Help me build my bankroll with bonus

[Kriber13]

[ QUOTE ]
Bankroll management is as important, if not more important, than poker strategy. If you were in danger of losing your roll without bonuses, then it reflects a flaw in your preperation for the game. No worries, nobody does it perfect from the beginning. I busted out of my first $50 on Party, before I'd heard of 2+2, playing .5/1. Lost the last bit of my "playroll" with pocket aces, go figure. I returned humbled, but armed.

To the OP: By all means, if you wish to play a breakeven game and make money via bonus whoring, then go ahead. Like I said in a recent post, the bonus bonanza will dry up eventually, and slightly losing or breakeven bonus whores will be left out to dry. What will they do when the bonuses are all 20x or worse? I don't care, since I can beat the game either way.

Building a bankroll via bonus-hunting with $100 is possible, and is outlined in stickied posts in various forums. At least one of these should be intuitive for a thinking reader.

If you do build your bankroll up solely through bonuses, and if you find yourself suddenly wondering why you can't beat the 5/10 internet LHE games, then think back to this post. There's something to be learned at every limit, something to be learned from every player who does something you don't expect. In order to become a serious poker player, you have to become a student of the game, and building quick bankrolls via bonuses is detrimental to that.

All that being said, I realize that I've been donking around in the micros for far too long myself. Shame on me. Time to move up.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're missing the point that bonuswhoting is a part of playing internet poker compare it to casino whoring where you play -EV games and rely on bonuses that could be compared to the starting out poker player also I think you might learn more playing break even at a slightly higher limit where most people actually somewhat decently.

Of course you should be a student of the game IF YOU WANT TO WIN and not play just for fun which is a good enough reason for me. Being a student of the game also means that you need to start moving up as your game develops because you want to make your money and if moving up a limit gives you a smaller edge but togheter with a fat bonus you actually earn more you should go for it in my opinion it develops your game.

I've been working alot on my game and through agressive whoring I've got a 20K roll playing mostly 5/10 LHE and yes I'm a winning player all this in a little over a year and about 30 books later.

When I wrote some texts for an affiliate side I'd try to explain the concept of whoring and rakeback for that matter with " You need to understand that every hand you play on a pokersite is worth something" and it is. The question is are you giving it away for free and if not how much are you charging.

Keep moving, Kristoffer

[Samara]

Thanks guys there are great ideas in this thread. I don't have much time now but I will comment on them later.

[OrianasDaad]

This is an interesting topic, and you've obviously done some thinking on the subject. PM me with a link to those articles, if you don't mind. I'm interested in reading them.

[Samara]

Kristoffer, I would like to read those articles too, if you could PM me with the links if they are ready.

Orianas, I don't want to play break-even poker just to earn the bonuses. I want to play limits that my BR allows and that I can maintain a winrate. However, I don't see much diferrence from .02/04 through .25/.50 in Stars and 10NL and 25NL. It is just that in Party, they don't have lower limits and I'm not confortable playing .50/1, (I dont have 300BB), but I try to buy in for $5 using short stack strategy. I was running for 6PTBB/100 in 25NL at party by always buying for $5. Then when I switched games I lost a lot. So of course I am re-evaluating my strategy, but one part that I feel that was causing me to tilt was that I was BIG money scared. So I plan to study more and stick to one game, just haven't decided yet which. If ~5k hands account for something(I know its small as hell but its my experience so far) I am a winner at party 25NL and loser on everything else. Also a winner up to .25/.50 at L08 at Stars.

[Daniel Magix]

I see so many people say how difficult it is to clear bonuses at micro-levels. It does take grinding, but it can be done. I was worried that I wouldn't clear the 30% reload bonus at PR within the given 60 day time limit. I had only put $100 in and I was only going to be playing .25/50. I ended up two-tabling and playing the occasional SnG with Ring Game profits. 2.5 weeks later, my bonus was clear, and my BR had grown to $280 in that time. Granted, I was running very hot to start off, and the SnG's helped speed up the bonuses. But the experience of grinding it out at near nano-limits, is very valuable and teaches patience very well.

[sg23]

definitely stick to one game and get good at that, perhaps use other games as a change of pace (O8 is my new "hobby" for when i don't feel like playing LHE), but if your goal is to move up limits/make more money, you want to focus and improve.

i have to disagree with those who recommend against bonus chasing starting out. i played micro limits (.25/.50 and .50/1) at pokerroom for a couple of months without bonus before i realized i could play on other sites on that network and make a little extra cash. i treat bonus money as just that - a bonus. it gives me an added incentive to play, and it did help build my bankroll starting out, but ultimately i wanted (and want) to beat the crap out of people with my game, that is why i play, that is why i keep trying to play better poker with each new session.

i've also found that playing on different sites/networks has only helped my game because i've had to adjust to the different playing styles that you will see on party, prima, cryptos, ongame, absolute, etc. i can understand why people might want to stick to one site/network, and i don't want to suggest that you should start jumping around immediately, but i really think the exposure to different sites is beneficial.

rakeback is something you should keep in mind whenever signing up for a new site. as with bonuses, rakeback shouldn't be the only reason someone plays on a site, or plays poker. it's merely a rebate on some of the rake you are paying anyway, money that would otherwise be totally lost to the site. as you move up in limits, play more, and/or play shorthanded, rakeback sums increase and you'd be surprised how much you'll see from it at the end of the month. i've moved up cautiously, and now play 1/2 6max and 2/4 FR LHE depending on the site. in the past two months i've received hundreds of dollars in RB from various sites. (!)

i don't know how many sites you've created accounts at, but some sites will not allow you to create new accounts/get rakeback if you already have an account, something to think about if you decide to try a new site/network. i simply don't see a downside to signing up for a site using a reputable rakeback affiliate, even if you only play at the site for a signup bonus. also, some sites do not deduct bonuses from your rakeback totals, which is nice. (btw i am not an affiliate myself, just a happy customer).

interesting thread, good luck [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
-joanna