CURRENT AS OF 9/07/2006.
This list is adapted from Derk’s casino post. I cannot promise that I will keep this as up-to-date as Derk did, but the lack of a usable casino thread in the BTP forums is a void that needs to be filled. Casino whoring is not risk free (with minor exceptions), and you need a roll of around $200 aside from your poker money to get started on these bonuses. I will also include opportunities for other casino/sportsbook bonuses when I become aware of them, and I encourage all BTP’ers to use this post to discuss new casino bonuses as they become aware of them. When Derk made the original casino bonus post, there were a lot of questions from BTP’ers. If you have any questions, please re-read the section on the casino that you have a question about, then re-read the casino’s terms and conditions page. If you still have a question, you can ask your question in the IRC channel. Most of the regulars in the IRC channel have already done or will be in the process of doing all of the bonuses listed below.
Signing up for internet casinos to take advantage of their initial sign-up bonuses (a.k.a. casino whoring, the term I prefer) can be a lucrative pursuit. To the uninitiated, it can be difficult to figure out which bonuses are worth doing and which aren't. Some casinos are shady or worse, others give you money that you can't withdraw (called a Sticky Bonus, which does not immediately give the bonus a negative expectation), and many casinos aren't very forthcoming with their terms and conditions (often spreading the T&C across multiple pages, sometimes conflicting - assume the most restrictive applies). If you keep your eyes open you can very easily make several thousand dollars with little risk. This is great for building up a bankroll, for breaking the monotony of poker, or even for something to do while playing poker or waiting to get in a game.
The blackjack/pontoon bonuses in this guide should produce nearly $2000 profit (expected value, your mileage may vary significantly) if you do every bonus on the list, plus an additional $200 a month afterwards. Additionally, if anyone becomes aware of a bonus not listed, by all means let me know, and if it is reasonably +EV, I will add it to the list.
This is free money, just like poker bonuses. Because some of these bonuses clear at upwards of $30 per hour (or more) it may be advisable to replace one of your poker tables with blackjack (because you can play blackjack fast even while playing poker).
Important note:
You should thoroughly read the terms and conditions of a casino before you attempt a bonus. Permitted games, bonus amounts, and wagering requirements change frequently. I will change the information given below as it becomes known to me, but I rely upon others to let me know of changes. I don’t have the energy or the incentive to check the T&C on a regular basis (I am not an affiliate of any of these casinos and I make no money for writing this list - I am simply giving back to the BTP community). I make a habit of keeping a screen shot of the terms and conditions of the site as they appear when I sign up. If there is a dispute later, I have those T&C to fall back on.
Basics
Many of these casino bonuses can be cleared playing blackjack. Some allow Pontoon, which is preferable because it has a very low house advantage with proper strategy.
http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack is the best source for blackjack strategy;
http://wizardofodds.com/pontoon is the best source for pontoon strategy. Always use the strategy charts found at the wizard’s site, and NEVER deviate. I don’t care if you have a “feeling”. If you don’t hate money, don’t deviate from the strategy. I suppose if you hate money, then go ahead and stand on 88 vs. a dealer 7 (which is the worst possible EV play in blackjack), just don’t cry about losing in this thread (and please do not brag about how your stupidity paid off - this thread is supposed to help people, don’t subvert that by giving them the wrong idea).
Low Risk Strategy
If you have a small bankroll and want to give yourself the best chance of avoiding ruin on any particular casino, you should always bet the minimum amount and never play more than one hand at a table. Playing one hand at a time at the minimum bet minimizes your variance, although your expected return is the same. You should also play blackjack rather than pontoon, because although pontoon has a lower house advantage, it is a higher variance game.
Despite using this strategy, you may bust out of any given casino. This is especially true of the no-deposit casinos and those that are no-risk as their risks of ruin are typically higher. This is perfectly normal. The bonus offsets any expected losses you would have from the house advantage. To this extent you should try to minimize the size of your bets to reduce variance.
