Since the regulation of online gambling in New Jersey, casino sites have gone through their fair share of ups and downs. Regardless, those initial growing pains during the launch period of November and December 2013 resulted in $8.4 million in revenue. While it was less than expected, signs indicated that people were embracing this newest venture of online gambling. It might take a bit of time for the Garden State’s newer sites and software to meet the quality of established ones, but it is happening. One bit of good news is that PokerTracker 4 is now available to players for use during their online sessions at New Jersey’s virtual tables.
Readily Compatible Software
The newest version of PokerTracker – PokerTracker 4.10.8 – lists “official support for the USA Regulated Market in New Jersey” as one of its features. BorgataPoker.com and nj.PartyPoker.com, the two online rooms on the Party Borgata Network, are automatically detected by PokerTracker 4 as soon as the software’s Setup Assistant is used.
The company claims there won’t be any issues with compatibility or the software not being allowed on New Jersey sites.
“PokerTracker 4 is compliant within the regulatory framework provided by the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement,” said an official PokerTracker statement. ” [We] are proud to support New Jersey’s historic step forward into the online poker industry.”
It should come as little surprise that the sites for the Party Borgata Network are readily supported with PokerTracker 4. Borgata and partner PartyPoker accounted for nearly 45 percent of New Jersey’s total online gambling revenue last year. Over $3.7 million of the total $8.4 made during the launch period came from Borgata.
Loose Competition
Software compatibility for New Jersey should be an important consideration but for Hold’em Manager – PokerTracker’s main competitor – it doesn’t seem to be too pressing of an issue. Despite not formally attempting to make their software compatible, Hold’em Manager’s team claims it should work on some sites.
A representative referred to as “fozzy71” said, “We don’t officially support any New Jersey sites yet but it is our understanding that both HM1 and HM2 will work with Borgata/Party as their software is identical to their international software. Unfortunately WSOP/888 changed their hand history format slightly so the hands do not import.”
According to fozzy71, Hold’em Manager focuses support efforts based on site popularity. Since sites in the U.S. aren’t nearly as popular, compared to international sites – especially the start-ups in New Jersey – it might be a considerable amount of time until official support comes through.
A Valuable Poker Resource
Software such as PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager function as a way for online poker players to keep track of multiple statistics from their sessions. Things such as past hands, wins and losses, and opponents’ moves provide valuable data to players who want to analyze every aspect of their poker game. The resources provided in these stat trackers often help players create new strategies and learn more about their overall game.
As the software grows in popularity, however, so do the parties which are skeptical of its uses. Much of the discrimination comes from Heads-Up Displays that often relay information on top of the virtual tables, providing opponent data and more. Some argue that software such as PokerTracker gives those players that use it an unfair advantage that borders on cheating. While this debate is nearly 10 years old, it seems that regulars are all for HUDs and stat tracking. If the most popular of these trackers goes out of their way to show support for a new market, it’s doubtful they will be disappearing anytime soon.
