Introduction
There are many fields in the online gambling industry but one of the most competitive ones is the field of the online poker. To get the upper hand in you game you should be aware of certain strategies, mechanisms and bonuses. Just a few seconds of browsing can show you many beneficial offers such as free entries to tournaments or various welcome bonuses to boost your bankroll. Most sites give away different offers to their loyal players, as well. Here is a short guide to the poker bonuses.
Initial bonus
Initial poker bonus is the most common offer one can see in the online poker sites. It usually requires a deposit and the bonus is a certain percent (sometimes even 100% or more) of your initial deposit up to a certain amount. For example, some sites may offer 100% deposit bonus up to $200. There are also some welcome bonuses, which do not require you to make a deposit, but the sum of the bonus there is, of course, lower.
Ongoing offers
The ongoing offers in the world of the online poker vary from one site to another. Some give away various cash prizes, free tournament entries, points that can be exchanged for goods, etc. Those ongoing bonuses usually depend on a loyalty scheme (or a VIP scheme) where you accumulate points while playing games for real money and those points are what dictates what bonus offers you will get.
Important information
The bonuses usually cannot be gotten right away since you have to play poker games to earn them – that is called clearing your bonus. You will need to earn certain amount of money or play a certain amount of times with a specified stake, or using the bonus money to play a specific game until you generate some amount of ‘rake’ (rake is a small commission which the poker sites gains from every winning pot).
Remember that before choosing to gain a certain bonus you should carefully read the terms and conditions of it. There you will find the full details of the offer and exactly what you should do to clear the bonus and get the money (or whatever other reward there is).
How to decide whether a poker bonus is right for you?
In order to decide whether to claim a certain poker bonus or not you should ask yourself some questions. The first one is whether you can generate the specified amount of rake. The second one: whether you can do it before the end date of the offer. If you answer ‘no’ to both questions, then the bonus is certainly not for you.
How can you clear the bonus faster?
Well, one of the benefits of playing poker online is that you can play at several tables at one and that way you can clear the bonus much faster.
Or opt to play for larger stakes if you wish to clear the bonus faster and get the reward.
But only do so if that does not impact your win rate too much. It is no good to clear the bonus but lose more money than the amount you will get from the offer.