Partypoker New Jersey to Implement Wait List Solution

December 23rd, 2014 | by Brian Corlisse

partypoker may finally add wait lists to their online poker client in New Jersey. (Image: partypoker logo)

The Partypoker New Jersey online poker room has been one of the most popular regulated choices for players in the state.

Still, there has been one noticeably absent feature: wait lists for players who want to reserve a seat at a table that is currently full.

This has long been a complaint of players, with a petition to have this rather basic functionality added to the client going up at the Two Plus Two forums earlier this year.

“We, the players, want to have waitlists so we do not have to constantly check the lobby to see if seats have opened up in the stakes that we want to play,” wrote a user with the screen name “zapzer” back in early May. “Feel free to sign this petition if you agree that this should be changed.”

Representative Says “Solution” is Coming

Seven months later, it appears as though players might finally be getting what they’ve been waiting for. A representative of Party Poker, posting under the screen name Party_Rep and identifying herself as Colette, wrote to say that the company would be addressing the issue soon.

“Having spoken with our Product team today — we have a wait list solution planned to go live early 2015,” Party_Rep wrote. “I will feedback with more detail when possible.”

For players who had long awaited the addition of a feature that is commonplace at nearly every online poker room in the world, the post could have been a relief.

But given that the site has been live for over a year without waitlists, the wording of the post left some concerned that they still might not be getting exactly what they asked for. In particular, some pounced on the phrase “wait list solution,” wondering if it might mean something similar to a wait list rather than the real deal.

“Wait list solution? Just add a wait list,” posted MP123. “This shouldn’t even be an issue over a year after launch.”

“If you don’t want to implement an actual wait list,” wrote Gags30, “then at least employ table starters so people can start new games without having to play heads up (since many recreational players do not like playing heads up).”

Wait Lists Appear in Client, But Not Activated

The last of wait lists at partypoker NJ has been a confusing and frustrating issue for players in the state, particularly because it’s clear that the functionality was planned for the software.

A button for joining wait lists is available in the client, but can never be clicked, suggesting that developers came close to adding working wait lists. While there is disagreement between players over whether wait lists will benefit regulars or recreational players more, most are in agreement that there’s no reason why the feature shouldn’t be available.

Still, even the lack of basic features hasn’t been enough to keep partypoker down in New Jersey. Perhaps benefiting from its partnership with the most successful casino in Atlantic City, the partypoker/Borgata sites combine to average about 150 cash game players at any time, with nearly 400 people playing during peak hours.

That’s enough to keep it ahead of WSOP.com New Jersey, which averages around 120 players at its cash game tables, as well as the All-American Poker Network, which has seen about 70 players on average over the past week.