BEST ONLINE POKER BONUSES
Sportsgrid-Staff
Online casinos do everything they can to attract new poker players. They create beautiful websites with attractive graphics and immersive sounds, and they offer generous welcome and sign-up bonuses. These incentives can be worth $1,000 or more, so it pays to read the fine print and shop around before you open an account. You could spend hours and hours on casino websites poring over terms and conditions, or you could spend a few minutes reading our helpful roundup of the most common poker welcome bonuses and the best offers currently available.
Best Poker Welcome and Sign-Up Bonuses
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Rank |
Casino Website |
Promotion |
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1. WSOP |
wsop.com |
Deposit Match |
|
betmgm.com |
Deposit Match |
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borgataonline.com |
Deposit Match |
|
|
betrivers.com |
Deposit Match |
|
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5. POKERSTARS |
pokerstars.com |
Bonus Play |
Other Types of Bonuses
Welcome and sign-up bonuses give online poker players a chance to play a few hands of Texas hold ’em or Omaha with house money, but they don’t last forever. To keep players coming back for more, online casinos offer additional bonuses from time to time. These incentives may encourage players to deposit more money, play more games, or refer their friends, and the money can really add up if you play regularly. If you want the best overall deal, you should look for an online casino that offers a generous welcome package and runs promotions on a regular basis. Here are some bonuses to look out for.
Match Bonus
Match bonuses are the most popular type of online poker incentive, and they are included in most casino welcome packages. When you see a match bonus advertised, you will notice both a percentage and a dollar figure. The percentage tells you how much of your deposit a casino will match, and the dollar figure lets you know if there is a cap in place. Let’s say you saw an offer to match 50% up to $500 and you decided to deposit $2,000. A 50% match would be worth $1,000, but you will only receive $500 because of the cap. In this situation, your best bet would be to deposit $1,000 as this will earn you the maximum reward.
There are a few things you should look out for when you compare match bonuses. You may have to deposit a minimum amount to earn one, and you probably won’t get the money all at once. Most casinos will award you points every time you play, and your match bonus will probably be paid in installments every time you earn enough points. There will also be a time limit. If you don’t claim all of your match bonus when the time runs out, any bonus money you have remaining will be forfeited.
No-Deposit Bonus
Online casinos know that poker players may be more willing to make a deposit after they have played a few hands, so they sometimes offer no-deposit bonuses. These bonuses are great because they allow you to win real money without risking anything, so you should keep an eye out for them. No-deposit bonuses are usually fairly modest, and they may come with some strings attached. One of the most common conditions is a playthrough rate. If you see a $50 no-deposit bonus with a 10X playthrough rate, you won’t get all of the money until you have bet at least $500.
Deposit Bonus
A deposit bonus is the same as a match bonus; some casinos call it a match bonus, and some call it a deposit bonus. Either way, the casino will give you a percentage of your deposit as a bonus, subject to the cap referred to earlier.
Tournament Tickets
Poker tournaments can generate a lot of buzz for a casino, and the more players there are, the better. Tournament tickets allow players to enter poker tournaments without paying, but they cannot be redeemed for cash. The rules vary from casino to casino, but there is usually a lot of money to be won. These bonuses are often included in casino welcome packages, and they are also offered to drum up enthusiasm for upcoming tournaments.
Reload Bonuses
Casinos offer reload bonuses to existing players to keep them loyal and coming back for more action. They are basically match bonuses for players who already have an account. They have a percentage and dollar figure just like match bonuses, and they often have a playthrough rate. Casinos offer reload bonuses when things are slow, as they are a great way to get players to return. If you haven’t visited a casino in a while or play less often than you used to, you may get an email with a reload bonus promo code.
VIP Bonus
Almost every casino has some sort of VIP program that rewards loyal players. You don’t have to get your name in the news to become a VIP, you just have to play regularly. You will earn points for every hand of poker you play and every deposit you make, and that is all it takes to climb the VIP ladder. You will earn exclusive bonuses and be invited to play in tournaments once you are a VIP, so you may want to find a casino you like and stick with it. If you move from casino to casino, it will be much harder to become a VIP.
Referral Bonus
These bonuses reward players for referring their friends or family members. To claim one, you will either send your friend or family member a link or give them a sign-up promo code. When the recipient follows the link or uses the promo code, you will receive your bonus. The bonus you receive may be a fixed amount, or it could vary depending on how much your friend or family member deposits or plays.
