The Ultimate List of the Best Online Poker Bonuses in 2023
Are you on a hunt for a poker bonus?
If so, that’s great because we know that finding the best bonus can be like finding the needle in a haystack, and hence decided to do the work for you and give you an ultimate list of the best bonuses for online poker.
It’s not all about the bonus money though, the poker rooms you can find here must pass our quality control, and the bonus needs to be offered under fair conditions for you to fully enjoy getting to your rewards.
All poker bonuses explained
With a vast variety of different poker bonuses on offer, we understand that it can be confusing for novices to understand what the proposal is, and how to take advantage of it. Every individual poker bonus could be the best for one, but less beneficial to the other player.
We are going to explain the intricacies of each particular bonus offer and how to interpret the value of it.
First deposit bonus AKA sign-up bonus, match bonus or welcome bonus
The first deposit bonus (FDB) is as the name suggest exclusively for first-time depositors.
You usually see a bonus offer like this: 100% up to $1000.
With this offer, your deposit will be matched by the “100%” up to $1000 by the poker room.This offer is by no means free bonus money and is neither instant; it is more a price reduction on the rake you pay when playing poker for real money.
The first deposit bonus always requires you to pay house fees, and when having paid the amount that is specified by the poker room, you unlock a part of your bonus. That means that every FDB is paid out in increments, requiring you to hit certain milestones in regards of how much you spend in rake. This bonus translates in most cases to a return of rake of 20%.
These bonuses become invalid if you haven’t met the wagering requirements within the specified time.
Bonus Codes
Some online poker sites offer special deals when you use a bonus code on your first deposit when signing up. Those codes are most often offered exclusively by their partners, us for example.
When using a bonus code when signing up you will get a bigger bonus than the general one that’s on offer, and sometimes you can benefit additionaly of other exclusive promotions such as freerolls.
No deposit bonus aka free poker money
A no deposit bonus is a offer where you get the chance to play poker for real money without being required to deposit.
The no deposit bonuses come with a bundle of terms and conditions as the online poker operators don’t want to be taken advantage of with their generous offer.
Most often the no deposit bonus will be given in multiple steps, and each day you receive a small part of the reward in the form of tournament tickets or cash credited into your account.
Only a few poker sites have this bonus on offer, and when they have and you claim it you must wager a certain amount of real money before being able to withdraw it.
reload bonus
A reload bonus is a consecutive deposit bonus after your initial one, and is in most cases given when a player became inactive at a poker site.
In most cases, you will have a reload bonus offer in your email box after cashing out or losing all your funds on given poker site.
The bonus comes under the same terms as the FDB with the difference that you don’t need to be a first time depositor.
freerolls
Freerolls are poker tournaments that are free to enter but have real money to win for the players ranking in top places.
The prices vary, and you can win everything in them, a luxury car, tournament tickets for major poker events and of course real money.
The free tournaments are held by either the poker site or their partners, the affiliates, to attract amateur poker players that want to practice a little before playing poker for real money.
Wagering requirements
Every poker bonus comes with terms and conditions, and wagering requirements.
Most poker sites give you player points (PPs) in exchange for paying house fees that serve to track your bonus status (and other things).
The wagering requirements of a bonus could look like this:
For every dollar in rake you pay, you get five player points.
For every 25 PPS you collect, you get a reward worth 1$ in return.
For the whole $1000 to be transferred into your account as bonus money, you will have to to pay $2500 in rake within 60days.
So basically, all that a bonus does is giving you a discount on the rake you pay.
Important considerations
We learned that bonuses are merely temporary price reductions on your paid house fees. But what if I tell you that there are “bonuses” that don’t run under the term “bonus” but are much more rewarding and are not only offered temporary but lifetime? I’m talking about “Rakeback Deals” here.
If a poker site offers Rakeback, and you claim it, you will get a “lifetime” price reduction on the rake of up to 73%! And the best thing – the poker sites offering rake back also offer first deposit bonuses which add on top of the already great rake in return rate. Check our rake back offers here!