Strategy to Increase Hourly Return
If you are sufficiently rolled, you should strongly consider increasing your bet size. You will clear the bonus much faster, thereby increasing your hourly rate. The EV remains the same (actually it increases if you increase your bets - for those times you go BUSTO at any one casino, there are -EV bets that you will not need to make that you would have had to otherwise, but this point is of minor importance). You might also get VIP offers from the casinos that you bust, which may include further +EV bonuses. If you are sufficiently rolled, you should bet far more than the minimum. Just get ready for some sick variance in real dollar terms.
Members that are sufficiently rolled for using this strategy can also consider attempting the sticky bonuses. I will add a sticky bonus strategy section in this space at a later date.
Important Note #2
Betting systems do not work. Let that sink in. Betting systems DO NOT WORK. Seriously. This is a mathematic certainty. Empiracle evidence to the contrary simply reflects luck in the short term; the short term can actually be quite a long time. But to a mathematical certainty, these systems all fail. The most common is the Martingale system of bet doubling when you lose, but there are others. Increasing or decreasing your bet size from one hand to the next has no effect on your expected return, it just changes your variance and risk of ruin.
In the list you'll find estimates about how long it takes your money to get back to Neteller, how long it takes to finish the bonus with the minimum bet (you might be able to do 600 hands an hour at some places and just 200 an hour at others, because of the speed of the software), and how to keep track of the bonus, which might need to be done manually on some sites (manual tracking can be done easily with Windows calculator adding 1+1 and hitting enter for each bet).
Important Note #3 (same as #1, just make sure it sinks in)
Be sure to always check the website of the casino and check the terms and conditions before you go after any offer including general and bonus terms and conditions as they are sometimes different and may vary from what's here. Always assume the most restrictive terms apply. Keep a screen shot. Terms for different countries may be different as well. As a general rule I will not include offers that are not available in the US, but our non-US members should feel free to discuss such offers in this thread. I just ask that the post be conspicuously labeled as unavailable in the US.
Blackjack casinos
No deposit casinos
These first two casinos are run by the same group. Sorry for the affiliate links, but they're not mine. In order to get the bonus you have to come from an affiliate and I've seen forum posts of people who didn't come through an affiliate link and they didn't get the bonus, so better safe than sorry. These casinos are small and super fast.
- Click on link to the left as its an affiliate link you need to use to make sure the coupon is honored. Use coupon code YMNWK to get $25 free with no deposit (). You must wager $500 to cash out. You can keep track of how much you've bet by going to the cashier and looking for the "playthrough" number. Do not try to withdraw more than $50 or you will get nothing. When you go to cash out, you'll have to change the option from "money transfer" to Neteller. Takes 1-2 days to cashout to Neteller. Takes about 1 hour to complete. Risk of ruin (ROR), your chance of losing the bonus, is ~35%. Your expected profit is $22.5.
- Click on link to the left as its an affiliate link you need to use to make sure the coupon is honored. Use coupon code BARHH to get $15 free with no deposit (). You must wager $300 to cash out. You can keep track of how much you've bet by going to the cashier and looking for the "playthrough" number. Do not try to withdraw more than $50 or you will get nothing. When you go to cash out, you'll have to change the option from "money transfer" to Neteller. Takes 1-2 days to cashout to Neteller. Takes about 1 hour to complete. ROR = ~48%. Your expected profit is $13.5
Partygaming *luck casinos
These next two are run by the same people that run Party Poker and are pretty fast. You will want to check their homepages for the proper code to use to get the bonus. Don't ever refer people here using the referral system as it changes their wagering requirements, making them play video poker. Of course, this means you shouldn't ask other people to refer you here either.
- Deposit $100 and use sign up code listed on homepage to get $100 free. You must wager $1600. You will have to keep track of your wagering manually, but you can email support if you want them to check if you have met the wagering requirement. Additionally, you will have to wait until midnight of the day after you clear the requirement in order to cash out. After this your cashout will hit Neteller within a day. ROR = ~4.5%. They may ask you to call them to verify your identity. This place is almost as fast as the two previous places, so it should only take about 4 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $92.
You can also do an IGMPAY deposit bonus here which is $500 deposit for $100 bonus with WR of 1800.
