Poker Bonus: Match and Max

When searching for poker bonuses, you want the biggest ones that you can find. However, once you know you want a sign up bonus, how do you find the best one? You have to look at two factors, match percentage and maximum deposit. Either one of these alone does not give you the whole picture.

Poker Bonus Match Percentage

The higher the match percentage, the greater the percentage of your deposit goes to your account. If you make a $100 deposit with a 50 percent match bonus you will get an extra $50 added to your account. If you make a $200 deposit with a 100 percent match bonus you will get an extra $200 added to your account. Clearly, all things being equal, you would like the highest match bonus you can find.

Poker Max Deposit

The problem is that you cannot deposit as much as you want to collect a bonus. For example, if there is a 100 percent match bonus offered at Poker Stars you cannot deposit $10,000 to get an additional $10,000.

You must adhere to the maximum deposit. You can deposit more than this, but only the amount up to the max will be credited for the bonus.

Comparing Match and Max

Use both of these parameters to determine your best bonus choice in online poker. A site that offers 50 percent match with a $400 maximum deposit can get you $200 in extra bonus money. A site that offers 100 percent match with a $100 maximum deposit can get you only $100 in bonus money.

Clearly, even though 50 percent is a smaller percentage, it is the better deal, assuming you have the ability and inclination to deposit the maximum. Also, remember that the bigger the bonus you collect, the longer it may take to clear the bonus. If you are collecting a large bonus, be prepared to put in a lot of play in order to have that bonus money added to your regular playing account.