Best Poker Site Offers
Many online poker sites offer free rolls that open to all players without any requirements. Other sites require a number of player points or raked hands in order to qualify for the event. Freeroll tournaments have exploded in popularity over the past 15 years, as new players or experienced players with limited bankrolls compete for a prize pool. The best professional Rakeback deals come in the form of a bonus system, and reward you proportional to your paid rake, with the option to increase that rake in return number by reaching the, by the poker site, pre-set milestones. The best rakeback offers for recreational poker players come flat which means: you are not required to do anything.
If you choose a new poker site, the poker bonus offered is a key decision criterion. In this comparison we explain how poker bonuses work and list the best poker bonuses in 2020.
Poker sites ranked by deposit bonus rating
This is our objective ranking of all big poker sites by their deposit bonus:
Please note that we list Full Tilt Poker at the bottom solely because it’s the same platform as PokerStars and you cannot claim the bonus on both sites.
Best Poker Bonus Comparison – Our Criteria
For our bonus ranking we ONLY take the deposit bonus and bonuses into account that are available to new players.
Virtually all other poker comparison sites simply rank by bonus amount. We don’t. Because the bonus amount doesn’t tell the whole story. We take 4 criteria into account when rating a poker bonus. That’s why our poker bonus rating is a very string indicator about the quality.
This is how we rank the first deposit bonuses:
Our Poker Bonus Comparison Criteria
- Bonus Amount: The raw amount of money certainly is an important criteria to rank any bonus.
- Difficulty to clear: For virtually all poker bonuses you have to generate X amount of rake to receive Y amount of bonus money (for example on PokerStars you need to generate $36 rake to receive $10 bonus). The ratio between those two numbers is the effective cashback players receive while clearing the bonus (in the PokerStars example the effective cashback is 28%). Higher effective cashback is always better.
A good bonus has an effective cashback of 20% or more. - Time to clear: Players need time to clear the bonus. The best bonus is worthless if you’re not given the necessary time to clear it.
A good bonus gives players at least 2 months to clear before it expires. - Additional value: Some operators add some extra incentives for new players. TonyBet for example hands out a €10 tournament ticket for new depositing players. We consider those values as well when rating the bonus.
The exact formula for our deposit bonus rating is:
where
r: Deposit bonus rating on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars (capped at 5 stars).
a: Bonus amount (capped at $1,800)
c: Effective cashback while clearing the bonus (capped at 100%)
t: Time to clear the bonus (in days, capped at 90 days)
v: Additional value via tokens or tickets (value between 0 and 1 – for most operator this is 0).
Poker Bonus Codes (December 2020)
Most poker providers don’t use bonus codes anymore and credit bonuses simply with the first deposit. There are some exceptions though:
Overview: Poker Bonus Types
There are numerous different technical terms in the world of online poker bonuses. In this section we explain the most important bonus types:
Welcome Bonus
“Welcome Bonus” is simply the name for all sorts of bonuses specifically for players new to a platform. Such a welcome bonus can come in the form of a few free tournament tickets, a little money or another bonus (usually a deposit bonus).
First Deposit Bonus
Almost all poker sites in ’2020’ will not give you any bonus at all unless you deposit. A bonus that is claimed with the first deposit is called a First Deposit Bonus. In most cases, the deposit must be at least €20 for the bonus to be unlocked. There are different kinds of first deposit bonuses.
Match Bonus
The Match Bonus is the most common bonus available on poker sites (and usually online casinos as well). Such a bonus can look like this:
- 100% up to $600
This means that 100% of the amount of the first deposit will be credited as a bonus – players basically double their first deposit.
However, this bonus cannot be accessed immediately, but must first be cleared. We will explain how exactly this works below.
Free Play Bonus
Quite often, a few free tournament tickets are given to new players who make a first deposit. For example, PokerStars offers a handful of free Spin & Go tickets when a new player deposits at least $30. These bonuses are becoming increasingly popular and many casinos also offer free spins on slot machines for first-time payers (William Hill for example). While the free spins at casinos are usually subject to complicated conditions, the poker free spins can usually be used unconditionally.
No Deposit Bonus
Very few poker sites today still offer no deposit bonuses. These are called “No Deposit Bonus” and currently only 888poker has such a bonus (see section below about the free 888 bonus).
Generally speaking: If you want to play poker for real money, you should also be willing to deposit at least a small amount, otherwise you are simply not valuable enough for the poker providers and they wont hand out any bonuses to players that are not valuable to them.
