Poker Bonus's

[Bizar]

Open Question:-

Do you think the bonus's offered by poker providers are a very clever con, and a unobtainable "PIPE" dream, designed to "HOOK" players into gambling on there site's ?

[scrawnybob]

hi

I would say that sites bonuses and incentives etc are NOT a con

but players shouldnt expect a free lunch either

it amazes me sometimes that with freerollers particularly that somehow players think poker rooms somehow operate outside of the normal profit / loss of any other business

so in that sense - all sites bonuses are going to be worked out on a sensible clearance rate so that the poker room isnt giving away its money unsustainably

ie. you play / the site earns their rake (which is their profit to which they are entitled) and then in the case of a 1st deposit bonus the site then gives some or all of it back in the form of a bonus

it would be fair to say that all sites have generally tightened up their bonus requirements / increased rake requirement - certainly for the bigger bonuses

As the industry has matured they are less likely to give out lots of money to get new players to their sites

I think most of the problems comes when players try to clear too high a bonus at too low stakes which in the case of a low stakes player would make it "near impossible" to clear a large bonus if it was paid / cleared in one go - however the same bonus would be perfectly manageable for a player deposing enough to play at the hogher stakes

but this is why players should be realistic about bonuses - they are bonuses (based on amount played) not an entitlement just for signing up and then not playing enough

I've also said that really players shouldnt just chase bonuses for the sake of them

hope thats a help

cheers scrawnybob

[derringer007]

Open Question:-

Do you think the bonus's offered by poker providers are a very clever con, and a unobtainable "PIPE" dream, designed to "HOOK" players into gambling on there site's ?

The sign up bonuses are not unobtainable, the whole idea is to get you to play and earn the bonus, some will clear the bonus without any problem and at the same time build a very nice BR for themselves and some dont. The OL site wont just give the bonus away as that would not be cost effective for the site. I think that its actually quit generous to match up to a certain amount. Lets say that you make a deposit of $100 and if you clear the bonus thats a free $100 going to you. Anything free is a good thing, that sounds pretty good to me.

[Logan]

The sites offer you free money to stay playing with them (trying to clear the bonus), some times the players going to lose the money, and other times they go to cleared.

The bussines is that when you clear the bonus, you already play a number of hands that is equivalent to almost 10 times your deposit (differ form site to site), so lets say you deposit $100, and the site offer a bonus to give you $100. For winning that $100 you need to play/gamble about 5 to 10 times your money, for every $1 you play they give about 2 points, and you need to have lets say 1000 points to cleared (random numbers to make the example)

So, for 2 points you need to play $1 (10c fee), when you play your $100 you only have 200 points, in other words, for clear the $100, yo need to play like $500 to $1000, so by the time you reached, the site already have the fees for all that hands, and after you get the bonus maybe still you keep playing so they get more fees.

So like Bob say, is more like a incentive that free money, if you already plan to play that $money is great, you can make it and still have some plus money, but is not free to everyone because not everyone going to cleared, you need to search first the one that is best for you, and also is best to look sites that offer the bonus in pieces, that way if you not reach all the bonus at least have some cut.

And, after you win your bonus is up to you, you can keep playing it and make bigger your BR or can just take out the bonus (after some time that is in the rules) and just keep playing with the rest, in this way you take out the first investment and is like playing free from here.


So, answering the question, yes, the bonus are to hook players, and to be honest, new players that are not only new to the site but also new to poker, i dont think can clear most of the bonus, at least need to have min. skills or experience in poker to have a chance.

[NoWuckingFurries]

They aren't a con, many different types of businesses offer incentives to sign up with them, whether it be the National Trust offering a "free" picnic rug to any new members that sign up, or a poker site offering you a bonus if you play enough qualifying hands. They are attainable, too, but you will probably only make money from bonuses once you are a reasonably good player. I haven't reached that stage of my poker career (yet!).

[Whatsthepassword?]

Which sites currently offer the best bonuses? Ideally, like Logan says, these should be issued in stages rather than having to play for ages to get a lump sum.

[scrawnybob]

hi

you can look here - best poker bonuses

the top 10 list isnt going to be perfect as players are going to be looking for totally different things in a bonus -

one player will be looking for the biggest bonus eg. 500% up to $2500 (at hollywood poker)
which while perfectly possible playing alot of middle stakes isnt realistic for others (which is why they offer a load of different bonuses)

another may want a good "starter bonus" that is a good compromise - like the titan poker bonus which on our offer gives you $20 instantly on deposit + 100% up to $500 bonus to work off

the Titan bonus means a player deposting only $50 will get an additional $20 instantly (effectly 40%) + another $30 to work off

or Bodog bonus for US players - is 110% up to $500 with 10% instant

and also see our list of 50+ site & poker bonus reviews

there should be details in the reviews of how the bonuses are cleared - eg. $10 at a time etc these are the stage bonuses that new players should go for OR a smaller bonus like pokerstars or partypoker ones that still clear relatively easily

hope thats a help

cheers scrawnybob

[GypsyTea]

Hi All,

A very interesting read and a good thread, with some very good answers in my humble opinion.

As a player who has just played off a large bonus and been in receipt of the bonus with in one day ( thank you PKR) I have to say I think YES ALL bonuses are a "CON"
The Bonus is totally irrelevant to my business plan in relation to PKR.

I do not go on a site for the bonuses, I don't agree with them perse' I personally think there things the "Office boy" works out in there down time and are counter productive to playing a good game of poker for a profit.

There are many better ways to "Get Players" in a poker site, and NO I not going to put any of MY idea's in a public forum so do not even think about asking!

If (IMO) you are trying to run your bankroll though being a bonus wore your a fish ripe for the barbecue !

Regards

The Gypsy