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Exclusive Netbettor Texas Hold'em Article: "a player whose objective at the poker table is to make money is doing himself a great disservice if he turns his nose up at the prospects of free greenbacks"
Why Multiple Poker Accounts are +EV So, what's the easiest, most sure-fire way to improve your bottom line? Simple: open more online poker accounts. The reason for this is easy to understand. Every poker room on the web offers sign up bonuses, and most of them offer at least sporadic re-load bonuses and/or loyalty programs. While most players ignore these perks, it is essential that you, as someone who’s looking to win and not just play, do not ignore these freebies. Why, you ask? Because these freebies can add up to thousands-yes, thousands-of dollars a year in free money; and to reap these rewards all you have to have is an account in good standing with the poker room that's passing out the candy. As we alluded to above, when we talk about online card room perks we're generally talking about three different kinds of bonuses. They are: 1. Sign up bonuses. You open an account and the card room credits you with either a flat rate bonus or a percentage bonus based on the size of your deposit. Typically these bonuses are worth between 25-100$. 2. Re-load bonuses. These are bonus offers for existing customers, and often they're worth far more than the sign up bonus. A while back, for example, and online card room sent me an e-mail telling me that they'd just put $100 of free money in my account. Also, about a month ago I received an offer for a match bonus worth up to $500. Once you've funded a real money account at a card room, and given them some action, they’ll do whatever it takes to keep you playing on their tables. If that means giving you monstrous bonuses then that's what they'll do. Obviously the more card rooms you've signed up at the more reload bonuses you'll be eligible for. 3. Loyalty points. Many card rooms offer loyalty points (often called VIP points, or something similar) for regular players. Typically these points can be redeemed for either cash or for entries into free-roll tournaments. At some card rooms these loyalty points can we worth as much as fifty cents an hour, which works out to a $1000 yearly bonus for a player who plays one table twenty hours a week. "if you're just playing because you love the action, fold your hand now and head off to the craps table"
Most players don't care for all this—after all, poker is a macho game, and there certainly is something decidedly "unmacho" about hustling free money. But if your primary objective is to make money, and not to just look cool, you just can't ignore these kinds of offers. Consider for a minute the limit which you typically play. If you're like 95% of online poker players you're probably playing at the $3-$6 limit or lower. Given that the best players in the world can only make a little over 1 big bet an hour in profit, this means that your hourly expectation is at best around six to eight bucks per table per hour. If you have the option of pocketing an extra $1500 in bonus money over the next year, you're adding at least 250 hrs. worth of profit to your bottom line. If you're playing in smaller limits than 3-6, you're adding even more than that. Suffice to say, a player whose objective at the poker table is to make money is doing himself a great disservice if he turns his nose up at the prospects of free greenbacks. In its finest moments, poker is "all about the Benjamins". Be sure you're getting your fair share of them. We want to be sure and emphasize this last point. Poker is a great game, but let's be clear about one thing; if you're going to play, your lone objective needs to be to make money. If you're just playing because you love the action, fold your hand now and head off to the craps table; craps is more exciting, after all, and the .4% house edge in craps is decidedly better than the monstrous disadvantage that bad players are faced with at the poker table. If you're playing to pad your ego, save the $400 bucks a month that you would be losing at the poker table and take out a lease on a convertible Mustang. Is playing poker a good time? Sure it is. But it is not a game for people who don't have their priorities straight. As you read the articles here at Netbettor you'll notice that the only players we are addressing are the ones who are serious about making money—and hopefully lots of it—at the poker table. Here's hoping you're one of them! Return to Exclusive Netbettor Poker Articles Other Poker Strategy Articles: |
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