General Poker Information - Bonuses:
Many online poker sites offer cash
bonuses for you to play. They almost always require you to play a
certain number of hands (usually hands that have been raked) before
you can claim the bonus and potentially withdraw it. These bonuses
come in two forms: initial sign up bonuses
and reload bonuses. Initial sign up
bonuses are one time offers that are good only when you create an
account, while reload bonuses are available to any player with an
existing account.
Bonuses typically run in the range of 10%-100% of your deposit into
the site. Most bonuses are capped as far as the maximum you can
receive, usually in the range of $100-200 (but sometimes site offers
bonus up to 2000$ and more !). You can deposit less than the maximum
amount and still receive a bonus, albeit a slightly smaller one.
So let's say you sign up a new account. You'll get a bonus of 20% on
your first deposit, up to $100. If you deposit $500, that's a $100
bonus. Sweet. All you have to do to get the bonus is to play a
certain number of hands in which a rake is taken from the pot. When
you play the set number of hands, the bonus will automatically be
credited to your account. After you get all the initial sign-up
bonuses, you can often get reload bonuses from the very same sites,
as they periodically offer you incentives to deposit more money into
your account.
So why do sites do this ? Because they make money when people play.
And the more players they have on their sites, the more tables that
are available, which encourages more people to play. And so on and
so forth. While they know that some smart, savvy players like you
will get the bonus and cash out ahead, for every smart savvy player
there are 3 fish who will lose their entire deposit. The poker sites
are also somewhat protected by the fact that no matter how good you
are, you still have to pay them rake money. So even if you clear the
bonus and cash out ahead, they still get a piece of the action in
the form of rake.
As far as dollars and cents, it's hard to quantify what hourly rate
to expect from assorted bonuses. The biggest factor is the terms of
the site, as far as what conditions have to be met to make a bonus
worthwhile. Pay close attention to the number of hands you have to
play, and if they have to be raked hands. Some sites offer what look
like good bonuses but in reality are almost impossible to clear, due
to what they require to get the bonus. Other sites offer what appear
to be lesser bonuses which are actually very good bonuses
value-wise, due to how easy they are to receive.
Of course, it also depends largely on your skill as a player. If you
aren't very good, you'll like lose money, deposit the bonus. The
bonuses are never large enough to make up for being a poor player.
To take full advantage of bonuses, it's usually best to be able to
comfortably multi-table. How fast you clear the bonus isn't really
important (although some bonuses do have deadlines when they
expire), but you'll inevitably find yourself playing on sites you
wouldn't normally frequent for whatever reason (tightness of play,
interface, etc.) Being able to quickly clear the bonus and get back
to your favorite stomping grounds is psychologically a nice tool to
possess. Unless you have a huge bankroll, you'll also likely be
splitting up your roll over multiple sites, which some people feel
slightly uncomfortable doing, so being able to quickly clear the
bonus and consolidate funds is also a good thing.
Speaking of psychology, for some players (including myself) playing
with a bonus adds an extra level of comfort. It should make no
difference but I simply feel more confident and solid when I'm
working off a bonus, as if I have an insurance policy in my back
pocket. It's an incentive to make me play more aggressively across
the board, which usually translates into a much better game overall.
Bottom line, bonuses can greatly speed the building of your bankroll
if you're a skilled player. They won't magically transform you into
a superstar but they will provide you with a steady stream of income
if you play well. It's basically found money and it's a minimum of
hassle to reach down and pick it up. It literally takes less than a
minute or two to signup for some sites and fund an account, after
which you essentially get paid for playing your normal game.
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