Online Poker and Poker Bonus

Poker Bonus

A good poker bonus is an essential part of getting started in online poker and may in fact make all the difference in getting your poker career started off on the right foot.

 

There are a few different kinds, so it's important to know which type youre dealing with and how it works.

 

These are the most common:

• Sign-Up Bonus
• Sign-Up Match Bonus
• Loyalty Bonus
• Referral Bonus

Sign-Up Bonus: Although this is commonly used as the universal term for poker bonuses, a true sign-up bonus is a free sum of money put into your poker account simply for signing up and creating an account at a poker site.

 

This is, however, very rare. And if you do find one, it will likely be very small, say $5-$10. That being said, free money is free money.

 

And it will certainly pay for a few small-stakes tournaments where you can learn the ropes and pick up some simple strategy tips without any risk.

 

Sign-Up Match Bonus: The majority of sign-up bonuses in online poker are match bonuses.

 

This means the poker site will match the amount you deposit. For example, if you deposit $50 with a 100% match bonus, you'll be able to earn an extra $50 on top of your $50 simply by playing on the site.

 

Most sites have a minimum deposit required to be eligible for one of these bonuses typically $10-$50.

 

In most cases the match bonus won't be instantly added to your account. You'll have to earn it through real-money play. That amount will vary from site to site, but essentially you'll have to earn points from playing either in standard cash games or in tournaments.

 

Bonuses are then paid out in two ways - either in a lump sum (something like earn 400 total points in 60 days and youll get the full $50 released into your account) or in increments.

 

Using the example above for an incremental bonus, that means $10 would be released into your account with each set of 80 points you earn. The total bonus paid out will be the same, but you'll get it dispensed in smaller increments as you play.

 

Loyalty Bonus: Also typically a match bonus, poker rooms will from time to time offer reload bonuses to loyal players.

 

It is what it sounds like make another deposit and the poker site will match all or part of it - given of course you again meet certain playing requirements.

 

Referral Bonus: Almost all poker sites also offer referral bonuses, or Refer-a-Friend bonuses.

 

These are given to players who get other players to sign up to the same poker site. Most will range between $25 and $50 and likewise must be cleared through real-money play before theyre added to your account.

Clearing a Bonus

 

Clearing a bonus will always involve contributing to the sites rake. Exactly like a Vegas casino, the rake is the cut the house (in this case the poker site) takes for running the games.

 

In cash games, every time you're dealt into a hand that sees a flop, youve usually contributed to the rake. The site will then award you points for this, typically called FPPs or frequent player points.

 

For tournaments, this is called the fee, and is part of your buy-in. For example a $10 tournament typically is listed as $10+$1, meaning you actually pay $11 to play.

 

The more you contribute, the more points you get. This is important to take a look at, as some poker sites make it significantly harder to clear a bonus than others.

 

The easiest sites to clear bonuses from are typically the larger sites such as Titan Poker, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, Carbon Poker and Party Poker.

 

The Poker Bonus Code

 

To be eligible for a sign-up bonus, you need to create a new account at a poker site either by following the link on the page offering the bonus or by entering specific poker bonus codes at the room itself.

 

For example PokerStars will offer an exclusive PokerStars bonus code to players who sign up through an affiliate (something like Stars50) which you will need to enter into the appropriate field (typically called marketing code) during the sign-up process.

 

Be on the lookout for this. Sometimes it comes very early in the process, sometimes it comes later. Sometimes just signing up through the affiliate link is enough and you won't even need the code.

 

But the bonus code is critical, as it will tag you to the affiliate site you signed up through. Most affiliates then also offer frequent freerolls for straight up cash or prize packages to play in major tournaments around the world, like on the World Poker Tour or at the World Series of Poker, covered every year by ESPN.

 

If you think you've missed the bonus code step by accident, consult the poker sites customer support staff right away and they can double check it for you.