- Deposit $100 and use sign up code listed on homepage to get $100 free. You must wager $1600. You will have to keep track of your wagering manually, but you can email support if you want them to check if you have met the wagering requirement. Additionally, you will have to wait until midnight of the day after you clear the requirement in order to cash out. After this your cashout will hit Neteller within a day. ROR = ~4.5%. They may ask you to call them to verify your identity. This place is almost as fast as the two previous places, so it should only take about 4 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $92.
You can also do an IGMPAY deposit bonus here which is $500 deposit for $100 bonus with WR of 1800.
Cryptologic casinos
The following are all Cryptologic casinos. You've probably played their poker before and there are some that don't let you do both and others that do. In general these casinos can be kind of slow, but most are also no risk and there are some you can hit month after month.
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William Hill plc has taken a decision to withdraw our online casino and poker services from all existing US clients and will refrain from offering them to US residents in the foreseeable future.
Littlewoods Casino Prohibited Jurisdictions
Littlewoods Casino does not currently accept deposits from residents of the United States and its territories.
Residents of these countries are most welcome to play Littlwoods Casino for fun.
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US PLAYERS BONUS BANNED.
- For the initial bonus, deposit $100 and get a $100 bonus (). You must wager $2500. The bonus can be tracked in the cashier. The minimum bet here is $3. This place uses ECashDirect, so the cash out takes a $1 fee. I believe that a PIN is no longer required to cash out of any of the Cryptos, if anyone has experienced something different please post in the thread. This bonus is no-risk. ROR = ~35%. This bonus takes about 3 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $87.50.
They have a monthly bonus of $100 (T&C). It requires $8000 in wagering in blackjack to clear the bonus. It is not no-risk and because the minimum bet is $3, it is advisable to skip this. ROR = ~65%. This bonus takes about 9 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $60.
This casino is connected to Carribean Sun Poker.
- Deposit $200, get $100 bonus (). Wager $2500 to cash out. The bonus can be tracked in the cashier. The minimum bet is $2. This place uses ECashDirect, the cash out takes a $1 fee. This bonus is no-risk. ROR = ~25%. This bonus takes about 5 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $87.50.
There is a monthly bonus here but it's by invitation only. You deposit $50 for a $50 bonus and must wager $750. It is a no risk bonus. ROR =~20%. Takes about 2 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $46.25.
This casino is connected to Intercasino and Interpoker.
Playtech casinos
The following are Playtech casinos. If you fiddle with the options they're very fast! Also they all have comp points that you can use to track your bonuses, and you can convert those comp points into dollars before you cash out. Note that the comp points will round up, so it's best to go one point above what you need to cash out before trying to cash out.
- Deposit $200, get $200 bonus (). Select "North America" from the drop-down at the top or you may get some offer in a different currency which isn't as good. You must wager a total of $4800 to cash out. Bonus tracks in the comps section (480 comp points = you've wagered $4800 and you can turn your comp points into $4). Blackjack surrender is allowed. Cashout to Neteller takes 1-2 days. To withdraw you must go to Neteller and "transfer from merchant". Their merchant code is BET34725 and the merchant account ID is your Bet365 username. (Note: You may be able to withdraw from within the client like all the other Playtech casinos now). ROR = 1%. This bonus takes about 6 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $176.
- Deposit $100, call 1-888-217-5648 and ask for Promo Code A3973 to get $300 bonus ()]. You must wager $8000 to cash out. You may need to clear the bonus within 2 weeks or it might be taken away from you. Bonus tracks in the comps section (800 comp points = $8). Blackjack surrender is allowed here. When you cash out they will ask you for a photo ID (drivers license, passport) and top parts of a bank statement and utility bill to verify your address. You can take a picture with a digital camera and email it to them, or scan and email, or fax. Cashout to Neteller takes 1-2 days. ROR = minuscule. This bonus takes about 12 hours to complete (because the ROR is so small and this would take so long, you may want to consider betting $2 per hand). Your expected profit is $268.
There are several casinos in the same group as Golden Palace, known as the Casino Blasters group. These include: Grand Online, 24kt Gold, Aspinalls, Flamingo Club, and Online Casino. If you try to do more than one of these bonuses they may ban you. Golden Palace is the one with the best terms and their reload promotions are generally decent, so do it.
