Note: the above traffic info includes PartyPoker as Borgata has a shared liquidity agreement with Party.
Borgata Online Poker debuted in New Jersey in 2013 along with its online casino and joined the partypoker US Network, sharing liquidity and traffic with the BetMGM and partypoker NJ sites.
Borgata Poker was also expected to launch in Michigan during the spring of 2021. Players in PA would then have a second online poker option., which would also be the third state for the partypoker US Network.
In New Jersey, Borgata Poker leads the state with its tournaments but lags behind the 888/WSOP NJ and PokerStars NJ networks in terms of cash game action.
The site offers competitive bonuses for players on their initial sign-up and first deposit with unique release requirements. The software is easy to load, with options to play on PC, Mac and mobile devices with a simple process to create an account.
Borgata has the basic slate of cash games with few unique offerings, and it has a fast-fold variant to pump up the action. The site shines when players look at the tournament schedule, which offers multiple daily tournaments featuring guaranteed prize pools plus the top Sunday major in the state.
Players don’t even need to be a New Jersey resident to play on the site. Borgata is available to anyone 21 or older within the state lines and a great option for those visiting New Jersey or the shore for vacation.
Players in Pennsylvania will receive similar game offerings and promotions now that the site is live in the state. The second online poker option is excellent for players in that market.
Every poker site offers a sign up bonus of some sort, and Borgata is no different.
The 100% up to $1,000 welcome bonus is about average for online poker sites in NJ and PA, not the biggest but definitely not the smallest, with a quick and easy way to earn the bonus.
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Borgata Poker deposit bonus
Borgata’s 100% bonus is capped at $1,000 with a unique way to clear the bonus.
The deposit bonus will be placed into your account 10% at a time with playthrough requirements based on the amount to be paid out. The bonus is split into 10 equal portions paid out as the player reaches the iRP goals required by the site.
For example, should you start with a $100 bonus, it is released in ten $10 parts for every 14 iRPs earned (14 x $10 = 140). To reach 140 iRPs, players will need to contribute $25 in rake or tournament fees.
The bonus is on a countdown clock, however, players have 120 days to release the full bonus amount; anything remaining after that time will no longer be available.
This bonus is among the best in New Jersey, and the 10% release allows casual players a chance to earn a lot of extra money even if they don’t make it through the entire amount.
Borgata Poker Bonus No. 2
Players also will receive up to $75 in tournaments tickets as part of the welcome bonus.
If you deposit $1,000 or more you’ll get $75 in tournament tickets. If you deposit between $500 and $999 you’ll get $50 in tournament tickets. And if you deposit $499 or less you will get $25 in tournament tickets.
Additionally, be aware that your Borgata tourney tickets expire 14 days after you receive them.
How to sign up on Borgata Online Poker
In order to collect those bonuses, you’ll need to sign up on the site, which is easy to do for players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There are a handful of steps to take to create an account, and you can do this on Borgata’s website or straight from the client itself.
- Step 1: Enter a valid email address for the account then pick a username and password. The username must be between five and 15 characters, must start with a letter, and may contain numbers and special characters. The password must be between eight and 20 characters and must include a number but no special characters.
- Step 2: Enter first name, last name, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and birthdate.
- Step 3: Enter the first line of your address and your mobile phone number. After those entries, there are three checkboxes to complete the process. The first is to attest that you are 21 or older. The second is to acknowledge that all the information entered is correct and you are not a key casino employee prohibited from wagering. The third checkbox is to confirm that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions for access to the site.
Complete those steps and click on “create my account” to finish the process. From this point, you can log in to the Borgata Online Poker client to use the cashier to fund your account and get underway.
Borgata Poker app
Using Borgata from your PC or laptop is nice, but sometimes a player wants some action while not tied down to a desk. For those times, the site has mobile versions of its application for both Android and iOS platforms. For either option, you can download the application from the Borgata Online Poker website and installed directly on your mobile device.
Log in and you can be sitting at a table in no time from anywhere within New Jersey.
