Best Online Poker Bonuses and Offers
Playing online comes with many different benefits, and one of these is being able to scoop loads of top online poker bonuses, including free funds or tickets to tournaments and much more. In fact, online poker bonuses are among the most common things players look for when deciding whether to join a new site. After all, who does not want some free money or tournament tickets to play around?
Top poker bonuses offered by the best sites come in various forms. In fact, there are many different varieties of these offers, ranging from simple match deposit bonuses, where players get their initial deposit complemented by the venue, to more complicated schemes, which allow them to get several rounds of extra cash.
The truth is that getting a top poker bonus should be every player’s priority when registering at a new online room. There is an amazing variety of them to cash out and take advantage of. Nonetheless, some of them definitely stand out; thus, we naturally include them in this best online poker bonuses guide. Furthermore, we take a deeper look at the different offers of this kind. Keep reading to find out everything you should know before claiming one.
How to Get a Poker Bonus?
In this section, we teach you how to scoop your bonus depending on its type. As previously mentioned, there are many different types of these offers, such as the most common match deposit bonuses, reload bonuses, freerolls, rakeback, and referral offers. Depending on their type and your chosen destination, these bonuses are scooped differently.
In reality, claiming the right offer can be tricky, especially for newbies who are just starting their journey. However, all that you need is the right information on how to get started. In some cases, top online poker bonuses are loaded automatically by the website, and this is mainly related to extremely popular match deposit bonuses offered to newcomers.
It should be noted that to scoop any offer, players have to register before taking advantage of these promotions. In the case of a bonus automatically loading, players will receive it after registering and making a qualifying deposit. In other cases, they will need to enter a certain code in their cashier section so that the website can redeem that particular offer for them.
In many cases, the best poker bonus offers at top-rated sites are featured as special daily or weekly deals, such as reload bonuses, referral deals, and freerolls. Unlike automatic offers, these commonly use specific bonus codes that players must enter before claiming them. Overall, before claiming any offer of this kind, it is extremely important to check all relevant terms and conditions.
Top Online Poker Sites
Sign-Up Bonus/First-Deposit Bonus
Sign-up, first-deposit, or welcome offers are definitely among the most popular online poker bonuses usually offered by every reputable site out there. They attract new players to come and join new sites. It should be noted that the welcome packages of this kind generally match the deposit bonuses offered on the first deposit that players make at their chosen room.
In other words, these are offers that players receive from a room where their first deposit is matched by a fixed percentage. For instance, if a player deposits $100 and the match deposit bonus offer is 100%, then they will receive $100 on top of their deposit. These top online poker bonuses are meant to give players a head start in their playing experience.
Clearing the First-Deposit Bonus
Welcome bonuses issued as match deposit bonuses are usually automatically rewarded. In other words, players usually receive them after registering and making their first deposits at their chosen website. In other cases, players will have to enter a special promo code in the cashier section after registering and making their first deposit.
The most important thing here is that pretty much every bonus of this kind comes with terms and conditions, which include all important info on how they work, who can claim them, their validity, and so on. It is imperative to check this information before claiming the offer to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Besides automatically claimed first-deposit bonuses and those who require a specific code, some promos of this kind are claimed by sending an e-mail to websites’ customer support.
Unlike with most casino bonuses, poker offers are usually issued as pending cash, meaning the money is released as players reach a certain milestone. For example, if a player receives $10 (or 10% of their $100 deposit bonus), then every time they make $30 in rake. Only in rare cases will you find poker bonuses that are actually given ahead of time in the full amount and made available for play.
The best poker deposit bonuses are valid within a certain period of claiming them. In other words, players have a fixed time amount during which they can play with the money and work on meeting the wagering requirements. In this time, they can unlock their bonus and request a cashout on the unlocked amount. Lastly, keep in mind that these are only offered to newly registered players who make their first deposits, while other players have other promotions to look forward to.