Exclusive bonus
An exclusive bonus is a special offer, which is usually linked to the player signing up to a provider via a specific site. In the online poker world this term should always be treated with some caution. Many affiliate sites advertise special “exclusive bonuses” they claim to have with poker sites. More often than not though, they just offer the standard bonuses everyone else offers as well.
Reload Bonus
Some poker sites have promotions where existing players can also benefit from a deposit bonuses. These bonuses are called “Reload Bonus” and are almost always a match bonus. This is how providers want to create incentives for players to deposit more money or to start playing again
Refer-a-Friend Bonus
Some poker sites still offer so-called refer-a-friend bonuses. Here you get some money when you get a friend to sign up for the poker site. However, these offers are now very rare. Of the big providers, only 888 currently have such a bonus and at least for the advertised friend the normal bonus is much more lucrative.
VIP Bonus
For existing players, there is some sort VIP program on virtually all poker sites that rewards frequent play. This bonus is called VIP Bonus. The quality ranges from almost worthless (e.g. stars & 888) to more than 50% cashback (e.g. TonyBet).
How does a match bonus work?
Let’s take a closer look at the most important poker bonus, the match bonus. It could look like this, for example:
This means that 100% of the first deposit will be 100% added as extra bonus money (capped at $600).
This is what the bonus would look like depending on the deposit:
Terms of a Match Bonus
A match bonus has two important factors and is subject to several conditions. We’ll briefly explain the most important points:
- Bonus Amount: The maximum amount for the bonus. In our example this is $600.
- Match: How many percent of your deposit will be added as a bonus. In our example, that’s 100%. But there are also bonuses where, for example, 200% of the deposit is credited as a bonus.
- Clearing requirements: Every bonus needs to be cleared, before the money can be withdrawn. To do this, you have to play cash games or tournaments for real money.
- Clearing steps: All bonuses come with terms like: $10 bonus will be released per 250 Players Points earned.
For every dollar you generate in rake you get a certain number of players points (they might come in different names, depending on each platform). For example, this could be 5 points per dollar rake. In our example, you would have to generate $50 rake in order to get a bonus of $10. - Clearing time: All bonuses are only valid for a certain time period – usually between 30 and 120 days. Any bonus money that has not been unlocked will simply expire thereafter.
Which Poker Bonus is easiest to clear in 2020?
Let’s take a look a the poker bonuses that have the easiest requirements:
Easy to clear poker bonuses
The following 3 bonuses are exceptionally easy to clear:
- PokerStars: $10 bonus per $36 rake (28% cashback)
» PokerStars Bonus (Review) - Natural8: $5 bonus per $20 rake (25% cashback)
» Natural8 Bonus (Review) - TonyBet: $10 bonus per $40 rake (25% cashback)
» TonyBet Bonus (Review)
How to spot a good poker bonus?
The bonus requirements and terms & conditions can be a bit difficult to understand and especially as a beginner you can quickly be completely overwhelmed by all those percentages, comp points, player points and other modalities.
First: You cannot go wrong picking a poker site from the top of the list above. We read all the small print so that you don’t necessarily have to.
But if you want to unterstand how poker bonuses work, in this section we will explain which keywords you have to pay attention to in order to find a good bonus:
Good Poker Bonus Terms
Simple Terms and Conditions
On the bonus page, the terms and conditions are always shown. They should be short, concise, unambiguously and without any weird sounding modalities.
In a perfect world, the conditions fit on a coaster.
Fair Clearing Requirements
A match bonus should always be easy to clear. All providers explain how to unlock the bonus. For example, PokerStars: “You’ll earn five points per $1, which you pay as a rake or tournament fee. Whenever you’ve reached 180 points, we’ll credit your Stars account $10.”
A little math shows that you get every $10 bonus for every $36 dollars rake. That is fair.
Generally speaking, all rates of less than $50 rake per $10 bonus are fair.
Enough time to clear the bonus
Players should always have at least 60 days to unlock a match bonus, 90 days are even better.
Thus you have a chance to clear as much of the bonus as possible, even if you don’t play huge volumes.
There are providers that advertise a bonus of $1,000 and only give you 30 days to clear it (TigerGaming for example). Such a bonus very bad, despite advertising a 4 digit bonus amount.
No hidden cash-out conditions
Once you have cleared a match bonus you should get the money, no strings attached. In the past, there were some providers who demanded that the money cleared must be wagered so and so often before it can be withdrawn.
Fortunately, virtually all poker providers nowadays don’t have such hidden cash out conditions and they all allow to withdraw any winnings without further conditions.
About the $88 free bonus from 888poker
888poker offers a special bonus on top of their standard deposit bonus: $88 free without deposit.
