Guide: Bonus Hunting
A comprehensive guide to getting the most out of your online poker bonuses.
Step 1) Introduction :: Step 2) Finding A Strategy :: Step 3) Optimize Your Strategy
Step 4) Secure Your Bankroll :: Step 5) The Party Skins :: Step 6) Poker Stars
Step 7) The Cryptologic Sites :: Step 8) Absolute Poker :: Step 9) Poker Room.com
Step 10) The Prima Poker Sites :: Step 11) Pacific Poker
Step 12) Conclusion
Introduction
This is a guide designed to help the intermediate online poker player get the most out of his/her playing time, both in terms of quality of play, and in profitability. Internet poker has revolutionized the gaming industry because of two key reasons: convenience, and most importantly the poker bonus. For most poker players playing with a bonus can drastically increase your profit margin. With the addition to what internet poker players call “reload bonuses”, which usually happen on a monthly basis, means adding multiple sites to your playing environment can ensure, if done properly, that a player is always playing off a bonus. Most sites you get credit for the hand, as long as you have been dealt cards, and the minimum pot for the site to take a rake has been met whether you play or not. Don’t take unnecessary chances, bonus hunting is about volume, the more hands you play the more bonus dollars you take home. The whole theory is based on increasing your profit margin, even if you break even you still make a nice profit when you playing for a bonus.
Finding a Strategy
If you are new to poker it is important to find a good solid strategy that works. Refer to the poker book section of this website, pick out a couple of the beginner or intermediate books and start reading up. Get quite a few hours of playtime in before attempting to begin your bonus-hunting journey. It’s a good idea to check out the beginner strategy section, its not complete but it is definitely a great source to get you started on the right foot. You must be able to consistently (monthly) pull a profit at the low limit poker tables before attempting to “bonus hunt”.
Optimize Your Strategy
Even if you are already adept to playing online poker, and have proven that you can take home a profit playing your normal strategy, I would recommend “tightening” it up. The motto when bonus hunting is “tight is right.” Most sites you get credit for the hand, as long as you have been dealt cards, and the minimum pot for the site to take a rake has been met whether you play or not. I’ll say it again, bonus hunting is about volume, the more hands you play the more bonus dollars you take home. You may also want to think about playing multiple tables. I play a strategy that is considered “super tight” by other online poker players, but is considered solid by other brick and mortar casino players. When you play a tight strategy, you see a lot of hands, but play very few. A player can become very anxious when waiting for a hand to play and often become very attached to the hand even when they do not hit. One way I alleviate the anxiousness is by playing multiple tables, it keeps me from getting too impatient. I am able to keep busy only playing choice hands cause I have up to 4 tables playing at the same time, and I am able to throw away marginal hands that would normally only cost me more in the long run, and that’s what is important. Playing multiple tables also makes it easy to clear a large bonus in just one afternoon.
Secure Your Bankroll
The number one choice when selecting a means of funding your poker accounts is Neteller.com. It’s a bit slower than some of the site-owned choices like IGMPAY, but it is accepted at every large online poker site. Making your first deposit with Neteller can also make you eligible to receive a second bonus at other sites, like party poker, when making your first deposit after setting up an account with their site-owned preferred method of payment. Other sites like Absolute Poker have special reload bonuses that are only available to customers making a deposit with Neteller. If you play a lot of online poker we recommend you keep around $2000 in your Neteller account if you wish to take advantage of all online poker bonuses, even ones running reloads simultaneously. But for the majority of players who will only play one bonus at a time, $500 should work just fine. Neteller has two deposit options, InstaCash that will make the money available to you instantly, and a regular transfer which can take up to 4 days to show up in your account.
The Party Skins: Party Poker
First stop on the bonus hunt is the Party Skins. The Party Skins share live money tables and produce the largest ring game traffic of any online poker group. They consist of Party Poker, Empire Poker, Mulit Poker, Poker Now, etc. Party Poker is considered the number one site in online poker in terms of traffic. It is the largest site and number one in poker promotions including reload bonuses, which makes it the best choice for the party skins. Party Poker also offers a pretty consistent monthly reload bonus worth anywhere from $100-$200, with very fair release requirements compared to other online poker sites. Read the full Party Poker review here.
1) Signup Bonus: Party Poker carries the industry standard %20 up to $100. Party Poker only has one signup bonus so don’t bother fishing around to find a larger one, believe me I’ve tried, it doesnt exist. Release requirements are 5 raked hand per bonus dollar to release. Use your Neteller account to fund your initial deposit, that way you can still become eligible to take part in the secondary $100 bonus.