Borgata Poker online features and software
You can access Borgata via your desktop by downloading the client. Once the download is complete, run the install program and players can log into the poker application.
From there the cashier button is one click away, along with the bonuses plus all the cash games and tournaments.
Borgata online poker games
The site has the standard lineup of games available, including cash tables, a fast-fold variant, sit and gos, and tournaments.
The cash games are on the vanilla side with no exotic games or lineups to be found. There are variations on stakes along with some hi-lo versions and a fast-fold version but nothing to really excite. Sit and gos run with the same lineup as cash games with varying buy-ins and number of players per game.
The multi-table tournaments are where the site stands apart from the rest of the New Jersey options, with the best lineups available. Tournament players in Pennsylvania should also be in luck when the site launches soon.
Borgata cash games
While the cash games are pretty basic, they include all the standard games and lineups that most people are looking to play.
No limit hold ’em is the most popular cash game on the site, with nine-handed, six-handed and heads-up tables available. Stakes range from 1 cent/2 cents to $25/$50. The less popular but old school limit hold ’em also runs with limits from 2 cents/4 cents to some big-time $30/$60 limit action.
Borgata runs two non-hold ’em cash games: Omaha and seven card stud. Pot limit Omaha is the only four-card variant, both hi-lo and hi-only variants, with stakes from 1 cent/2 cents through $25/$50, and Borgata also has full ring, six-handed and heads-up options.
Seven card stud is the only non-flop game on the site with hi-lo and hi-only versions available. The limits on the big bet game go from 2 cents/4 cents up to $5/$10.
A patch from March 2019 stated that short-deck poker, a new variant played with 36 cards instead of the standard 52, would be available with the update, but we were unable to find any of these games in the lobby.
Cash game activity averages peak at approximately 180 players for about one-third of cash game activity in the state. No limit hold ’em 50 cent/$1 and $1/$2 six-handed tables are the most popular on the site, with pot limit Omaha second and seven card stud cash games hard to find.
Overall, not many players are going to Borgata for a cash game grind. The player base is likely made up of casual players coming from the casino side or tournament players multi-tabling. That suggests the games might be softer than elsewhere and a hidden gem.
Fastforward poker
Fast-fold poker was introduced to online poker a few years ago and made popular by players who like a lot of action. The Borgata variation is similar to the rest of the world, and the mechanics are the same.
All fastforward poker participants are pooled together and compete against one another. You are dealt a hand and decide whether to play it or fold it. If you fold, you are shipped to a new table lineup and new position. The next hand is dealt, and the process is repeated over and over.
It keeps the action pumped up at a fast pace, and it is very popular online poker game. Borgata Online Poker offers fastforward at 5 cent/10 cent and 25 cent/50 cent stakes, but games are rare outside of peak weekend hours.
Fastforward is a fun, action-packed version of a cash game, but the site suffers from its lack of regular cash game grinders.
Sit and gos (SNG)
Sit and gos have been around as long as online poker, and they are a shorter version of multi-table tournaments. Players put down their buy-in, start the tournament once all seats are full and continue until one player remains.
SNGs are available in no limit hold ’em, pot limit Omaha and seven card stud games with buy-ins listed from 10 cents up to $500. There are nine-handed, six-handed and heads-up SNGs with standard and turbo structures.
When big tournaments are on the schedule, Borgata also offers SNG satellite tournaments into the bigger game, usually “winner takes all” to get the seat.
The site also runs a sit and go leaderboard that pays out prizes based on performance. The high leaderboard ($10 buy-ins up to $500 buy-ins) splits $1,500 among the most successful players, and the low leaderboard ($1 buy-ins up to $5 buy-ins) awards $500 to be divided among the leaders.
Multi-table tournaments (MTT)
Cash games and SNGs are nice on Borgata, but the real action is in its multi-table tournaments. As the Borgata Casino leads the state in live tournaments, the online site is the place to go for the virtual version.