Please note that this bonus is incredibly difficult to clear.
Technically, new players can receive up to $88 without having to deposit a single penny. But the terms and conditions of this bonus make it an extremely difficult endeavor to actually clear the bonus.
Only the first $8 of the bonus are really free. They’re credited over seven days in the form of fourteen $0.50 tourney tickets plus $1 in cash.
The remaining bonus is released in steps of $8 per $125 rake generated. This is a ridiculous requirement. Given that players trying to build up a bankroll from nothing will start playing micro stakes, they will needs weeks, probably months to accumulate this amount of rake.
There’s also a catch to the initial $8 of this free bonus. Any amount won using this bonus can only be withdrawn after the player has generated at least $10 in rake.
We have 2020 and there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch in online poker.
Meaning: Don’t expect free no deposit bonuses that you can easily clear or withdraw. To receive anything valuable, you should be willing to deposit some money first.
Tips: How to make the most out of your Poker Bonus
- Bigger bonus doesn’t always mean better bonus: Son’t let the poker providers fool you. Just because a bonus advertises with a larger number, it doesn’t have to be better than a smaller bonus.
For casual players, a free spin bonus worth $30 is almost always worth more than a match bonus of $2,000. The free tournament tickets are directly available with the deposit without any conditions. For the match bonus on the other hand you will probably have to generate thousands of dollars of rake to clear it completely. This is unrealistic for the vast majority of players. - Read the rules: We only list poker providers with fair bonus terms. Nevertheless, you should always take a look at the conditions and check whether you can clear the bonus. Especially when it comes to match bonuses, you should pay attention to the clearing rate and the time you have to clear the bonus.
- Don’t forget the bonus tickets: Very often, free tourney tickets are unlocked over the course of several days and expire quickly. You should use these tickets immediately after receiving the bonus, otherwise they are gone.
- Choose the right games and limits: If you want to unlock a match bonus, you have to generate rake. You don’t do that (or at least not enough) if you only play three tournaments once every Sunday. If you want to unlock a match bonus, you should either play a lot of tournaments or, even better, cash games.
- Pay attention to your bankroll: The most beautiful bonus is useless if you lose your deposit because you play stakes that are far too high for your bankroll. When clearing a bonus, you should always pay attention to your bankroll and not play above it.
Poker Bonus FAQ
Where do you get the best poker bonus in 2020?
The best bonuses in 2020 are offered by TonyBet ($2,150), PokerStars ($30 free) and Betsson ($€2.000). All three of those bonuses are very easy to clear.
Where can I find the best poker bonus codes?
Most poker sites don’t use bonus codes anymore, but simply tie bonuses to the deposit directly. You can find all exception and bonus codes in our Bonus Code Section.
Are there any good no deposit bonuses?
The only poker site with a no deposit bonus is 888. They offer $88 free for new players. But the bonus is exceedingly difficult to clear and for most players not worth the hassle.
Why do poker sites offer bonuses in the first place?
Bonuses are used to attract new players and give customers an incentive to deposit money. Usually bonuses are a win for the poker site and player as well since both gain something from it.
I forgot to enter the bonus code, what do I do?
If a bonus is tied to a bonus code and you forgot to enter the code or entered the wrong one, the only way to correct this issue is to send a message to the support team. If it was your first deposit and you have not used any other bonus codes before, they will most likely be able to help you out.
How can I withdraw bonus money?
Before you can withdraw bonus money, you have to clear it. Usually you have to generate between $30 and $100 rake (depending on the poker site) to clear $10 bonus.
Table Of Contents
Are you looking for the best poker bonus to play online for real money and challenge other players in games of Texas hold'em and Omaha poker? You are not alone.
This page doesn't list all the online poker bonuses under the sun. We are PUMPED to announce that this new collection of poker offers features only the best poker bonuses to play online and access the most exciting real money games out there.
Continue reading to discover:
- and lots more
In other words, if you are looking for the best online poker bonuses in 2020, you'll love this page.
Top Online Poker Bonuses in 2020
Bonus Spotlight
GG Poker
Right now, GG Poker provides a bonus of up to $100 in tickets for World Series of Poker satellite events. You can deposit at least $20 to get up to $100 in tickets. The site offers a 100% match bonus on your first deposit.
The tickets will be released to your account in a few days. If you have $100 in free tickets, $60 will be released over the first six days on your site. You can earn the remaining $40 in your bonus by completing challenges in the All-in or Fold games on the GG Poker website.
These include points where you have to win enough matches, or you have to attain certain things while you are playing. The site will provide details on what you need to do to meet these bonus requirements.
