While a casino may provide a patron with a complimentary room, only an online casino can fatten your wallets with cold, hard cash. While poker is about increasing your odds against your opponents, luck is still involved, and there are times where even a dominant hand can be outdrawn on the river. Online poker bonuses can supply you with the extra padding to your bankroll that will help you combat the vagaries of luck.
All online poker rooms offer a variety of bonuses to entice a customer to create an account. Most online poker will offer a matching bonus or higher based on the initial deposit, with a limit of $500. For example, a 200% bonus on a $250 deposit will net you a $500 poker deposit bonus, as will a deposit of $300. However, before you can cash out that $500, you are required to either play a requisite number of raked hands in cash games, or invest a specified dollar amount in tournament play. The rake is a nominal fee that the online casino takes off every pot. The exact number can vary, but generally the rake is about five percent. Tournament play often comes with a ten percent surcharge in addition to the buy-in.
Poker deposit bonus limits are put in place in order to prevent a person from creating an account and immediately withdrawing their funds for a profit. Typically, online poker bonuses are cleared for release after you play ten raked hands for every dollar. For this reason a poker deposit bonus based on a percentage might be more attractive than a match bonus, allowing you to quickly clear the funds and withdraw should you choose to.
An initial poker deposit bonus is not the only way to generate extra cash. Other online poker bonuses include rakebacks, which give a player a refund on a portion of the rake. Some sites offer a lower initial deposit bonus, but make up for it by offering bonuses on subsequent deposits. The intention here is to foster loyalty among their customers, and steer away bonus hunters simply looking to capitalize on an initial deposit.
Regardless of the type of online poker bonus you receive, the key to clearing a deposit is patience and attrition. If you only plan on playing a few hands, you should consider the bonus irrelevant when choosing a poker site. On the other hand, if you are a grinder, a good poker deposit bonus can provide the extra edge that can often be the difference in whether you finish in the black.