Poker bonuses are an excellent way to boost your bankroll. They’re even better for players who put a considerable amount of volume in since it’ll be easy for them to complete the bonus entirely.
But like all aspects that make up a poker room, bonuses will vary from site to site. Not just in size either. The type(s) of bonus offered and what it takes to earn them will vary too. Because of this, it’s important for players to do their research to ensure that they find a site where they can clear as much of the bonus as possible.
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Types of Poker Bonuses
When choosing a poker site based on bonuses, it would be ideal to find a site that rewards you more than once. In other words, a site that offers more than just a deposit bonus. Because all sites do this. However, not every site will offer reload or refer-a-friend bonuses — or offer them that often. So be sure to do your homework.
Here is more information on the common bonuses offered at online poker sites.
New Player Deposit Bonuses
Deposit bonuses are bonuses for new players who have yet to make their first deposit. Most deposit bonuses are “match” bonuses. This means that the site will match so much of your bonus up to a specified dollar amount. For example, if a site is offering a 100% match bonus up to $500 and you deposit $150, you’ll earn a $150 bonus. There are sites that offer higher matches like 111% at Ultimate Bet and 150% at Absolute Poker. So in the case of a 150% match, you’ll be given $150 for every $100 you deposit.
Instead of or in addition to match bonuses, some sites will offer a flat rate sort of bonus too. I’ll go more in detail on these below. But the general idea is that you’ll be given a flat bonus no matter how much you deposit.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses are for existing players. It’s the same idea as a deposit bonus, but usually smaller. You’ll be given an opportunity to make a free $50 or $100 (it varies) if you make another deposit. For grinders, this is an easy way to make free money since you’ll likely clear the requirements in just a session or two.
Refer a Friend Bonus
A refer-a-friend bonus is an incentive for referring new players to the poker room. The amount given will vary. It can be $25, $50 or $75+ per person. Some sites will pay a flat rate and others will be on a tier system. Bear in mind that refer-a-friend bonuses will have certain play through requirements for both the new player and you.
Size of the Bonus
The size of the deposit bonus really is the last thing you should be concerned with when shopping for the best poker site. With that said, if all things were equal, then you might as well find the site offering the biggest bonus.
There isn’t too much to say about the size other than you’ll need to shop around. Bonuses will vary in size from $200 to around $1,500 with the average being somewhere around $600. Most affiliate sites will be able to offer the same or a slightly bigger bonus than the site itself does. But poker bonuses won’t vary too much from affiliate site to affiliate site. So the bonus you see (such as the ones on this site) are as good as it gets.
Bonus Clearing Requirements
All sites will require that you play through (rollover) the bonus money before you receive it. They do this to prevent people from signing up, depositing and then immediately withdrawing the free money. The requirements will vary from site to site, so you’ll definitely want to do your research. This is easily the most important aspect when shopping for a site based on bonuses.
The reason why it’s so important is that some rooms will require you to earn more rake per $1 of the bonus than other sites will. So it’ll take more effort on your part in order to clear it in its entirety. And in some cases, it’ll flat out prevent you from earning any bonus money, which is a waste.
So what you’ll want to look for is how much you need to rake for every $1 of the bonus. From there, you’ll figure out how long it takes you to rake that amount for the games and stakes you play. You should be able to get an idea of how long it’ll take you to clear the bonus based on that information. If you can clear the bonus (or as much of it that will make you happy) before it expires (most sites have a 30, 60 or 90 day time frame), than you can consider the site. Note: This is based on most sites paying the bonus out in increments. Some sites will only pay the bonus in one lump sum. So if you don’t clear the requirements in full, you won’t make anything. Be sure to watch out for this.
Poker Bonus Options
At some sites, you’ll have an option as to what type of bonus you receive. It’s not common though. But I wanted to cover it briefly in case you ran into it.
As I said above, the majority of poker sites do match bonuses. They match you up to a certain dollar amount.
Other sites will offer a flat bonus either as the only choice or as an option instead of a match bonus. For example, you might be able to choose from a match bonus of 100% up to $500 or a flat $100, no matter how much you deposit. If you deposit the minimum amount, say $20, you’ll still be given the $100 bonus.
The flat options are going to be better if you cannot deposit more than that amount to take advantage of the match bonus. So in my example above, if you couldn’t deposit more than $100, than the flat bonus would be more profitable to you. Keep in mind though, that the play through requirements will be the same. So you could experience some difficulty clearing the bonus.