FREE MONEY! Poker Deposit Bonus Comparison
January 6, 2009 by The Poker Jerk
Filed under Featured, Poker Room Reviews
Everyone likes FREE MONEY right? Of course they do! Free money means more money for you to lose, loser! The poker rooms know this, which is why they are willing to give you money for playing. All over this great site and others, you will find rooms offering to match your deposit, usually 100% up to around $500. Some offer more, some less, and some have several deals to chose from.
But which deals are the best? It ranges a LOT. Let me say now that in the case of deposit bonuses, bigger is NOT always better (sorry loser, size still counts in other departments).
Naturally, you can’t just deposit your money and get access to the bonus right away. No, you have to earn your bonus back, by playing in real money games and participating in tournaments. This is usually done by points – as you play, you will see your points accumulate. The points are what allow you to get your bonus money.
The problem is, the method used to calculate points varies by an absurd degree from room to room. Some rooms count points purely based on dollars raked. Some count based on how many hands you play, etc. The payout methods vary too; sometimes you will be able to claim a little bit of your bonus money at a time, sometimes you will have to earn all of your money within a certain time, or lose it all. That brings me to expiration dates – yup, you will only have a certain amount of time to earn your bonus, or you may not get a single cent back.
The problem with all these terms is that they are not always clearly defined on the websites. Some sites do a great job of explaining things, while others don’t tell you much at all. Then when you contact their support, some sites will give you an unclear answer (or no answer at all) while others will be there to help you right away.
So because you’re a lazy ass, and probably just went for the one with the biggest dollar amount, I decided to research several of the bigger poker rooms, and compare their bonus payout terms to each other. When you see the chart, you will realize how ridiculous it is…
| Max Bonus | Time Limit | 1 Point Value | Points per $ Raked | Points per Fee (% Reduction) | Bet Req? | Payout Increments | |
| Cake Poker | 100% up to $500 | 90 Days | $0.06 | $1 = 1 point (accurate to the penny) | 7:$1 (42%) | No | $10 |
| Poker Stars | 100% up to $50 | 180 Days | $0.10 | 1 for first $0.40 in <$1/$2 or heads $1 = 1 point in all others 2nd point when rake reaches $21 or $32 3rd point when rake reaches $5 | 5:$1 (50%) | Yes | Lump Sum |
Full Tilt Poker | 100% up to $600 | 120 Days | $0.06 | 1 point per dollar (3 point maximum per hand) | 7:$1 (42%) | No | $10 |
| Party Poker | 30% up to $150 100% up to $5003 | 30 Days | $0.25 | Variable: 1.25 points per 20 hands at 2c/4c No-Limit to 12 points per 20 hands at $2/$4 | 2:$1 (50%) | Lump Sum | |
| Titan Poker | 50% up to $200 100% up to $6003 | 180 Days | $0.008 | Variable (avg $1 = 3 points) | 17:$1 (13.6%) | $5 | |
| Chili Poker | 100% up to $600 or 150% up to $6004 | 60 Days | $0.025 | Variable: 1 point up to $0.50, 2 points up to $1, 3 points up to $1.50, 4 points up to $2, 6 points above that | 15:$1 (37.5%) | Yes | $1 |
Absolute Poker | 100% up to $500 | $0.0625 | Variable: 1 point per 30 hands at 2c/4c, 1 point per raked hand at $2/$4 and above | 1:$0.30 (20.8%) | No | $5 | |
Ultimate Bet | 111% up to $1100 | None | $0.05 | Variable: 1 point per hand in $1/$2 and above, down to 1 point per 20 hands in 1c/2c | 1:$0.30 (16.7%) | Yes | $5 |
| CD Poker | 100% up to $300 | 30 Days | $0.0083 | Variable depending on size of rake. Ranges between 2-3 points per $1 raked. | 15:$1 (12.45%) | No | $10 |
| Pkr – JERK50 | 50% up to $2505 | 60 Days | $0.005 | 1 point per penny contributed to rake | 100:$1 (50%) | Yes | Lump Sum |
| Pkr – JERK300 | 100% up to $3006 | 90 Days | $0.0057 | 1 point per penny contributed to rake | 100:$1 (57%) | Yes | Lump Sum |
| Pkr – JERK100 | 100% up to $6007 | 60 Days | $0.0044 | 1 point per penny contributed to rake | 100:$1 (44%) | Yes | Lump Sum |
| Pkr - JERK1000 | 100% up to $20008 | 60 Days | $0.004 | 1 point per penny contributed to rake | 100:$1 (40%) | Yes | Lump Sum |
| US-Friendly rooms are in blue 1) In shorthanded games (6 players or less) 2) In full games 3) Must use the link provided here to get this bonus (otherwise you get the crappy default bonus) 4) Minimum $100, must use Neteller or Moneybookers 5) Minimum $100 deposit, must use code JERK50 6) Minimum $50 deposit, must use Moneybookers and use code JERK300 7) Minimum $250 deposit, must use code JERK100 8) Minimum $1000 deposit, must verify identity via email, must use code JERK1000 | |||||||
Confusing enough for you? This took me days to put together. You better appreciate the effort, loser!
