One of the most powerful marketing tools used in the online gambling industry is bonuses. They are used to attract new players and retain the regulars. Online poker rooms are no exception – they, too, use bonuses to give a boost to newcomers and keep the existing players happy.
Still, the way bonuses are marketed and what they consist of differs from site to site. Simply put, every bonus has some rules that you need to take into account before claiming it to get the most out of it.
These rules serve to protect poker rooms and casinos. If they were to give bonus money freely, they would go bankrupt pretty quickly. Therefore, to get a hold of your bonus money, you need to read the Terms and Conditions of the bonus.
In this USA online poker article, we will talk about the three things you need to pay attention to when choosing an online bonus. Let’s check them out!
Wagering Requirements
Once you make a deposit and receive bonus money, it is locked in your “bonus” balance, and the only way to unlock them is to meet the wagering requirements. For example, if the wagering requirements are 10x and you received $100 as a bonus, you’ll have to wager $1,000 before you can withdraw it.
This is the standard operating procedure for online casinos. However, in online poker rooms, there’s a bit different approach. Namely, your bonus money is unlocked as you collect points.
For example, to unlock $1 and transfer it to your real-money balance, you need to collect 10 points, and each point is worth $1 in rake or tournament fees. In other words, for every real money $10, you’ll unlock $1.
Therefore, make sure to read how much points are worth and how many points you need to unlock your bonus. It’s all written down in the T&Cs section.
Expiry Dates
Bonuses tend to expire after some time. For example, you can have a 30-day timeframe to unlock your bonus money, or it will expire. Pay attention to that and try to unlock as much bonus money as possible before it goes void.
Minimum and Maximum Limits
Bonuses are only activated if you deposit above the minimum required limit. For example, if the limit is $25 and you deposit less than that, you’ll not trigger the bonus.
The maximum limit refers to how much money you can receive in bonuses, so pay close attention to that as well.
We made a list of the best easy poker bonuses — feel free to check them out and select the one you like the most.