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Beginners Guide – Bonuses |
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Browsing on your Mobile Phone?
(Mobile version of this website) Beginners Guides: |
Why
use bonuses? Although
in recent years I haven’t done much “bonus hunting” (due to becoming a father
with MUCH less free-time), I made profit EVERY YEAR for 10 years (2001-2010) only due to my use of bonuses! Some
players don’t like bonuses because your money gets “tied in” with the WR (see
below) and in most cases you can’t cash-out until that is completed. But I do
like them for 3 main reasons:
Bonuses
are 'cash' incentives offered by the casinos to entice new players (Sign-Up
Bonus (SUB)), and to encourage existing customers to re-deposit over and over
again (Monthly or On-going Bonuses). These
days many casinos have good SUB's, but only a handful have decent ongoing
offers which forces 'bonus players' to move from casino to casino just
collecting the sign-up bonus & then moving on. I do not understand
the mentality of these casinos, because I would think they would want to try
harder to keep existing players, but that's the way it is, so that's the way
we have to play it. There
are a few exceptions of course, places like 32Red and Videoslots who do have
extremely good ongoing bonuses, cash-back and other offers for their loyal
players. Wagering
Requirements (WR) Now
obviously the casinos do not just hand out cash and let you walk off with it
- you have to 'earn' it by meeting certain Wagering Requirements
(WR). This involves Wagering a set amount of money on specified
games. e.g. If you played 10 hands of BlackJack at $10 per hand, won half
& lost half, your bank balance would be the same as when you started but
you will have wagered $100. Pay
particular attention as to whether the WR is just deposit or bonus xN,
or (deposit+bonus) xN. For
example, a typical good welcome bonus (found at the better casinos) is a 100%
match on your deposit with a WR of Bx30, Cashable. This means on a deposit of
$100 you would to have to wager $3,000 on any games which count at 100%
before you can cash-out the bonus money. (Many games count at lower %s). The
Wagering Requirement or 'Turnover' required can vary from as little as 15
times your Deposit+Bonus (as at Superior
Casino); up to 60 or even more times D+B. I rarely, if ever, touch
anything over (D+B)x20 as the chances of meeting WR with ANY money left are
very slim. It
is very important that you fully understand what the WR is before
claiming any bonuses, both in terms of how much you need to wager, and which
games you are allowed to play. The casinos carefully set up the WR
conditions so that in the majority of cases you should theoretically lose
most or the entire bonus by the time you complete them. But remember, in any
month if you play 3 casinos and break even (cash out your deposit), and
at 3 other casinos you double your deposit, you're quids in! Types
of Bonus:- Cashable,
Flexible, Casumo, Safety-Net, Post-Wager, Sticky & Phantom Always
look very carefully to see what type of bonuses the casino is offering: Cashable:
Usually
the best deal; the bonus credit is added to your account balance automatically
on deposit, or shortly after you claim it.
As soon as you complete the WR, the entire account balance is yours to
keep. Flexible:
First
introduced by most MG casinos, this bonus is a mixture of Cashable &
Phantom. Unfortunately many casinos have trouble describing how it works, but
it’s actually very simple; The bonus funds are added to your account and are
initially all phantom. As you wager
the bonus credits are converted into real cash reducing the amount of
‘phantom’ chips. With some you can
cash-out at ANY time without having to complete the full WR, but from early
2007 most casinos require you to complete the full WR on sign-up bonuses. When
you do cash-out any remaining bonus chips are removed from your account and
lost forever. This
is great because if you hit a good early streak or big slot win you are not
committed to huge WR! Casumo
Bonus:
I can’t think of a catchy name for this unique system – so I have named it
after the only casino that (as far as I am aware) has it - Casumo Casino! Unlike
other casinos, when you wager with a bonus in play both real cash & bonus
cash are bet at the same time. E.g. If you took a 100% bonus, each bet will
be made up of 50% real cash & 50% bonus cash – and any wins you get are
paid out in the same proportion. If
you complete the full WR required, everything becomes cash you can withdraw. BUT, you can cash-out at ANY TIME before completing
WR and just forfeit the bonus chips.
This means your own cash is
never tied in to any WR. So
this system is great, even for player who don’t normally like to take
bonuses: just deposit your normal amount and play your normal games, but at
DOUBLE your normal stake. If you win you can cash-out anytime, losing the
bonus chips which weren’t really yours to start with. If you make the WR, you
really do get a BONUS! Casumo Terms & Conditions apply. Safety-Net:
I
had to add this new type of bonus after first discovering it at a casino in
February 2014. With
this one the bonus funds are added to your account as with cashable. When you
start playing, you use your deposited funds first; if you have a good win you
can cash-out without doing the WR, but your bonus funds are forfeit. Only
if you lose your deposited amount do you start wagering with the bonus chips,
and then you MUST finish the WR to convert your bonus chips and winnings from
them into cashable real money. Note:
At some casinos the wagering with your deposit does count towards WR, at
others it does not – please CAREFULLY check the bonus T&Cs at your chosen
casino. Because
this type of bonus is VERY favourable for the player, my SUB Rating is
increased by +1. Post-Wager:
These
are also cashable, but the bonus is not added to your account until after you
have met certain WR with your own deposited funds. Most of these bonuses are then instantly
withdrawable, but some require further WR before all the funds are yours to
keep. Sticky:
Not
very common these days, these bonuses stay in your account and can never be
withdrawn. They are very good because you can withdraw any profits once
you’ve met the WR, and then continue to wager with the bonus chips, win &
cash out more profit until they are all lost! Phantom:
So
called because the entire bonus is removed from your account upon your first
withdrawal request. These are normally
high % bonuses with relatively low WR.