2) Secondary Bonus: Party Poker’s main deposit method is IGMPAY, it is mainly responsible for Party Poker being so large. Lighting fast transactions and top notch security. Fortunately for the bonus hunter Party Poker offers you an additional deposit bonus for setting up an account with IGMPAY. It’s a %20 up to $100 bonus. Click on the IGMPAY logo in the deposit screen, follow the directions to setup and account, and use the bonus code “IGMPAY” “on your first deposit with IGMPAY.
3) Reload Bonuses: A reload bonus for Party Poker comes on a consistent monthly basis. Its one of the largest events in online poker, the site traffic explodes, and promotions run rampant. Be sure you are on their list to receive the monthly news letter, and additional promotions, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum on a consistent basis to be sure you will be informed of the reload bonus.
4) Additional Bonus: There is a additional bonus you can receive from Party Poker called the ePassport bonus. It’s a way of using your credit card to make a deposit, and getting a bonus for it but it comes with a certain amount of fees and trouble to secure the bonus. This site does not really recommend it but feel free to email the support team at Party Poker for additional information on this bonus.
5) Free Poker Gifts: In addition to the sign up bonus iPokerProfit.com will send you a free poker gift for opening a new account with this poker room. Gift options include KEM Plastic Playing Cards, Poker Books, Poker Movies, and more. Click Here for details about this promotion.
6) More Free Stuff: For a limited time, in addition to the sign up bonus, Party Poker is giving all new players a free entry into a weekly "New Player FreeRoll" that carries a $5000 prize pool, and the option of another tournament the cost only $1 to enter. These tournaments are only for new players to Party Poker, and are designed to introduce you, their multi-table tournament play structure for FREE!
Misc. Statistics: From someone who plays at Party Poker quite frequently I have come up with these stats to better help the bonus hunter.
Rake Ratio
.25-.50,.50-.1.00 – raked hand % varies
1.00-2.00 – Estimated 40% of all hands are raked
2.00-4.00 – Estimated 50% of all hands are raked
3.00-6.00 – Estimated 67% of all hands are raked
5.00-10.00 – Estimated %80 of all hands are raked
10.00-20.00 and up – Estimated almost all hands are raked
NL or PL Tables – Estimated 70-80% of all hands are raked
Hands Per Hour
1 Table – 35-50 hands per hour
2 Tables – 70-100 hands per hour
3 Tables – 105-150 hands per hour
4 Tables – 140-220 hands per hour
1 NL or PL Table – 25-40 hands per hour
Best Tables to Hunt
$25 NL or PL tables. Maximum risk is $100, just play tight and right. Tables generally play less hands an hour, but alot more hands are raked. Between 75-80% of hands are raked, usually for as little as a dime. A decent no limit player can play on a hundred dollars, make a small profit, and clear 1400 raked hands ($200 bonus requirement) in about 7-10 hours of play.
Click Here! to setup your free Party Poker account.
Poker Stars
Next stop on the bonus hunt is Poker Stars. Poker Stars presents themselves as the "high class" poker site, and so far is doing a good job. Poker Stars is the place that poker players go when they reach a certain level where good quality games mean more than a large sign up bonus at a lesser site. Poker Stars has alot better caliber of poker players at its tables, in fact many professional players frequent the tables there, but it is beatable. Read the full Poker Stars review here.
1) Signup Bonus: Poker Stars does not have a signup bonus, but it does carry a frequent reload bonus, as well as alot of other great promotions. As a bonus hunter your should setup and account at PokerStars, deposit the minimum amount using Neteller, play a couple of hands at the low limit tables to get the feel of Poker Stars, then withdraw your account. Wait till Poker Stars is having one of their reload bonuses to make your first big deposit and begin seriously playing at Poker Stars. Making a deposit at Poker Stars also makes you eligible to take part in the large number of freerolls the site offers on a consistant basis.
2) Reload Bonuses: Poker Stars offers a very attractive reload bonus that comes every 1-2 months, this is the best time to begin playing at this site. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
Click Here! to setup your free Poker Stars account.
The Cryptologic Sites: InterPoker
Next stop on the bonus hunt is the Cryptologic sites. The Crypto's are a fairly large network of poker sites that all share the same tables, made up of a number of sites including InterPoker, William Hill, PokerPlex, Caribbean Sun, Ladbrokes, etc. Players are allowed to sign up for only one of these room and the best choice when it comes to the Crypto's is easily InterPoker.Inter Poker got its start in the U.K. and is gaining popularity all over the world. The site is known for the wild and crazy action at the tables, as well as the monthly "loyalty" bonus for its players. Read the full InterPoker review here.