PartyPoker
PartyPoker is one of the oldest online poker sites around. When you register to play here, you get a first deposit bonus where if you add $10 to your account, you get $30 in free play tickets.
The bonus is good for most of the games on the site. You should ensure you use your free tickets soon, as they will expire seven days from the issue. But there are also plenty of games available where you can wager enough funds to cover everything.
The tickets are good for use on SPINS games on the site. The SPINS games are three-handed sit and go tournaments where a wheel will decide the value of the prize pool before the game starts.
You could potentially compete for a first prize total of $1 million depending on how much you spend on your ticket and whether the wheel lands on the 12,000x multiplier.
PokerStars
The next of the online poker bonuses on the list comes from PokerStars. You can choose one of two bonuses when you sign up for the website.
First, you can deposit $20 or more to get $30 in free play tickets. The offer is a traditional welcome bonus for tickets that you can use on many games.
Second, you can choose a different reward that offers a welcome bonus worth 100% of your first three deposits for the first sixty days after you sign up.
You can get up to $600 in free money through this offer. This second choice is for people who are looking to stick around for a while.
888Poker
You can get up to $400 in free money for use at 888Poker through the first deposit bonus available on the site.
Deposit $10 or more with the promo code WELCOME100 to get a 100% bonus of up to $400. The free money is good for use at freeroll games and poker tournaments.
But you will have to play through the poker games to release the extra funds. You will get $10 from your welcome bonus every time you collect 100 bonus points.
You will get two points for every dollar you spend on poker tournament fees and for every dollar you contribute to a poker ring game. You'll also get a point for every $10 you wager on casino games at the site, provided you are playing these games through your poker account.
Unibet Poker
Unibet offers an online casino and sportsbook to go alongside its poker room. But the first deposit bonus for the poker room is different from the other rewards available on the site.
The Best Online Poker Sites
Unlike most other first deposit poker bonuses, Unibet provides a no-deposit bonus. You'll get $20 in free money when you create an account. You may be limited as to what games you can play with your free money bonus and how much you can win at a time.
You can then get a welcome bonus of up to $200 depending on how much you deposit. You'll get a 100% match bonus on your first deposit.
You can then use your funds to enter various outstanding tournaments. You can enter events for the chance to qualify for the Unibet Open, among other competitions.
Bet365 Poker
The welcome offer at Bet365 Poker is 100% bonus of up to $100 on your first deposit. You must provide at least $10 for your first deposit to utilize this offer. You may also require a bonus code, but that code will vary based on your country or state, if you play from the United States.
You would also have to play through the bonus funds at least fifteen times before you can withdraw anything.
What Is a Poker Bonus?
Online poker bonuses are available through many websites that offer poker games. A poker bonus is a reward given to people who sign up to play games on a specific website. Poker bonuses exist to encourage people to play games and showcase the many things a poker rooms offers. Players can use these funds for various assets.
Types of Poker Bonuses
You can enjoy one of many quality poker deposit bonuses while you play online. These are offers that should be noted when you're looking for a great deal.
There are various rules surrounding what is open, so you should be aware of what you might find when looking for something of value. You should also review the rules for whatever you wish to collect, as every site has unique terms to note.
Match Bonus
A match bonus is the most common offer you'll find through an online poker room. Deposit bonuses work in that you will deposit a specific amount of money on a site.
You will then get bonus money based on the site's rules. For instance, you could deposit $50 and get a 100% match bonus, thus giving you $100 for play.
You will have to note a few things surrounding a match bonus. These rules should be open on the site you visit, but it does help to see what is open:
- How much do you have to deposit before you can qualify for the deposit bonus?
- Is this good for a first deposit bonus, or can it work for multiple deposits?
- What is the match rate? The rate is 100% in most cases, but it may be lower.
The match offer is a reliable choice, plus it gives you a great way to start playing anywhere. Check your website of interest to see what match bonuses are available where you wish to play.
No Deposit Bonus
It is one of the best online poker bonus options you can find. This is different from other online poker bonuses in that you don't have to place a deposit on a site to collect the pffer.
You will register for an account and then collect the free money for poker play. You don't have to spend any money on the no deposit bonus. You should review a few points surrounding how you can use your no deposit bonus:
- How much will you get out of your bonus? You might only get a few dollars.
- What poker games can you participate in with your bonus? There may be limits on what games you can play.
- How much can you win? You could be subject to a limit on how much you can win with your no deposit bonus money.
- Do you have to play through the bonus a few times? For example, you might get a $10 bonus with a 30x playthrough rate. That means you'd have to play through the value 30 times, meaning you have to bet $300 to withdraw anything.