Due to the format, many bonus players use them in an ‘all or nothing’
way – placing very high wagers to try to win a lot of profit off the bonus so
they still have a significant sum after the bonus credits are removed on
cashing out. The very big risk with that though is you are likely to get
labeled as a ‘bonus abuser’ and have your winnings confiscated. Note: Some
players and casinos also call Phantom bonuses “Sticky” or “Sticky Type 2” Note: With all
types (except Post-wager, of course), do not start wagering until after
the bonus is credited to your account as these bets may not count towards
fulfilling the WR (unless clearly stated in T&C’s). Also you are usually deemed to be playing
with your deposited funds first, and the bonus last. Also,
never request a cash-out before you’ve finished WR (except with flexible
type), as this could lead to problems or being called a bonus abuser. Betting
Limits As
from sometime around 2010 many casinos added betting limits to their Bonus
T&Cs. This can be in the form of a percentage or a value amount. E.G. 30% of the original bonus amount
taken, or $6.50/spin or deal. ALWAYS
check the T&Cs carefully for this, because if you break this rule you are
very likely to lose all your bonus and winnings. The
casinos introduced this to combat what they call “Bonus Abuse” where people
who have no real interest in playing casino games use a small mathematical
advantage to try to profit from the casinos. Typically they would place their
entire balance on one even-money bet – if won, they then “grind out” the WR
with very low risk tiny bets. This might sound crazy (it is to me!), but if
repeated many times it can make small profits. Restricted
games You
need to understand what games you are not allowed to play in meeting
the WR. This list will usually start with the low variance games Craps,
Sic Bo, Baccarat & Roulette, on which it is possible to place large
amounts of wagers with very little risk of losing very much. (e.g. betting
equally on Red & Black on Roulette). The
next restricted games will be dependant on how generous the bonus is in terms
of % and WR, and might typically be BlackJack, Video Poker, and some of the
'Table Poker' games. The
only games that are never restricted are Keno & Slot machines (though a
few casinos do not allow play on the big progressive jackpot slot machines). Prohibited
Games It’s
equally important to check the bonus T&C's vary carefully for prohibited
games. These are games where even if you play just one hand during your
bonus qualification, the casino will confiscate all your bonus &
winnings. This is a common trick among the less reputable places (the
worst rogues may steal your deposit too!). The difference between
prohibited & restricted games is that you are allowed to play restricted
games with your bonus, but any bets you place do not count towards meeting
WR. But prohibited games you must never play if there
is any bonus money in your account. Falling
short of WR When
you accept a bonus you are essentially entering into a contract with the
casino, which commits you to completing the WR. Failure to do so
leaves the casino open to confiscate all your bonus, deposit & winnings
related to the bonus in question. For example, if you are only half way
through the WR, have had a nice win & got your bank up to 10x your
deposit, or are struggling with only half your deposit left, and decide you
want to quit - in the vast majority of places you can't. (The
only exception is if the bonus is the ‘flexible’ type). Bonus
Abuse This
is a catch-all expression ALL casinos have written into their T&C's in
one form or another. In most cases it is not 'black & white' but
subject to ‘management discretion’. Being labeled as a 'Bonus
Abuser' at a casino should be avoided as it will lead to you being refused
any future bonuses at that casino, and at any other casinos in the same
group. The reputable casinos will refund your deposit & tell you
'no more bonuses', the less reputable may withhold all your funds! Among
the most common reasons for being called an abuser are:- · Only
depositing when you get a bonus, playing only the lowest risk game(s) and
cashing out the moment you go $1 past the WR. · Placing
very big bets at the start, then if you win, dramatically decreasing your bet
size to minimise risk. · Trying to
claim the same bonus more than once. · Claiming a
bonus & then trying to cash out before meeting WR. · Claiming a
bonus at a sister casino in a group with a one-bonus per player across the
group rule. · Trying to
open multiple accounts, either in your own name, or someone else’s name from one
address, e-mail, computer or IP address. Don’t
want the bonus? Some
players prefer not to take bonuses because they don’t like being tied down
with the WR which prevents them from withdrawing their funds. Most bonuses are automatically added to your
account, so if you don’t want it, make sure you contact the casino to let
them know and wait for their confirmation before depositing or wagering. If you are one of these people, you may
want to consider using the ‘Flexible Bonus’ or ‘Safety Net Bonus’ types as
described above and get the best of both worlds; a big bonus, but no or few
restriction on when you withdraw! Recommended
next section: Beginners Guide
to Slot Machines
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Page created: March-2006. Last
full review: 23~01~14. Last update: 10/10/17