• Those who play poker in online card rooms enjoy the game because it can be played from anywhere and there are always thousands of opponents to play against.  Over the last few years online poker has become a large business enterprise.  The competition between individual online sites means that they have to employ attractive offers to generate new clients. One method that online poker companies use is bonuses.  A bonus is an excellent way for a novice to begin building a bankroll and learn how to make money from the game.  There are two primary types of bonuses that online card rooms extend to their clients:  deposit bonuses and free money bonuses.  It is important to know the difference between the two types and how a player can benefit from both.

    Deposit Bonuses

    Nearly all of the current online card rooms offer a deposit bonus to new players or those wishing to add money to their accounts.  When a new player decides to join the game by making a deposit, the site will match a percentage of the deposit.  These bonuses range anywhere from a paltry 15% to a whopping 200%.  If a player deposited $200 with a 50% bonus, they would receive $300 ($200 + ($200*0.50)=$300).  However, if they deposited $200 with a 200% bonus, they would receive $600 ($200 + ($200*2.00)=$600).  Each deposit bonus has a maximum amount that can be deposited to receive the bonus, but it is easy to see the difference between bonus levels.

    On the other hand, there is a downside.  This additional money is not adder directly to the player’s account, but is released in increments of as little as $5 as the player earns points based on the stakes and number of hands being played.  In addition, a time limit is placed on the release of the bonus.  So it is possible to lose all the deposited money before the full bonus has been earned.  Another case would be that all the bonus money is not realized because the player does not complete the bonus before the expiration of the limited time period.

    Free Money Bonuses

    Free money bonuses are quite different in that they are added to a player’s account as soon as the initial deposit has been made.  The amount of the bonus can be a fixed amount of money or it can be a percentage of the amount being deposited, depending on which site is being used.

    Using free money bonuses, the money immediately belongs to the player without any certain number of hands to be played or points to be earned.  Opposite to the deposit bonuses where you could lose all the deposited money before you see one penny of the deposit, free money bonuses belong to the player before they even start playing.  When making an initial deposit, players should compare sights to see where they can receive the best deal and the one that they are most comfortable with.

    Related posts:

    1. Selecting a Poker Room
    2. Knowing Poker Bankroll Requirements
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