You might also have to provide some payment information to the site to confirm your identity. You would not be charged anything when you do this and you collect your no deposit reward. But the data will be saved, so you can complete a real money deposit in moments when the time comes.
Tournament Tickets
A tournament ticket may be offered among first deposit poker bonuses. A ticket is a voucher that you can use to join a tournament. There are many rules to note for a ticket, including:
- The value of the ticket
- The type of tournament you can enter
- The number of tickets you can get, or how many entries you'll have for play
The rules for these tournaments will vary by each site. It is possible that you could win a great deal of money in a tournament, although this is all based on your skills and how well things can work.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses occur after the first deposit. You will collect your money off of a deposit you utilize to add more money to your account.
The offer is for people who stick around on a site and enjoy playing here, plus it encourages loyalty.
Reload bonuses aren't as substantial as first deposit poker bonuses. Whereas a first deposit bonus would entail a 100% match, a reload bonus might be worth 50 or 75%.
There might also be a limit over how much money you could collect. You might get up to $50 on a reload bonus instead of $100 or so. But a reload bonus will give you a great opportunity to play with more money, especially if you are satisfied with the website.
VIP Bonus
You can qualify for a VIP bonus if you stick around a website long enough and earn reward points. The offer can be the best online poker bonus for any player, what with it often having better terms than many welcome deposit bonuses.
You would earn a VIP bonus based on one of these factors:
- You might need to wager enough money in poker matches to qualify for the reward.
- The value of your reward might be higher if you spend more money on the site.
- People who complete more deposits on the site may also qualify for these extras.
You have to review the VIP bonus rules on your site when seeing what the rules are and that you have an idea of what you can do to qualify for them. Most places will automatically place you in the VIP club, but you might have to put in the effort depending on what you wish to utilize.
Referral Bonus
You can also utilize a referral bonus through some websites. A referral bonus works with a few steps:
- You will send a link to someone encouraging that person to sign up for a poker room.
- The person will sign up for an account through your link.
- The new member will deposit money and play on the site.
- You will collect a reward based on how much the player deposits and how much that person spends.
The terms for collecting a referral bonus vary, as your friend would have to deposit enough funds and play through them before you can collect anything. The total you will gather from the bonus will also vary by offer. The website can provide details on what you'll get from your work.
What Are the Playthrough Requirements and Why They Are Important
The best online poker bonus may include some playthrough requirements. These are rules where you have to play through your bonus funds enough times before you can withdraw the money.
These rules apply to ensure people who sign up and deposit funds aren't going to take out the free money right away.
The playthrough rule might entail going through the bonus value a few times. The total can vary by site.
Are Poker Bonuses Good or Not?
Poker bonuses are great for how they provide players with the opportunity to try out different poker sites. These deposit poker bonuses and other offers can help new players get started in enjoying online poker.
These bonuses also make the online poker industry more competitive. Every website will aim to produce the best online poker bonus, giving more rewards to new members. There's no limit as to what these virtual rooms can offer when producing the best bonuses around.
FAQs
You can use your bonus funds to play real money, although that depends on how much you have. You should review the value of your bonus and how much it would cost to enter a game.
Best Poker Sites Us Players
The best online poker bonus is the one that fits your desire. You should look at how great a poker bonus is based on:
- how much you have to deposit
- what you will get in return
- the terms and conditions
- and any other rules that apply.
Anything that provides entries to specific tournaments is always worthwhile.
Not all poker rooms require bonus codes for when you're claiming a bonus. You can automatically get a bonus off of most places. But others might require a bonus code that you can enter when funding your account.
You can review a virtual poker website to see what bonus codes are necessary for an offer. You could also look around third-party sites to see what bonus codes are open, but there's no guarantee that the information you will find is accurate.
You can only collect a signup bonus once. You will have to sign up for the site and provide your contact info and payment data. You cannot establish a second account with the website to collect more bonus money.
You could still get a bonus from referring people to the site. Reload bonuses are also available in some places.
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The playthrough rules are terms associated with wagering enough money on poker games before you can collect your bonus. You must play through the bonus enough times before it can become real money that you can withdraw later.
Gaming websites have these requirements to ensure people don't abuse the free money offers at these places.
Best Poker Site Offers Site
Best Poker Site Offers Yahoo
You can contact the help desk at the poker website you are on if you did not receive your bonus. Explain to the help desk what happened and provide information on your account and the deposit method.
Most cases where people are missing their bonuses come from people forgetting to complete their deposits as necessary.