1) Loyalty Bonus: InterPoker has a standing monthly bonus of $90 that they call their "loyalty bonus". The best thing about this bonus is a %100 match bonus, and it is automatic. No bonus codes to mess with,the bonus is automatically credited to your account evreytime you make your first deposit of the month. Another great thing about InterPoker, is the bonus does not expire. You can build up bonus dollars and play them off at your convience. As a frequent player at InterPoker I can tell you that the site is very solid to play at. I reccomend playing off the $90 bonus at the site every month, then move to another bonus at a different site. Bonus Requirements: Play 5 raked hands for each $1 in bonus. Making a deposit at InterPoker also makes you eligible to take part in the large number of freerolls the site offers on a consistant basis.
Click Here! to setup your free InterPoker account.
Absolute Poker
An excellent place to bonus hunt is at Absolute Poker. I would reccomend setting up an account with Absolute Poker early in your "bonus safari", due to the high volume of reload bonuses Absolute offers. Absolute Poker is easily the leader in reload bonuses, averaging a little over $8,500 in total yearly bonus value. Read the full Absolute Poker review here.
1) Signup Bonus: Absolute has a very attractive signup bonus of %35 up to $210,making it one of the largest in online poker. Follow the directions on the Absoute Poker review page to secure this bonus. Bonus Rquirements: Clear $1 in bonus for each 10 raked hands played, bonus released in quantities of $10. Making a deposit at Absolute Poker also makes you eligible to take part in a number of other promotions the site offers on a consistant basis.
For a limited time Absolute Poker has increased their signup bonus to 35% up to $350. If you use Neteller to make your first deposit they will give you a 50% up to $500 sign up bonus!
2) Reload Bonuses: Absolute Poker has more reload bonuses than any other online poker site, taking part in all of them could net you over $8,000 dollars in bonus money, per year. However, many of the reloads are only active for a couple of days, but not to worry Absolute Poker's reload bonuses are stackable, which means you can make the deposit, then take your time playing off the bonuses one at a time. As I am writing this in February of 2005, Absolute Poker has already had 6 reload bonuses this month. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
Click Here! to setup your free Absolute Poker account.
Poker Room
PokerRoom.com is another great site to bonus hunt. Poker Room is known for its “soft” games, which means games are usually very lively and easily beaten by a more cautious player. Poker Room is regarded as one the best sights in terms of look, feel, and solidarity of the graphics and player volume. Read the full Poker Room review here.
1) Signup Bonus: PokerRoom.com offers a great signup bonus exclusive only to iPokerProfit.com users and it is fairly easy to release the bonuses at Poker Room. It’s a %30 up to $150 bonus, you must setup your account using one of the links found on this site in order to receive bonus. Release requirements are 7 player points per bonus dollar to release. Player Points are obtained as follows. You obtain one point for every raked real money hand where the rake was $1.00 or more. You get 0.5 points for every raked real money hand where the rake was less than $1.00 (but more than $0.50). You do not have to contribute money to the pot to earn points, you just need to be dealt cards.
2) Reload Bonuses: Poker Room offers a consistent reload bonus every 1-2 months, each bonus being worth up to $100-150. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
Click Here! to setup your free PokerRoom.com account.
The Prima Poker Sites: Royal Vegas Poker or The Gaming Club
One of the last stops you should make on your bonus hunt is the Prima Poker sites. The Prima Poker network consists of dozens of poker sites all linked to the same network. Their sites include: Royal Vegas Poker, The Gaming Club, 7 Sultans Poker, etc. Most sites are linked to their very own online casino's, which they drive traffic to their poker room from, making for very loose tables mad up of overly agressive casino players trying to play poker. The Prima Poker network allows you to play at more than one of their sites, but you can collect bonus money on only one, so it is best to choose just one and go from there. The top two choices for the Prima Poker network are Royal Vegas Poker, and The Gaming Club. Read the full Royal Vegas Poker review here. Read the full Gaming Club review here.