The ones that stand out to me are Cake Poker, for its simple point calculations and $10 increments. Also, when you deposit with a fill bonus, your time limit gets reset, giving you ample time to earn all your bonus back. This makes Cake Poker a great room for American big money players, even though they match “only” up to $500.
Ultimate Bet has no time limit, so you could potentially deposit quite a bit of money there, and earn it all back just by playing tournaments if you want. Speaking of tournaments, check out PKR’s rate when you use the JERK300 code! Based on the amount of points you get for joining a tournament, your fee is reduced by 57%! Tourney and SNG players should take note of that.
One interesting thing to note is some rooms won’t credit you with points unless you actually contribute money into the pot. If you fold pre-flop at Cake Poker, you will still get credit for at least being there. Do the same at some of the others, and you will not get any credit. PKR is intriguing, because they will give you more points the more you bet. This is something to keep in mind for the aggressive players.
Of course, none of this matters if you don’t know how long it takes to win your money back.
Now all this information is intriguing to you, I’m sure. But when it comes to comparing how good the bonus payback rates are, it’s essentially useless. I mean, how can you compare one room with points that are worth $0.06 each to one that is worth $0.008 each? That’s why I put together the table below.
This table takes a look at NL games played at various stakes levels, and will tell you how much of your bonus you will earn after 20 hands. Pot levels vary by a lot, but I just chose some arbitrary amounts. Anyway, all the rooms are on equal ground here, that’s all that matters. The actual dollar amounts shown are for comparison purposes only. For the record, the majority of online poker games have pots that are under $10.
| 10c/25c $4 pot | 1/2 Full $20 pot | 2/4 Short $40 pot | 2/4 Full $60 pot | 25/50 Short $1000 pot | 25/50 Full $1600 pot | 100/200 Full | |
Cake Poker | $0.24 | $1.20 | $2.40 | $3.00 | $2.40 | $6.00 | $5.00 |
Poker Stars | $0 | $2.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $6.00 |
Full Tilt | $0.24 | $1.20 | $2.40 | $3.60 | $3.60 | $3.60 | $3.60 |
| Party Poker | $0.502 | $2.003 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| Titan Poker | $0.03 | $0.32 | $0.96 | $1.60 | $1.60 | $1.60 | $1.60 |
| Chili Poker | $04 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
Absolute Poker | $0.31 | $0.62 | $1.25 | $1.25 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $2.50 |
Ultimate Bet | $0.20 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| CD Poker | $0.04 | $0.41 | $0.99 | $1.66 | $1.66 | $1.66 | $1.66 |
| Pkr – JERK501 | $0.20 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Pkr – JERK3001 | $0.23 | $1.14 | $2.28 | $3.42 | $3.42 | $3.42 | $3.42 |
| Pkr – JERK1001 | $0.09 | $0.88 | $1.76 | $2.20 | $2.20 | $2.20 | $2.20 |
| Pkr - JERK10001 | $0.08 | $0.80 | $1.60 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| 1) Assuming you are contributing 1/10th of the pot total over time, you must use the codes stated when making your deposit. 2) Must play a minimum of 100 hands at these stakes, pro-rated to 20 hands 3) Must play a minimum of 25 hands at these stakes, pro-rated to 20 hands 4) Minimum rake of $0.25 required before any points are given at all | |||||||
After looking at this, you should finally have a rough idea on which rooms will pay you your bonus faster (which is important, because some only give you 30 days!). If you play a lot of very low-limit games, then Party Poker is a good room to consider (their normal bonus is 30% up to $150, but if you sign up through me, you will get 100% up to $500). Party Poker is not welcoming US players, so you guys will probably want to try Cake Poker or Absolute Poker (I would go with Cake Poker, due to their better time limit and support – Absolute still hasn’t answered my question about bonus time limit, even after repeated attempts).
If you like to play in shorthanded games with 6 players or less, then I suggest playing at PKR. Since your points are based on a percentage of your contribution to a pot, your points will accumulate pretty fast when there are fewer players.
As far as middle stakes go, Party Poker is again a good choice, although again, no US players allowed there. Americans will want to try Cake Poker or Full Tilt Poker. Poker Stars looks tempting, but they only match up to 50%.
When it comes to uber high stakes poker, Cake Poker is once again a great choice. As I mentioned above. Other rooms limit your points to $3 rakes, but Cake will give you credit for points on all their rakes, even their $5 ones (a “bigger piece of the cake” as they say). Also, you do not need to bet to earn points, so they will rack up really fast in these games. Ultimate Bet is another good choice for high stakes US players, as they will match 111% up to $1000 and have no time limit.
That’s it losers, all the info is there for you to go over. If you can’t figure out the best rooms to earn your bonus in by now, there is no helping you.
This article took many hours to research and compile. I hope you will be kind enough to visit these rooms through my links if you decide to play at one of these rooms (in some cases, you will need to sign up under me to receive these particular bonuses). Don’t be a jerk! Share the wealth!
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Disclaimer: This information is accurate to the best of my knowledge. However, I can not be held responsible for any mistakes. Always check with the poker rooms terms and services, and contact them to be 100% sure of the details of their bonus programs. Also, terms can change at any time, without given notice.
Canadian players: 
European players: 
As far as I know Ultimate Bet has a time limit on getting the bonus dollars. The chart says none in the time limit column.