There are two key factors to consider when chasing poker bonuses. What maximum deposit is required and how quickly will the bonus clear. Notice that I didn't include what the total value of the bonus is. That's a mistake a lot of people make, assuming that the larger the dollar value of the bonus, the better the bonus is. While in many cases that's true, it can be very misleading and the real issue to pay attention to is how quickly you can clear the bonus money. A $50 bonus you can clear in two hours is much, much better than a $100 bonus that takes you twenty hours to clear.

      Most of the better bonuses are initial signup bonuses given when you create a new account and deposit money. You can only do these once. Be sure you always deposit enough to get the maximum bonus. If its a 20% bonus match, up to a maximum of $100 in bonus money, always deposit enough to get the full bonus.

      Always understand the terms and conditions of bonuses, especially in relation to what you need to do to receive the bonus money. Different sites have different systems, some requiring you to simply participate in a certain number of dealt hands, some requiring you to participate in a certain number of raked hands, and others requiring you to accumulate points under their own unique system. These requirements will determine how quickly you can get a bonus on a site, and how quickly you can move on to the next site and the next bonus. The real money in poker bonuses comes from clearing many of them in a month, as no one site offers truly large bonuses. Make sure you know how a particular sites system for clearing bonuses translates into actual hours at the tables. We have done the work for you and include the bonus clearing rates on each sites review page. Go to Sign-up Bonus and click on each site's review to find the clearing rates.

      To take full advantage of bonuses, it's usually best to be able to comfortably multi-table. The goal is to have you comfortably playing 4 tables at a time to clear the bonus quickly. You can increase your hourly rate by 4 times by doing this. Go to Sign-up Bonus and click on each site's review to find the clearing rates. these examples are per table multiply these by the number of tables you play to get your hourly rate for the bonus. How fast you clear the bonus isn't really important (although some bonuses do have deadlines when they expire), but you'll inevitably find yourself playing on sites you wouldn't normally frequent for whatever reason (tightness of play, interface, etc.) Unless you have a huge bankroll, you'll also likely be splitting up your roll over multiple sites, which some people feel slightly uncomfortable doing, so being able to quickly clear the bonus and consolidate funds is also a good thing.

      To effectively multi-table you'll want to play at a desk with as little distractions as possible. This means no t.v. on or msn messenger etc.. Also you will want to see all tables at once with no overlap. Most poker sites games are 800X600 resolution. We suggest either having multiple monitors setup or investing in a monitor which can handle 1600X1200 resolution. This way you can see all 4 tables at once with no overlap. Below a monitor we use and you can see how much easier it is to pay attention to what's happening on the tables. Being able to see all 4 tables is extremely beneficial and makes it much easier to 4 table because you're not constantly switching from screen to screen.

      For some players (including myself) playing with a bonus adds an extra level of comfort. It should make no difference but I simply feel more confident and solid when I'm working off a bonus, as if I have an insurance policy. It's an incentive to make me play more aggressively across the board, which usually translates into a much better game overall.

      Bonuses can greatly speed the building of your bankroll if you're a skilled player. They won't magically transform you into a superstar but they will provide you with a steady stream of income if you play well. It's basically found money and it's a minimum of hassle to reach down and pick it up. It literally takes less than a minute or two to signup for some sites and fund an account, after which you essentially get paid for playing your normal game.

      Compare playing poker to going to work. When you don't get much sleep, or are sick, how does this affect your productivity at work? When you are bored, lazy, tired, angry, etc., it will make your work suffer as a result. The same can be said about playing online poker. If you are tired, take a break. Your goal is to play at 90%-100% of your ability at all times. If you can't do it, stop playing. It is better to play slightly less, but still play your best then to play too much at less then your best.

      The main difference you will find between online poker and live poker is that you will have many more and faster decisions to make. In live poker, you might get 40 hands dealt to you an hour, and play in 4 or 5 hands an hour. In online play, tables often get over 100 hands an hour. If you multi-table (play at more then one table at a time) as we suggest, you could have 200-400 hands being dealt an hour. You will now play somewhere around 70-100 hands per hour per table, and will face several decisions during every hand. You might face two difficult decisions every minute as you play online. As you can see, making just a few small mistakes can cost you a lot more online then in live poker.

      I know that NL (No limit) poker is all over the t.v. and in the movies. I know that its exciting to double up (double the size of your stack) in one hand. The truth is that for beginning players, mistakes cost less at limit poker, simply because there is a 'limit' to the amount that can be bet during the game. I have found more often then not that there are worse players at limit hold em, and a lot of people that are to scared to play no limit will play at limit.

      You can clear the poker bonus faster at most limit games with less risk then no limit. This is because more players stay in longer, creating bigger pots. The reason it is safer is this. Say for example, you deposit $600 at Ultimate Bet and clear their 100% deposit bonus. If you play limit, you can sit at 2-4 limit, and play comfortably at 2 tables with $80 per table. In a few hours, your up/down swing should be between 20-40, either up or down. During those two hours, you will have cleared about $6.50 per table per hour, or $26 in bonus. In No limit, you need to play at $1-2 NL $200 max buy in to average the same bonus clearing rate. If you play at two tables, just two mistakes can cost you a whole buy in, or $200. After two mistakes, you can be down to $200, all the while clearing the same bonus. The best limits to play on most sites is usually 1-2 up to 3-6 limit depending on the pot sizes. We so not suggest playing higher limits than these because the maximum rake is usually taken. To maximize profits play as many tables as you can comfortably.