Royal Vegas Poker
1) Free Bonus: Royal Vegas has a unique signup offer, they offer $10 free just for registering with them, NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED. Just download the software via this site use a valid email address and setup your account.Credited within 24 hours. No Joke, the first time I played at Royal Vegas I turned my $10 into $180 dollars over three seperate cashouts, and I still have the original $10 sitting in my account. I never made a deposit once. The minimum cashout is $50 so you have to make it to $60 then you can just request a check sent to your address. Royal Vegas Poker has a ton of large freeroll tournaments, sometimes up to 2 per day everyday. Registering an account with Royal Vegas makes you eligible to take part in those promotions as well.
1) Signup Bonus: If you decide to make a deposit at Royal Vegas, they offer a %40 up to $100 on initial deposit, via this site. Release requirements are between 7x-10x raked hands per $1.00 in bonus money. Check there website or email customer support for exact figures.
2) Reload Bonuses: Royal Vegas offers fairly frequent reload bonuses, between 4-6 per year, each worth about $100. They also offer an abundant amount of alternative promotions like freerolls, added money tournaments, seats to large televised tournaments, etc. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
The Gaming Club
1) Signup Bonus: Many people prefer to The Gaming Club due to their signup bonus. They offer a $300 bonus on a deposit of at least $20, however you must earn 300 Redemption Points for each $20 in bonus money.Redemption Points are earned by being dealt cards in hands that end up being raked being raked at least $0.25. Check the website for a full explanation of redemption points. In the past many players complained of the bonus being to hard to clear, as a reslut TGC has lessened its restrictions on clearing this signup bonus. The Gaming Club also offers new players a free entry into a $5,000 freeroll.
2) Reload Bonuses: Reload bonuses come about every couple of months, and are often worth up to $300. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
Click the Banner to setup your free Royal Vegas Poker or Gaming Club account.
Pacific Poker
Pacific Poker is the next stop on the bonus hunt. Pacific Poker is known best for their very high-action “easy to win” games. Pacific Poker is a partner in one of the largest online casino groups, CasinoOnNet, as a result loose casino customers are trafficked to the poker tables. Ring games of limit hold’em can often average between 60-80% of players seeing the flop! Read the full Pacific Poker review here.
1) Signup Bonus: Pacific Poker carries a little higher than the industry standard signup bonus, %25 up to $100. Unlike most poker room's Pacific's bonus is is given to players right away to play with. However, clearing the bonus at Pacific Poker can be a little difficult, they only allow you to play one table at a time and the release requirements are some of the toughest in the industry, wager 20x the bonus amount in order to withdraw on it, which would be $2,000 on a $100 bonus. Many players may wish to skip this poker room and go on to the next but I would reccomend trying it out without planning on clearing the bonus. Just use the bonus money to play with, some players find playing at Pacific Poker without a bonus can be more profitable than playing at another site with a bonus. After you have tried the site out, withdraw your original deposit and move onto another site.
2) Reload Bonuses: Pacific Poker offer between 4-5 reload bonuses per year, each worth $100. Be sure to be signed up to recieve their promotional emails, or check the iPokerProfit reload bonus forum often.
3) Free Poker Gifts: In addition to the sign up bonus iPokerProfit.com will send you a free poker gift for opening a new account with this poker room. Gift options include KEM Plastic Playing Cards, Poker Books, Poker Movies, and more. Click Here for details about this promotion.
Click Here! to setup your free Pacific Poker account.
Conclusion
At this point you should have more than enough poker sites in your arsenal to keep you always playing off bonus dollars. If you find yourself with periods in which you don’t have a bonus to work off of, you may wish to check the Poker Room Reviews section of this website and research additional sites to play at. Feel free to switch out sites in this guide, I would recommend research the terms and conditions of every site you sign up with, and email their customer support should you have any questions prior to signing up. Every player will develop there favorite sites to play at, but playing where the bonus action is will keep you from becoming a normal poker player and instead make you a bonus hunter. A good poker player who goes where the bonus is can be than 2-3 times more profitable than a good poker player who does not. Try not to get discouraged if you don’t like the look and feel of a site right away, give yourself time to get used to the software and remember the game is the same. I have said it a few times in this guide but being informed is an important part of bonus hunting, signup for as many news letter programs as you can, check our reload bonus forum frequently to stay up to date on bonus offers. In the event that multiple sites offer bonus offers all at the same time, find out which ones have the longest expiration periods, if any, and play them last. Overtime you will discover the additional perks at many online poker sites like special bonus offers, frequent player points that you can redeem for merchandise or free tournament entry’s, and many more promotions. Remember bonus hunting is about volume, the more hands you are dealt the more bonus dollars you will accumulate.
Click Here! to see a list of many other poker bonuses and room reviews.
Good Luck!
