When you go to a brick-and-mortar casino and walk into the poker room, you’re not likely to get much back for your money besides an equal amount in chips. Sure, maybe you’ll get a few small comps if you play long enough, and the drinks might be free, but the casino isn’t going to give you any of their money to gamble with.
At online poker rooms, however, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Nearly every online poker room has a major bonus offer for new players that will give you additional money to spend at the tables. Thanks to the fierce competition for players, online poker rooms are constantly offering bigger and better bonuses in order to attract more action to their tables. In fact, the bonuses rarely stop when you first sign up; you’re likely to be eligible for reload bonuses, as well.
First Deposit Bonuses
When you first make a real money poker room deposit, you’ll likely be presented with a signup bonus. Usually, these bonuses are advertised as “matching bonuses” – such as a 100% bonus worth up to $300.
What does this mean? Well, the percentage is compared to the amount of your deposit; in this case, since it’s a 100% bonus, you’ll get $1 in bonus money for each dollar you deposit. Since there’s a maximum bonus amount of $300, however, this doesn’t last forever; if you deposited $500, for instance, you’d still only receive a $300 bonus.
Not every bonus works this way. Some are flat bonus amounts as long as you deposit a certain amount of money. Others are “unlimited” bonuses, in which you receive a certain percentage bonus on your deposit regardless of how large it is.
Wagering Requirements
Of course, online poker rooms can’t afford to simply give you free money without making you work for it. In most cases, you’ll have to play on the site in order to release your bonus funds a little bit at a time.
These days, most online poker rooms have VIP programs in which players earn points by playing in tournaments and cash games. The higher the stakes you play, the faster you’ll earn points, but even microlimit players usually get something for their time (as long as the games you’re playing in collect a rake).
These points are also usually critical to clearing bonuses on the site. Generally, you’ll have to earn a certain amount of points to clear segments of the bonus – whether that’s a certain dollar amount, or a percentage of your total bonus amount. As an added bonus, the points you earn can usually be used to enter into tournaments, receive additional bonuses, or purchase merchandise from the site.
Reload Bonuses
Once you’re already a member of a poker site, you’ll sometimes be offered additional bonuses. These reload bonuses are used as an incentive for players to deposit more money into their existing accounts. Generally, reload bonuses aren’t quite as large as first deposit bonuses; however, they’re still a great way to get some extra cash to play with. Many successful online poker players have made a large part of their profits from these bonuses, using them in conjunction with their winnings.