Types of Games
Poker is one of the most exciting casino games because participants play against each other instead of the house. Instead of picking a roulette number and hoping for the best or choosing whether or not to draw to a blackjack hand, you can check, call, raise, or fold depending on the strength of your hand. Here are some of the most popular online poker games.
Texas Hold ’em
Texas hold ’em is the most popular online poker game because the pots can be big and the action is exciting. Each player is dealt two cards face down, and then community cards are placed in the middle of the table that all players can use to make a hand. The first three community cards are called the “flop,” the fourth community card is called the “turn,” and the fifth and final community card is called the “river.” Players have an opportunity to bet after the initial deal and every time community cards are placed on the table. The player with the best five-card hand after the four rounds of betting is the winner.
Three-Card Poker
Three-card poker game is a cross between poker and blackjack. Each player plays against the dealer instead of the other players, and there is no raising, calling, or bluffing. The dealer and each player are dealt three cards face down, and then players decide whether to bet or fold. If players decide to bet, they win if they beat the dealer even if other players have stronger hands.
Omaha
Omaha is basically Texas hold ’em with a twist. There are five community cards and four rounds of betting just like Texas hold ’em, but players are dealt four cards face down instead of two. After all of the cards have been dealt, players make the best hands they can using two of their down cards and three of the community cards. More cards means more possible hands, and more possible hands means fewer folds and bigger pots. Omaha is often a pot-limit game, which means bets can’t be bigger than the amount in the pot.
Seven-Card Stud
Seven-card stud was the most popular poker game before Texas hold ’em appeared on the scene. Each player antes and is then dealt two cards face down and one card face up. The player with the highest up card can then check or bet. Betting moves clockwise in seven-card stud, so the player to the left of the opening player can either call, raise, or fold. Players are dealt another card face-up after each round of betting until they have five up cards, and then they are dealt a final card face down. The final bets are made, and then the player with the best five-card hand wins.
Razz
Razz is a version of seven-card stud where the worst instead of the best hand wins. Aces are low and there are no flushes or straits in razz, so the worst possible hand is A,2,3,4,5. This is a 5-high in razz, but it would be a strait in regular seven-card stud. When you are having a bad night at the tables, a game of razz could be just what the doctor ordered.
Five-Card Draw
There are no up cards in draw poker, which is great for players who like to bluff. Each player is dealt five down cards, and they can then choose to either bet or fold. If they bet, they can keep the cards they have or discard up to three of their cards and draw. There are two versions of this game: single draw and triple draw. In a single-draw game, players draw up to three cards at once. In a triple-draw game, players draw one card at a time. The pots are usually bigger in a triple-draw game because there are more rounds of betting.
Terms and Conditions
You will have to agree to a casino’s terms and conditions to claim a welcome or sign-up bonus, and there will be more terms and conditions if you want to claim a reload, VIP, or referral bonus. Reading fine print can be a bit of a chore, so here are some things to look out for:
- Is there a minimum deposit?
- Is there a time limit for claiming the bonus?
- Is the bonus paid all at once or in installments?
- Is there a wagering or playthrough requirement?
- How much can you bet?
- How are winnings paid?
Time Limits
Most online poker bonuses are paid in installments when players meet wagering requirements, and there is almost always a time limit. If you don’t meet the requirements and your time runs out, any bonus you have remaining will be forfeited.
Wagering Requirements
A wagering or playthrough requirement is the amount you will have to bet to trigger the release of a bonus installment. If the amount of the bonus is $100 and the wagering or playthrough requirement is 10X, you will have to bet $1,000 to earn the bonus. Wagering requirements are usually broken down into chunks so players can receive their bonuses in installments. If you have to bet $1,000 to receive a $100 bonus, you might be paid $10 every time you bet $100.
Game Limits
Poker games are either fixed limit, pot limit, or no limit. In a fixed-limit game, players can only bet up to a certain amount. Bets can be as high as the pot in a pot-limit game, and players can go all-in in a no-limit game.
Win Limits
Some casinos call game limits win limits because the more you bet, the more you win. There could also be game restrictions that allow you to use your bonus in cash games or tournaments, but not both.
How to Cash Out Your Winnings
To collect your winning in online poker, log into your account. Then go to the “cashier" or “banking" section on the website, click the “withdrawal" button, enter the amount you wish to withdraw, choose your preferred method of payment, then click on “submit". You may be asked to confirm your identity, especially if it is your first withdrawal request.
