Poker Bonus Hunting

Anyone who has ever visited an online poker site has no doubt been immediately punched in the face with a gaudy, flashing “SIGN UP BONUS” graphic or a pop-up window advertising the same thing.  Even at websites that are simply poker related you are likely to find seizure-inducing ads touting the biggest and best bonuses.  There’s more to a poker bonus than just a number, however, which is why we’re here to tell you what to look for in an online poker sign up bonus offer.


Dollar Amount

The brightest, most “in your face” number in most bonus offers is the maximum dollar amount.  This is a pretty straight forward concept.  Deposit money, get up to the listed amount in bonus money, depending on how much you deposit.  So, if you are simply looking for the most money possible, it is not hard at all to compare bonuses.  Reach for the stars.  But, not all bonuses are created equal.  That’s because you have to factor in…


Percentage

…the bonus percentage.  Most sign up bonuses are listed as a percentage of your deposit up to a maximum amount.  For example, XYZPoker might offer a 50% on your initial deposit, up to $200.  Thus, for every dollar you deposit, the poker room will give you an additional 50 cents.  In order to receive the maximum bonus of $200, you would need to deposit $400 (50% of $400 is $200).  If you have more money you would like to deposit, you can go ahead and do that, just remember that you will not get more than $200 in bonus money.  

Now, ABCPoker might also offer a $200 sign up bonus, but ABC’s percentage is 25%.  So, in this case, you would need to deposit $800 to get the entire $200 bonus.  Or, looked at from a different angle, if you had $100 to deposit, you would get $50 in bonus cash at XYZ, but only $25 at ABC.  Obviously, all other things being equal, it would behoove you to deposit at XYZ, as that poker room has the better deal.  For some people, the percentage won’t matter, but for those with limited bankrolls, the smaller outlay required, the better.


Playthrough Requirements

While deposit bonuses are great, nothing is really free.  You can’t just take the money and run.  You must play a pre-determined amount of poker before you can “earn” the bonus money.  While the max bonus and percentage figures are the most prominent pieces of the bonus offer, the playthrough requirement is arguably the most important.  This determines how quickly and easily you will be able to actually get your hands on the bonus money.

It all comes down to rake.  In order to release the bonus, the poker room needs you to play enough so that it can generate the rake (revenue) to afford the free payout.  At some poker rooms, you will need to play a certain number of raked hands, broadly defined as a hand where some minimum amount of rake (determined by the poker room) is taken.  At some rooms, any amount of rake counts.  At others, the rake has to be at least 25 cents.  At others, it must be higher.  Furthermore, at some rooms, you do not actually have to put money into the pot to get credit for a raked hand.  In this “dealt method” of raked hand calculation, you can fold pre-flop and still have the hand count.  Other rooms use the “contributed” method, where you must put money into the pot (some rooms count the blinds as contributing, whereas others require you to voluntarily contribute.)  

Many rooms now use some form of loyalty points in their bonus calculations, but these are still generally based off of raked hands.  For every raked hand you play, you get a certain number of points.  Sometimes, the higher the stakes of the table, the more points you can earn.  Other times, the amount of rake taken from the pot determines the number of points earned.

Regardless of the playthrough calculation method, you must understand the requirements before committing yourself to a deposit bonus.  Some bonuses may look great in that they give you a high dollar amount and a high percentage, but if the poker room makes them very difficult to earn, they are worthless.  Here are some basic components of playthrough requirements you will want to examine:

• Dealt or contributed method – dealt is usually better (there are exceptions,), as there is no penalty for folding.  
• Number of hands or points per dollar – lower is better.
• How much rake for a raked hand or point – often overlooked, this can make or break your quest for a bonus.  If the poker room requires a high amount of rake per hand, it will be very hard for you to earn the bonus if you are a micro stakes player (imagine playing $0.10/0.20 No-Limit and needing the rake to reach 50 cents, which means a $10 pot, to qualify as a raked hand).

For higher stakes players, much of this won’t be very important, as plenty of rake gets scooped from high stakes games, allowing those players to earn bonuses easily; but for the average online player, a thorough understanding of the bonus structure is key.


Other Bonus Rules

While playthrough requirements are the most important rules to know about deposit bonuses, there are a couple other elements of which to be aware.  First, be sure you know when the bonus expires: most online poker rooms only allow you a limited amount of time, typically one to three months, to earn your bonus.  Depending on how difficult the bonus is to earn, you may not always want to max it out, lest you run out of time.  Additionally, some online poker rooms –, such as PokerStars –, release the bonus in one lump sum when all of the playthrough requirements are met, whereas others – such as Full Tilt Poker –, release the bonus in increments.  Some people like one method, while some like the other, but if you are unsure as to whether or not you’ll have to time to earn the entire bonus, the incremental method is your best bet.  In a nutshell:, you can afford to max out the bonus if it is paid in increments, as your play will almost always earn you something, whereas you may need to set your sights on a smaller bonus if it is paid in its entirety at the end.

Lastly, be sure to check out the cash out rules, as some online poker rooms will void your entire bonus if you withdraw a single penny before you earn it all.  

All of this may sound like a lot to worry about, but as you read up on a few deposit bonuses, it will all become clear.  Soon, spotting the best bonuses will become second nature.