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PokerStars USA Adds Zoom Games for MI and NJ

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

On the first day of January, PokerStars made history in the new United States online poker regime. It became the first state-regulated operator to connect Michigan and New Jersey players.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board signed the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in May 2022, alongside New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. PokerStars only operates in Michigan and New Jersey, though, but it wanted to connect its sites. It became the first to do so on January 1, 2023. And nearly one month later, it remains the only poker operator to have completed the task.

If that wasn’t enough, PokerStars USA upped the ante.

Zoom Cash Games

After just three weeks of running the combined New Jersey-Michigan player pool, PokerStars already had more to do. It wanted to offer Zoom cash games for the players.

At this point, Zoom Poker for cash game players is running for a limited time. However, depending upon its popularity, it could become a staple. This remains to be determined. But it did launch on the evening of January 23, and players have been competing at buy-in levels of between $2 and $200.

What is Zoom?

That’s fairly simple, as online poker players will be familiar with fast-fold poker. Nearly every poker site offers some type of fast-fold poker. It allows for poker players’ busy schedules, and it helps them play more hands in a shorter period of time.

A player can sit in to a Zoom cash game with as much money as they’d like (between $2 and $200), depending on the stakes they choose. They then take a seat at a table, where they receive a hand. When that hand finishes – even if the player simply folds preflop – Zoom pushes that player on to a new table where the virtual dealer will deal a new hand.

Even better, players can hit the “fast fold” button to fold before it is even their turn to act. Normally against the rules, the player can move on quickly, though the other players at the table don’t see the fold until the right moment.

This allows players to play consistently and not have to wait for slow players, those who sit out or experience a disconnection, or simply playing at an unpleasant or unsatisfactory table. Fold and move quickly to a new table.

Finishing PSPC Online

After the NJ-MI launch but before Zoom, PokerStars USA announced the first series since the site linkage. It was the PSPC Online, PSPC representing the PokerStars Players Championship. The global arm of PokerStars was preparing to kick off the PCA (PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas in mid-January, and it was the perfect time to launch an online miniature version of it for US players.

The entire PSPC Online started on January 13 and will wrap on January 30.

The Michigan-New Jersey PSPC Online offered 85 tournaments and $2.5M in guarantees. And not to leave Pennsylvania players out of the mix, PokerStars USA hosted a PA series as well, with 72 tournaments and $1.5M guaranteed across those prize pools.

PokerStars US Managing Director Severin Rasset noted that it was the largest online poker series in the new United States market to date. Further, it was only the first of more to come for US players in 2023.

 

 

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