker (R.I.P) ala March abundant, but certainty enough that players with a keen eye for value have taken notice.

Grade: Party C (B), Borgata B (B-)

Software: Long standing issues yet to be addressed

A major, feature rich software update in September raised hopes for continued improvement in the Party / Borgata poker platform.

But a subsequent server crash that resulted in the mid-game cancellation of GSSS Main Event undermined that positive momentum. And, in the wake of those issues, disconnects and geo-location failures have become more common – at least anecdotally.

Other basic issues such as …

• Slow loading times.
• Friends lists.
• Notification bugs.
• Cash game wait lists.

… have yet to be addressed.

And Borgata / Party’s mobile apps still aren’t MTT ready.

Grade: D (C)

Customer Service: GSSS fiasco resolution lone bright spot

Following the GSSS server crash, Borgata / Party offered a thorough explanation and an apology for the problems.

That was an outlier – otherwise, Party / Borgata’s customer service department is as miserable as its ever been.

Throughout my stint as MTGSUSA PocketFives Player Panel moderator, I asked the panel to report on their dealings with customer service.

They unanimously confirmed that getting a satisfactory answer out of a CS agent was an effort in futility.

Not only do the network’s representatives have little understanding of the game (one panelist mentioned that he had to explain to an agent what a “big blind” was), but they’re often unaware of recent policy changes.

Players I’ve spoken to indicate that email queries are rarely addressed. And the outcome when they are is usually unsatisfactory.

Grade: D- (D-)

Overall: Too many outstanding flaws, not enough improvement

Save the handful of bright spots mentioned above, you could argue that Borgata / Party actually moved backwards, not forwards, in the first year of regulated online poker in New Jersey.

The upshot: Borgata / Party is a network in pressing need of a series of major software upgrades and a complete overhaul to its customer service approach.

Grade: C (C+)