PokerStars Casino is one of the latest online casinos to join what is already a densely populated New Jersey market. The PokerStars Casino bases its platform on the same PokerStars 7 software found abroad, and like its international counterpart, PokerStars’ software is second to none.
Players will like that software and the creative bonuses and promotions available at the PokerStars NJ online casino. The one area where the casino lacks a bit compared to the competition: game variety and special games such as live dealer blackjack.
New signups at PokerStars Casino in New Jersey will receive $30 in free play when you deposit $20 as a first-time depositor.
Unfortunately, PokerStars Casino does not offer a no deposit bonus to New Jersey players at this time.
Online Casino | PokerStars NJ Online Casino |
---|---|
Promo Code | FREE30 |
Bonus Offer | $30 in free play when you deposit $20 |
Last Updated | January 2021 |
Unfortunately, the casino arm of PokerStars NJ does not abide by the same tiered loyalty system as the poker room. Thus, players who frequent the casino will receive the same amount of cash back, regardless of volume.
PokerStars Casino awards the virtual currency StarsCoin for play, with the amount determined by the RTP of the game played.
For slots, players receive one StarsCoin for every $5-$11 played. Considering each StarsCoin is worth $0.01, that works out to a cashback deal between .09%-0.2%.
The rates on most table games, especially blackjack, are significantly lower – ranging from .05% on the high side to 0.007% on the lower end.
StarsCoin can be redeemed for a variety of items, including $10, $25 and $100 cash rebates, online poker tournament tickets ($1 – $500), security items, PokerStars-branded gear, and PokerStars accessories.
The PokerStars Casino bases its platform on the same PokerStars 7 software found abroad, and like its international counterpart, PokerStars’ software is second to none.
Nowhere will NJ players find access to more account management and other quality of life features. As for the interface, it is beautifully organized, aesthetically appealing and incredibly responsive.
It will, however, be some time before the NJ team irons out all the bugs. For now, the most pressing issue is that the downloadable client will crash if pressed too hard. We also experienced a few instances where table games failed to load properly
The PokerStars Casino client comes in two flavors:
As is the case with the desktop client, the mobile casino integrates with PokerStars’ online poker application. The app is available for both Android and iOS-powered devices.
To say that the application is remarkable wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. The only real issue is that the casino game library is lacking.
Currently, the app features just 14 slots, five blackjack variants, and European roulette. Relative to other NJ online casino sites, that’s pretty terrible, but not so bad for a site that only features less than 50 total games on its desktop software.
There is no shortage of account management features. Everything from the cashier to player settings and access to the VIP Store is neatly tucked away in a drop-down menu. In fact, there aren’t many quality of life feature that didn’t get ported over to mobile.
But the mobile casino app truly shines when playing, as not only are the graphics exceedingly sharp, but the overall game interface and performance are stellar; light years ahead of what’s found on competing mobile applications, most of which are burdened by slow loading times and freezes.
Suffice it to say that once the game library expands, and we’re hoping it does at a much faster clip, there will be PokerStars Casino and the rest.
The game selection on PokerStars Casino is currently rather small. However, the games included in the package are mostly fan favorites and should suffice until PokerStars expands its library – which by the looks of its international casino, seems to be only a matter of time.
The burgeoning casino currently consists of 35 slots games, an impressive 8 blackjack variants, two roulette games and Heads-up Hold’em.
Blackjack aficionados will have absolutely no trouble finding a game that suits their playing preferences, as PokerStars casino offers a staggering eight different alternatives of the casino favorite.
Stakes for Classic Blackjack start at $0.10. For the stakes, the rules are quite favorable, paying 3:2 on blackjack and 3:1 on 7-7-7. You are allowed splits up to three times per hand.
On the negative side, there is no surrender option and the dealer hits on soft 17.
Moving up the ladder, Premium Atlantic City Blackjack hands deal from a four-deck shoe, pay 3:2 on all blackjack and the dealer stands on all 17’s. Surrender is allowed in this game, and players can split once per hand. Stakes start at $5.
Perfect Pairs introduces “carnival” aspects into the game. The Perfect Pairs side bet pays out when players are dealt a pair, with same colored and identical pairs paying out more than mixed pairs. The 21+3 bet pays out hands of three cards or more that take the shape of strong poker hands such as a flush or straight.
When playing European Blackjack, Premium Deck Blackjack and Double Deck Blackjack, the dealer will not draw a hole card until after the player has acted. As a result, any splits or double down bets are scooped should the dealer reveal a blackjack.
This rule variant is significant enough to warrant a change to basic strategy.
Classic Blackjack, Perfect Pairs and Premium Blackjack are also available for multiplayer play, with up to five players per table.
PokerStars Casino offers two versions of roulette: Double Ball Roulette and European Roulette.
As the name firmly implies, Double Ball Roulette features two balls. In order to win outside bets such as Even/Odd and Black/Red both balls must qualify. To account for this added difficulty the payouts for winning outside bets are augmented significantly.
On the flip side, because inside bets are twice as likely to hit, they only pay out 17:1 as opposed to the normal 35:1. However, on the somewhat rare occasion that both balls land on the same number, the payout is 35:1.
Also worth noting is that both European Roulette and Double Ball Roulette only feature one zero.
There are both single and multi-player version of the games, and stakes range from $0.10 – $100.
The only other game on PokerStars Casino is Heads-Up Hold’em.
Heads-Up Hold’em resembles traditional hold’em in that both the dealer and the player are dealt two hole cards. Then a flop is dealt, followed by a turn and river (the last two community cards are dealt simultaneously). There are three betting rounds, although players have the option to check on the first two rounds and fold on the last.
Should the hand go to showdown, the player must beat the dealer’s hand in order to win. If the dealer qualifies with a pair or better and the player still wins, then the player will win both the Ante and the Raise bet. There is also a mandatory Odds bet that pays on straights or better and pushes on all other wins.
Finally, players can place two additional side bets – one that pays out on trips or better and another that pays based on the strength of a player’s starting hand.
All slots on PokerStars Casino are multi-line penny slots. There’s only 35 titles available at present, but at least some of the industry’s more popular games are represented
There are currently no progressives slots available.
Popular slots include Guns N’ Roses, StarBurst, Chili Gold and Flowers. Games are provided by NYX Gaming’s proprietary games studio, NextGen.
Video poker games are finally available on PokerStars Casino. Five single line variants have launched on the site:
PokerStars offers a fairly balanced array of depositing and withdrawal options, although players might find the deposit limits a bit too restrictive for their liking.
Deposit methods are subject to a $10 minimum and include:
Withdrawals are first processed back to the methods used to deposit, if eligible. Any winnings can be withdrawn via a method of the player’s choice.
Players who wish to contact customer support by phone can request a callback via the Open Contact Support Form (found in the platform’s “Support” tab) and selecting the “Request a Callback” category. Phone support is available from the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
For callback requests received outside these hours, the request will be responded to by email.
Support response times are generally on the speedy side. However, complicated inquiries will typically have to be escalated to the proper department. When this occurs, wait times and response quality tend to vary widely.
For the answers to common questions, players navigate to Help -> Information -> Frequently Asked Questions from the PokerStars NJ platform.
Bet with your head, not over it. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem. View our advertising disclosure here.