Instaplay casinos
These casinos are web based so you don't need Windows to do them. If you have the choice between Java and Flash, the Java client is faster. If you play while they have a blackjack tournament going on you may get additional bonus money if you win or play the most hands. The bonus money awarded has a 50x wagering requirement, which is pretty poor, so if you want you can turn down the bonus in your profile. All of these casinos have monthly reloads that are not no-risk, but are fast to complete and the ROR is offset by doing all of them (see the chart below for more details on the reloads).
- Deposit 222 Euros, get 111 Euros bonus. Wager 3333 Euros to cash out. Bonus tracks in your profile. ROR = ~13%. This bonus takes about 6 hours to complete. Your expected profit is 94.34 Euros ($121.50). There is a monthly EUR 30 bonus, which you must wait until the month after you complete your sign-up bonus to claim.
- Deposit 100 Euros, get 30 Euros bonus. Wager 750 Euros to cash out. Bonus tracks in your profile. ROR = ~30%. This bonus takes about 2 hours to complete. Your expected profit is 26.25 Euros ($32.87). The monthly bonus seems to have gone away, I will report back if/when I discover that it still exists. [b]Betsson no longer accepts new US customers, although established customers have not been cut off. Yet.
- Deposit $222, get $111 bonus. Wager $6660 to cash out. Bonus tracks in your profile. ROR = pretty high, >50%. This bonus takes about 12 hours to complete. Your expected profit is $78. Cherry casino has a monthly bonus 30% to $30. Deposit $100, get $30, WR=$780. The monthly takes about 1.5 hours to clear.
SB casinos
These casinos are run by the same group and if you sign up with them both in a short period of time you will probably be banned. Also, beware of making multiple player referals or cross referrals. Some BTPers have been casino banned for doing this, me included. Both have super fast software if you fiddle with the options.
- Deposit up to $1000. You will immediately get a 10% bonus. Wager $10 in blackjack then log out and wait for 24 hours. When you log back in after 24 hours you will receive an additional $25 bonus. You must wager 20x the bonus amount, so WR = 2500 for the maximum deposit of $1000 for $125 in bonus money. You can track your wagering by going to the "deposit" section, logging in, and clicking the "amount available for withdrawal. Cashout to Neteller takes 1 day. ROR = ~5%. This bonus takes about 4 hours to complete (yes, it's super fast). Your expected profit is $112.50.
- Deposit up to $1000. You will immediately get a 10% bonus. Wager $10 in blackjack then log out and wait for 24 hours. When you log back in after 24 hours you will receive an additional $25 bonus. You must wager 20x the bonus amount, so WR = 2500 for the maximum deposit of $1000 for $125 in bonus money. You can track your wagering by going to the "deposit" section, logging in, and clicking the "amount available for withdrawal. Cashout to Neteller takes 1 day. ROR = ~5%. This bonus takes about 4 hours to complete (yes, it's super fast). Your expected profit is $112.50.
(I have not attempted this bonus (banned from sister casino, don't want to be banned from the group which includes Paradise Poker)- a recent trip report would be appreciated)
Miscellaneous casinos worth hitting
- Deposit $200, get $200 bonus. Wager $4000 to cash out. If you deposit with Neteller you must wager $10000, so don't deposit with Neteller if you can help it. Bonus tracks in the comps section (400 comp points = $4). Cashout takes 5 days or more. ROR = minuscule. I forget how long this takes to complete. The software sucks. Your expected profit is $184.
Note: When I did this bonus, you could withdraw your deposit and thus this offer was risk free. It may still be that way, so if depositing with another method than Neteller would be too much of a hassle, you can still do this no-risk.