It offers a huge variety of MTTs with dozens of tournaments scheduled every day, with many featuring guaranteed prize pools to entice players. The daily tournament schedule has tournament buy-ins from $1 up to $215 with other special events taking place throughout the week.
Like most of the online poker world, Sunday is the big day for tournaments, and the Borgata runs its major at 5 p.m. The no limit tournament has a $215 buy-in, and the site has no problems meeting its $35,000 guarantee.
Other notable MTTs
- Daily $10K — $109 buy-in and a $10,000 guarantee every day at 7 p.m.
- Mega Tuesday — $535 buy-in and a $12,000 guarantee on Tuesday at 8 p.m. with a six-handed format.
- Mega Thursday — $320 buy-in and a $7,500 guarantee on Thursday at 8 p.m.
MTTs are the main reason players show up to Borgata. The site has the most tournaments, the best guarantees and the biggest fields week after week. There is an additional benefit when the brick-and-mortar casino is running a huge live festival; Borgata regularly runs low buy-in satellites to allow players to win their way into a major live tournament, a great tie-in between live and online poker.
Borgata iRewards loyalty program
Borgata has a loyalty program, and players can earn iRewards Points based on their play in real-money cash games and tournaments. Players can use their points to buy items from the online store and redeem them for online cash, additional bonuses or a comped room at the Borgata.
It is a tiered system with five levels, and players move up to increase their rewards. All players start with Red Tier rewards and advance to Red Plus when they earn 150 iRPS. Other tiers are Silver at 650 iRPs/month, Black at 2,500 iRPs/month and Black Elite at 15,000 iRPs/quarter.
Points are earned by playing in real-money games or tournaments and contribute to the rake or tournament entry fees. For every $1 you contribute in rake or fees, you earn two points. Doing the math, a player would need to generate $7,500 in rake/fees over a three-month period to reach max level Black Elite.
iRewards is in line with other statewide loyalty programs with a reasonable rate of accrual and rewards for participation.
How to deposit and withdraw at Borgatapoker.com
Now that you know what’s available, it’s time to start thinking about how to deposit (and withdraw) from your account. There are a variety of options:
- VIP Preferred: Deposit on VIP Preferred and use an e-check to fund your poker account.
- Visa/Mastercard/AMEX: If you have a major credit card, it’s easy to go to the online cashier and enter the information to load up.
- PayPal: A popular option that is widely available to most players.
- PayNearMe: Depositing is as easy as going to the 7-Eleven store down to road and using the PayNearMe option.
- Borgata Casino cage: Playing live at the Borgata, you can fund your account directly from the casino cage.
Borgata online customer support
Customer support is not a high point for Borgata Online Poker, with complaints about response times and access to a representative. If you need to reach out for assistance, here are your options:
- Live chat: Click the live chat button in the lobby to immediately connect to a representative.
- Phone: Call 877-448-5833 if you need to speak directly to a live representative.
- Email: Send an email to [email protected] or use the contact page on the website if you do not need immediate attention.
Is it legal to play on Borgata Online Poker?
After several vetoes, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s signature allowed online operators to partner with New Jersey-based casinos to offer online gambling. Borgata Casino launched in November of 2013 with the partypoker NJ Network.
Players need to be 21 or older to play, and are not restricted to New Jersey residents; they need only be located within state lines to play. You can vacation at the Jersey Shore and grind at the same time.
Borgata Poker has also launched in Pennsylvania in April 2021.
Conclusion
Borgata Online Poker has a lot to offer New Jersey and Pennsylvania players, with some notable problems that can be corrected. Initial software and geolocation issues were fixed, but customer service issues continue to plague its reputation.
While few big cash games run outside of peak hours, the ones that are available are likely some of the softest you will find. The site really shines for tournament players because options are plentiful and popular, with full lobbies throughout the week. Tie-ins to live poker festivals are another big incentive and a nice addition not found elsewhere.
Like its brick-and-mortar casino, Borgata is a popular option for poker players, and that will not likely change for a long time.