Poker banners aren't hard to spot, but they don't tell the full story. When you're looking to make a deposit somewhere, you need to shop around a little. Obviously, you shouldn't choose a room just based on their deposit bonus offer. You want to consider other factors such as the reputation of the room, the quality of the software, the traffic, the promotions, etc. Assuming you've done that narrowed down your options now is the time to look at bonus offers.
Most poker players go for the biggest bonus offer and are often disappointed when they end up with nothing. How is that possible? Because bonus offers usually have play requirements and time limits to meet these requirements. What should matter to you the most is not necessarily "how much", but just "how". How do you earn your bonus? Here's an example of how poker banners can be deceiving:
Poker room XYZ offers a 100% up to $600
Poker Room ABC offers 100% up to $500
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Most players will answer that room A has the best deal, but that may not be true. If you look at how you earn a bonus, most poker rooms base it on their point system. In this case, Poker room XYZ earns you a $1 bonus every time you accumulate 10 player points. Room ABC will only release $1 once you earn 20 points. So clearly, room ABC is not giving you a great deal. You need twice the points to get the same $1 bonus. Right? Not necessarily...
Although in our example the point requirement is much lower at room XYZ, the next question you need to ask yourself is how those points are actually earned. There is no standard system in the gambling industry, and that's why things get so confusing when it comes to poker bonuses. A bit of research might reveal that for every $0.15 rake you generate, you earn one point at room XYZ. Meaning, every time you rake $1.50, you earn the 10 points you need for $1 bonus dollar. If your deposit was for $200, then you would need to rake $300 to earn the free