Whether you’re a professional poker player, a keen amateur, or you’re just hoping to learn, getting to know about poker bonuses is really important. For those who play poker online, a good bonus can improve your winnings, ease your losses, or simply buy you more playing time. However, not all poker bonuses are created equal. These are some of the most common ones with explanations of exactly how they work.
Initial Deposit Bonus
A common poker bonus that new players will come across is the initial deposit bonus. Some people call this a sign-up incentive and it boosts the amount of money you will have to play with. One site might match the amount that you initially deposit, another might give you a percentage, whilst some might match up to a certain limit. If you’re looking to play on a poker site that is new to you then this is a great bonus to look out for. It is worth bearing in mind that most sites will not let you withdraw your deposit immediately. For example, if you deposit $50 and the site matches it, giving you a total of $100 to play with, you will have to wager everything in your bank in order to begin making withdrawals. This simply happens because otherwise people could open an account, receive the initial deposit bonus and then withdraw everything, doubling their money every time. It would be a quick way for customers to earn money, but obviously fairly disastrous for casino sites.
New Deposit Freerolls
Online poker tournaments have never been more popular, but this means that some of them come with expensive buy-ins. Freeroll tournaments allow you to enter for free, making them more accessible for new players and those who don’t have endless funds to spend on their poker hobby. New deposit freerolls work on exactly the same premise but are available only to people who have newly signed up with the site. These tournaments are perfect for players who have been learning a different variant and want to test out their skills without spending any money on buy-ins. Whilst you’re unlikely to be offered new deposit freerolls in any major tournaments, this can work in your favor. These sorts of bonuses tend to only apply to small tournaments, where the competition is often, though not always, less fierce. Utilizing freerolls can be a great way of developing your tournament skills for free, before paying to enter the big-money competitions.
No Deposit Bonus
For those who are looking to increase their return on investment then bonuses don’t come much better than no deposit bonuses. These bonuses allow you to play with money given to you by the site, without having to risk any of your own. These bonuses are almost always exclusive to new sign-ups, with the site adding cash to your play wallet for free. For players who are particularly frugal or those who are interested in trying out a new site without risking cash, these deposits are great to look out for. Players who are working on seeing a better return on investment will also love these bonuses, as with an investment of nil, the only way your ROI can go is up.