Online poker sites consistently need to attract new players and satisfy their high volume of loyal customers. Thus, they offer bonuses and rewards for their players. Also, poker bonuses are a great way to boost players' bankrolls. Here we have the best online poker bonuses guide for you.
What is an online poker bonus?
An online poker bonus is a benefit or discount that an online poker site offers. It is an incentive issued by a poker website as means of a reward for the player for playing on their website. The offers vary in type, size, and quality. These deals can range from $10 anywhere up to $10,000 or sometimes even more. It depends upon where you're playing and what play-through requirements you are willing to accept. Obviously, offering bonuses is the site’s way to entice you to play on their site.
We have gathered useful tips, types, requirements, and benefits of online poker bonuses in our online poker bonus guide for you.
How online poker bonus works?
Online poker bonus is something that almost all online poker sites offer. It’s a special reward given to new, regular or loyal players. The rewards are usually in the form of cash. But some websites offer other rewards, such as attractive deals, bonus codes, etc. Since the point of playing poker is to win money, it’s important to understand what poker bonuses you should go for, and what are the best sites to play on. To know more about online poker bonuses, keep reading our best online poker bonus guide as well as the latest online poker news.
What types of online poker bonuses are there?
Welcome Bonus
Almost all of the world's most popular online poker sites offer welcome bonuses. This bonus is usually in the form of cash that is credited directly to your account. A welcome bonus means that the player will get a special prize upon deciding to register. The point of a welcome bonus is to attract new players to join the site.
No Deposit Bonus
We can talk about no deposit bonuses if the players do not need to make a deposit in order to receive a bonus.
This bonus is usually rare to find. You have to sign up for a website with a 'no deposit' bonus code. You’re then given money to play online poker. This bonus is usually about five or ten dollars. However, it's enough as you don't need that much to start. Some players have made large bankrolls by starting with a no deposit bonus. It’s a great deal for people who want to start playing online without investing and risking their own money.
Loyalty Bonus
Loyalty Bonus is for the ones who are regular players of the website. You get more and better bonuses as you play more. It is basically a reward for the consistent players of the website. Loyalty bonuses are usually in the form of money. While other loyalty bonus types are great deals, discounts, or extra points that you can redeem to get poker tickets. The size of the rewards vary. It mainly depends upon the size or wages of your monthly deposits.
Reload Bonus
A reload bonus is a bonus given to the already existing players. They can make another deposit to invest more in their gaming account. In exchange, they get extra money. It's quite a similar system to the first bonus deposit. Well, it's the same, just not upon your first deposit. Reload bonuses are good compensation for loyal customers who might miss out on welcome bonus deals. The idea is almost the same as of the welcome bonuses. Although reload bonuses sometimes may not be as generous as welcome bonuses. But if you're a good raking player they can add more bucks to your bankroll.
Match Bonus
A match bonus is the bonus a player gets. The amount of this bonus is matching all or a portion of the player’s first deposit. The exact percentage match varies from bonus to bonus. It is great that the match can be as high as 100%.
Most poker bonuses have a matching factor, which in most cases is 100% for up to a certain amount. For example, if you deposit $100 at an online poker room, the site will match your deposit by 100%. This means the poker room will add another $100 Matching Bonus to your account as soon as you have made your first deposit. So, you can start playing with $200 on your account, even though you only deposited $100. However, there is always a maximum amount of online poker bonus the players can acquire. The website will always specify the limit. And you will be able to find such deals at BonusPirates as well.
You can easily find the best online poker bonuses thanks to Bonus Pirates.
What is Shared vs Contributed Rake?
Rake is the commission fee taken by online poker sites. It is five to ten percent of the pot. Most rakes are a fixed percentage depending upon the size of the pot. But in some rare cases, rake is a fixed amount no matter what the size of the pot is. Rake can be of two types i.e. Contributed and Shared.
Shared Rake
Shared rake is a good way to calculate rakeback for players who play cash games usually. It's mainly for those who don't like to enter into the pot very often. The rakeback is calculated by how many players are dealt cards regardless of the fact that these players played the entire hand or folded out early. For example, a full 8 player table may have a rake of $0.80. This means that each player would receive a rakeback of ten cents even if they didn't play the hand. This definitely is not a lot of money. But surely it adds up, especially for frequent online poker players.
Contributed Rake
Contributed rake is a rakeback that is only given to players who paid into the pot. Those who don't play a hand don't receive any kind of rakeback. If only three people at the table have paid into the pot and are playing the hand, and the rake is $3, these three players will receive a rakeback of $1 each. A player who plays a lot of hands can surely make a lot of money on rakeback. Absurdly, most good poker players don't pay into the pot.
What are wagering requirements?
There are many online poker sites out there, all vying for business and trying to stay competitive. That's the reason why most of them offer special bonuses to their customers as an incentive to join and stay. Sometimes the site matches whatever money you deposit to help pad your bankroll, and sometimes they give you free money with no strings attached. But, unfortunately, when this all came in trend, the casinos lost money to those who abused the system by opening multiple accounts. They had to come up with strategies that could stop this loss and abuse.
Thus they came up with the basic structure of wagering. An online poker player must wager a certain percentage of the deposit amount. They can withdraw their winning after paying this amount. Although the percentage varies from brand to brand. Therefore it's important to read the terms and conditions before accepting any promotions. Oftentimes, you can check the site's FAQ section to find more information about this. The best online poker bonuses come with lower wagering requirements.
The Best Online Poker Bonus Guide on How to Calculate Poker Bonuses
Whether you're a new player depositing for the first time or a seasoned player, bonuses work in the same way. The more games and tournaments you play, the more points you earn. Similarly, the more points you earn, the faster you will unlock the bonus cash.
Where to find the best online poker bonuses?
You can find the best online poker deals at Intertops Poker. It is reliable, offers great deals and bonuses. It also has a variety of poker games to choose from.
In addition, you should keep checking BonusPirates as well. We assure to bring you the best online poker bonuses, deals, and promotions!
How to Choose a Good Deposit Method?
Whenever you choose an online poker game, no matter how good your bonus is, always make sure to choose a top-real poker room. It must have a good range of deposit methods and reliable cash-out times. Certainly, there is no point in waiting for cash out for weeks or months. We hope our online poker bonus guide helped you. Good Luck! And don't forget to learn more about online gambling bonuses at Bonus Pirates!