What is a poker bonus and why do the poker rooms give it to new players
There are a few better inducements to start playing at a new online poker room than a poker bonus. A poker bonus is typically some free money that you get when depositing at a poker room for the first time (what is generally termed an "initial deposit" or "first time deposit"). You can in fact get a poker bonus more than the initial first time deposit like a "bad beat bonus" but we'll expand on this later.
What the poker bonus offer terminology means - deciphering the poker bonus
Typically a poker bonus is a percentage % of your initial deposit that is fixed to a capped amount. ie perhaps 200% up to £1000 or 100% up to $500. So in the case of 100% up to $500 if you deposited $500 your bonus would be a match bonus of $500 or if the bonus offer was 200% up to £1000 then if you deposited initially £1000 then your bonus matched amount would be £2000. Ok this all seems easy so far but everything is not all it seems. Here are a few hard general facts of getting that tempting poker bonus offer to be in your pocket and not a headline grabber..... Ok so here's the real deal. Most bonus offers are released back to your online wallet on the idea you have to play a certain amount of raked hands before the bonus is released and even then the bonus may only be released in parts once a target has been made. ie in the case of that juicy initial poker bonus offer of 200% up to £1000 .... well you might see that bonus but only in stages or parts - say £100 for playing 200 raked hands. Oh and one more thing ..... you may have to achieve these bonus release targets within a certain time frame ie within the first 60 days of that initial deposit. The poker rooms are no fools and know that most first time depositor players will not achieve their bonus target to release the bonus money and therefore can offer incredulous bonus offer deals.
Top 10 Poker Bonuses
| # | Poker Room | Bonus | Bonus Code | Description | Rating/Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
$1000 + $25 FREE | UK625 | 200% up to $1000 Free Bonus + FREE $25 CASH! (Exclusive - you will not get this anywhere else!) |
Titan Poker - Review |
| 2 |
 |
$500 or $50 FREE | HOT500 or HOT50 |
Sign up NOW and get 100% bonus up to $500. or Get $50 on your first deposit |
Party Poker - Review |
| 3 |
 |
$600 | GET600NOW | Get 100% up to $600 FREE |
Full Tilt Poker - Review |
| 4 |
 |
$600 | Play Now | Free 100% Bonus up to $600 FREE |
PokerStars - Review |
| 5 |
 |
£200 | Play Now | Get 100% up to £200 bonus. |
Pacific Poker - Review |
| 6 |
 |
£200 | Play Now | Get 100% up to £200 FREE |
Mansion Poker - Review |
| 7 |
 |
$2000 | Play Now | Get 100% up to $500 FREE! |
Ladbrokes Poker - Review |
| 8 |
 |
1000€ | UK2000 | 100% Welcome bonus up to $2000! |
PKR Poker - Review |
What is clearing an online poker bonus?
You will almost certainly need to play a fixed amount of raked poker hands within a fixed time limit in order to receive all or part of your initial poker bonus offer. Some poker rooms may release the bonus all in one go or others may do it in incremental parts. For example it might take playing 500 raked hands of poker within 30 days of your initial deposit to receive all of the promised bonus or it might be that you get 20% of your poker bonus once you have played 100 raked hands ie 100/500 = 1/5 or 20%. Generally the quickest and smartest way to clear a poker bonus is to play multi-table games of micro-limit raked poker hands though be careful as there is sometimes as high as a standard 3% hand rake with a limit of $3 at some poker rooms but that is rarely reached in low pot games so you can possibly be paying a very high relative percentage which can eat into your bankroll so it is essential to maintain a good bankroll management. Another bonus of playing these micro-limit raked games is that the competition is generally weak and you will probably increase your bankroll in the process though play tight as these low limit players can be very unpredictable. One of the biggest mistakes that people have is to start playing at high stake tables in the misconception that this will clear the bonus qualification the fastest - this is not always the case and it may just deplete your bankroll to the point where you can't complete the bonus which would be a total waste of your first deposit bonus.
Choosing the best poker welcome bonus - Big isn't always better for a poker bonus
Not all poker bonus's are the same ... even from the same poker room. What might seem like the dream poker bonus with a large pay off and double your money payout it might just be that you don't have time to complete the bonus clearance which can be costly considering some maximum poker bonus deposits can be up to $2000. Investigate and read carefully all the terms and conditions from each poker room on how you will be able to release each poker bonus, how soon you will get some of the bonus back and how long in total you have until to complete all the necessary requirements to clear your bonus. If you do your research then you will certainly find the big best poker bonus for your needs.