Loyalty Programs and VIP Bonuses
As already mentioned in the previous sections, while newcomers have generous online poker welcome bonuses, sometimes there are even more substantial offers for VIP club and loyalty program members. To entertain their loyal, regular players, top websites commonly offer schemes aimed at this particular group.
For those who do not know, the best online poker bonuses can be scooped within these VIP programs, which are distinct promotions carefully and exclusively crafted to accommodate loyal players. While the VIP programs offer the same online poker bonuses that are enjoyed by regular players, they also include a number of premium offers and generally go beyond the usual promotions.
In other words, the VIP and loyalty programs are premium promotions that give players access to more gaming perks as well as premium services. Keep in mind that different websites and rooms offer various VIP programs and clubs; however, they generally include exclusive promotions, higher comp points for VIP club members, higher deposit and withdrawal limits, access to personal assistant and manager, access to exclusive online tournaments and events, and higher reload deals and more generous freerolls.
Other Bonuses and Daily Promotions
The best online poker bonuses include not only VIP, loyalty, and first match deposit bonuses but also a variety of other generous offers such as reload and referral bonuses, freerolls, and much more. The majority of the top-rated sites offer daily or weekly reload bonuses. These are similar to welcome offers, but they are generally fixed at a lower percentage, usually less than 100%, and they are only offered to already-registered players.
This best online poker bonuses guide would be incomplete without mentioning rakeback. To understand this concept, you have to think about how online poker sites and rooms make money or earn their profits. Whether it is a cash game or a tournament, poker websites earn from every single buy-in made. In the majority of cases, they take around 5% from every pot, and this is how they earn their revenue.
This specific fee is known as the rake. Through various rakeback schemes, poker rooms give a percentage of their earnings back to the players. The way it works is that the room will give the player a part of the rake they generate while playing there back, usually on a monthly or weekly basis. The exact formula to calculate the rake generated by a player and the rakeback percentage varies greatly from one room to another, but the basic concept applies across the industry. In the majority of cases, the rakeback is around 30%, and it may be lower or higher depending on your online poker room.
Besides these generous offers, there are also referral bonuses, bad beat jackpots, and freerolls. In fact, one of the most common deals players can find is the referral bonus, which may go under different names such as refer-a-friend or bring-a-buddy bonus. Despite their names, they are all the same thing. The poker room offers some extra cash for players who invite their friends to visit the website, join, and deposit.
Some of the biggest brands also offer games with bad beat jackpots, which can be considered a type of online poker bonus. These are offered by online poker websites and rooms when good hands lose to even better hands. For instance, imagine player 1 holding two aces and player 2 holding two kings while the community cards include one queen, two kings, and two aces. In this case, player 2 would have four-of-a-kind kings but loses his to player 1 who has four-of-a-kind aces. This is generally enough to trigger the bad beat jackpot, and the losing player is usually awarded around 50% of the total jackpot, the winning player gets around 25%, while the remaining players at the table receive the remaining 25%.
Lastly, freerolls can also be referred to as top poker bonuses simply because they offer an amazing way to make some cash the cheap way. As suggested by their name, these are just free tournaments that let you play in prescheduled tournaments without risking a cent. Freerolls are a great way not only to build your bankroll without investing too much of your money but also to enhance your playing skills while minimizing your risk.
Conclusion
In this guide, the offers of this kind provide a great way to give your winnings a serious boost without spending too much. The main advantage of scooping the best online poker bonuses is obviously having more chances to win some extra cash. With these promotions, you can improve your bankroll without having to spend any extra cash.
Of course, it is always important to consider all the relevant terms and conditions of a particular offer to really understand its true value. Some are better than the others because they have lesser restrictions and are easier to clear (wager through). Others will often offer a big match percentage but with somewhat more difficult requirements. At the end of the day, you should pick those offers that best fit your style of play and expectations to give yourself the best shot at winning while having fun doing it.