- You're not interested in the sign up bonus here as it's pretty poor, but the monthly is great. But you have to be invited for the monthly bonus and this is how. Sign up for an account and make sure your currency is GBP. Deposit 100 GBP and wager 100 GBP (do not ask for the sign up bonus) by autoplaying 95 hands (if you don't want to keep track yourself) of blackjack (check the terms and conditions carefully, not all forms of blackjack are permitted). To autoplay just click on the expert button and go from there. Make sure to change the options to make the game as fast as possible. Correct strategy is already in there. You can cash out at this point if you like or leave your deposit there. *The following month you will get an email about this bonus which requires a 50 GBP deposit for 50 GBP bonus and a 2000 GBP wagering requirement. You must be invited by e-mail to receive the bonus. You can autoplay blackjack for this as well. Derk did this bonus playing multi hand atlantic city blackjack. Your risk of ruin is ~40% and expected profit is 40 GBP ($74).
***MTpaid and Pozzo report that the monthly bonus is available in the same month as the deposit bonus. Also, the multi-hand AC blackjack is available on the download version at Table Games>Blackjack>Then click the button to expand it and you'll be able to select Multi-Hand or Single-Hand. ()
Cover play and player bans.
With the casinos that have monthly bonuses worth doing (Cryptos and Instaplay) you may want to invest some time in doing cover play. Casinos have been known to ban people who just play when they have a bonus. It will typically takes 4 months or more, but if you'd like to keep whoring them, you should play a little without a bonus or leave your money in instead of withdrawing it. Some casinos will ban you even if you give them cover play. I have personally been banned at 4 casinos. It happens. Don’t worry about it unless they are refusing to honor a bonus or to pay you. If that happens, there are casino watchdog groups that can help, and your affiliate (if you use one) may be able to help.
Other casino whoring opportunities (I will list them here, and make a post in the thread alerting everyone to the change in this post):
Video Poker:
A fair number of casino bonuses do not permit any form of blackjack or pontoon to count toward the wagering requirement, but do permit video poker. Generally, in order for a video poker bonus to be profitable, Jacks or Better with a full pay table must be permissible. The proper strategy can be found at
http://wizardofodds.com/jacksorbetter. These bonuses are high variance, and should not be attempted on a small roll.
Other table games:
Some casinos that do not permit blackjack, pontoon or video poker do permit other table games, such as three card poker. Proper strategy for these games can be found at the
- Tip o' the hat to Pozzo.
Monaco Gold and 32Red Casino are part of the same group, and you may not be permitted to receive a welcome bonus at one if you have received one at the other. There is a $800 on $500 deposit. The lowest HA game to clear the bonus is 3 Card Poker. In order to cashout you may be asked to send a scanned copy of your ID.
My internet browser and Norton Security software freak out when I open Monaco Gold. Derk referred me way back when he was still alive, but I was never able to get on the site or download the software. If anyone runs into this problem and finds a solution, please let me know.
Slots:
There are a few slots only bonuses that can be +EV. The key to these bonuses is that “doubling” must be available, and must count toward the wagering requirement to clear the bonus. Doubling is simply an EV neutral wager where you draw a single card vs. the house to double your slot win. If your card is higher than the house’s card, you win; if not you lose - ties push. It does not get any better than working off your wagering requirement with EV neutral bets.
Sportsbooks:
Sports betting arbitrage and sharp betting is far beyond the scope of this post. I will list free bets in this section as I learn of them.
Free $100 bet on the Monday Night Football game for the first 1000 sign ups in any given week, so jump on it early when it comes out at 5pm today (Tuesday).
Thanks to riverrun27 for finding this bonus. If you are so inclined, he is offering a split of the RAF bonus, PM him for details.
Steps
Sign up then...
1. Select -110 by (insert team here) under NFL -> props
2. Select straight wager
3. Select risk amount
4. Enter 100
5. Submit and confirm.
Enjoy!
More info on Promo Page
http://www.betwwts.com/page.asp?content ... adness.asp
Backgammon:
Partygaming, as well as a few other sites, offer sign-up bonuses for backgammon. I am not sufficiently proficient at backgammon to attempt these (and a tip ‘o the hat to Danhdan for kicking my ass at backgammon to convince me that I should not pursue these bonuses). I leave it to the backgammon players here to find and report back on these bonuses, which I will include here.
Bingo:
Yes, bingo. No kidding. I am working on a list of whorable bingo bonuses and will list them here.
HAPPY WHORING!