How I Built My Bankroll (online)
First off, I've never deposited a single cent of my own money into online poker. It all started back in late 2003 when a friend of mine mention to me that I could play poker online, for free! At first I was a bit skeptical, but hey, if it's free, it's for me! As it turns out, my friend was willing to transfer $50 from his online account (Party Poker) to me, after I signed up with a referral code as part of a promotion that they were and still are running.
Now why would someone just give me $50, well, after I played 50 raked hands (hands in which the pot reached a certain dollar amount and the site took a percentage (5%)), my friend would get $50 for referring a new player who made a real money deposit (or in this case, a $50 transfer). In addition to my friend getting back his $50, as a new player, once I played 125 raked hands, I received a $25 bonus.
Not wanting to lose the $50 before playing 50 raked hands, I went and sat at a $0.50/$1.00 limit texas hold’em table ($0.25/$0.50 blinds) and played tight, basically folding 90% of my hands. By the time I had finished playing my 125 raked hands, I had won a little more than $25 dollars, giving me a bankroll of $105±.
After talking to my friend who introduced me to Party Poker, he explained how he had transferred $50 to his "wives" account to take advantage of the $50 referral and $25 new account bonuses. This struck me as the best idea ever, and I proceeded to refer my wife, sister and sister in law.
I continued playing on Party Poker, varying between $5 and $10 sit-n-go (SNG) tournaments and the $25 and $50 NL tables. After awhile I was able to work my account up to $400±. About this time (May, 2005) I came across a poker forum (www.FullContactPoker.com or FCP) which was run/hosted by professional poker player Daniel Negreanu, a.k.a. Kid Poker. It was from reading the various posts that I came across three new poker/gambling web sites (River Belle Casino, Royal Vegas Poker, and Power Player) which were offering free money for new sign-ups (although you had to meet specific requirements before you could cash out).
River Belle Casino, at this time, was not a poker site, rather they offered blackjack and slots. The promotion they were running gave new members $25 to use, with the cash out requirement being you had to gamble 5 times the amount ($125) before you could withdraw it. I started out playing $1 a hand blackjack for awhile and basically broke even. I then started varying my bets between $1 and $10, with my bankroll ranging between $5 and $30. I eventually went on a bit of a streak, running it up to $50. At this point, I had met the cash out requirement and decided to cut and run, withdrawing the entire amount to a newly opened Neteller account.
Royal Vegas Poker, offered a whooping $10 to new members. The withdrawal requirements included a real money deposit (which is not uncommon) as well as a certain number of raked hands played (100 I think). After playing for awhile in low stakes ($0.05/$0.10 blinds) no limit texas hold’em rooms, again luck was on my side. I was able to run my $10 to over $100. The only hurdle was the real money deposit. However, with my recently created Neteller account holding my blackjack winnings, I felt it was only a small gamble to cash out. The cash out process went smoothly and ultimately I ended up cashing out for just over $150, excluding the $25 I deposited.
Power Player, a poker site and Poker Room skin, was the next site I joined, and they were offering free $25 to new players. While you could cash out any winnings, you couldn’t cash out the original $25 until acquiring 1,250 power points, something I have yet to do. This site was very, very good to me and I was able to cash out a number of times totaling more than $500.
I have also played on Poker Stars and Full Contact Poker (FCP) which was launched in December, 2005. I no longer play on Poker Stars, but I still actively play on FCP and Party Poker. I have had a good run playing online and luckily have been a winning player on each site I've played.
For people who are looking to start out online, check out Poker Source Online which has good reviews of the sites as well the current promotions they are offering. Also, you can sign up to Party Poker (new players only) through Free Money and get a free $75. Check it out!
Good Luck and I hope the tables are as kind to you as they have been to me!
Now why would someone just give me $50, well, after I played 50 raked hands (hands in which the pot reached a certain dollar amount and the site took a percentage (5%)), my friend would get $50 for referring a new player who made a real money deposit (or in this case, a $50 transfer). In addition to my friend getting back his $50, as a new player, once I played 125 raked hands, I received a $25 bonus.
Not wanting to lose the $50 before playing 50 raked hands, I went and sat at a $0.50/$1.00 limit texas hold’em table ($0.25/$0.50 blinds) and played tight, basically folding 90% of my hands. By the time I had finished playing my 125 raked hands, I had won a little more than $25 dollars, giving me a bankroll of $105±.
After talking to my friend who introduced me to Party Poker, he explained how he had transferred $50 to his "wives" account to take advantage of the $50 referral and $25 new account bonuses. This struck me as the best idea ever, and I proceeded to refer my wife, sister and sister in law.
I continued playing on Party Poker, varying between $5 and $10 sit-n-go (SNG) tournaments and the $25 and $50 NL tables. After awhile I was able to work my account up to $400±. About this time (May, 2005) I came across a poker forum (www.FullContactPoker.com or FCP) which was run/hosted by professional poker player Daniel Negreanu, a.k.a. Kid Poker. It was from reading the various posts that I came across three new poker/gambling web sites (River Belle Casino, Royal Vegas Poker, and Power Player) which were offering free money for new sign-ups (although you had to meet specific requirements before you could cash out).
River Belle Casino, at this time, was not a poker site, rather they offered blackjack and slots. The promotion they were running gave new members $25 to use, with the cash out requirement being you had to gamble 5 times the amount ($125) before you could withdraw it. I started out playing $1 a hand blackjack for awhile and basically broke even. I then started varying my bets between $1 and $10, with my bankroll ranging between $5 and $30. I eventually went on a bit of a streak, running it up to $50. At this point, I had met the cash out requirement and decided to cut and run, withdrawing the entire amount to a newly opened Neteller account.
Royal Vegas Poker, offered a whooping $10 to new members. The withdrawal requirements included a real money deposit (which is not uncommon) as well as a certain number of raked hands played (100 I think). After playing for awhile in low stakes ($0.05/$0.10 blinds) no limit texas hold’em rooms, again luck was on my side. I was able to run my $10 to over $100. The only hurdle was the real money deposit. However, with my recently created Neteller account holding my blackjack winnings, I felt it was only a small gamble to cash out. The cash out process went smoothly and ultimately I ended up cashing out for just over $150, excluding the $25 I deposited.
Power Player, a poker site and Poker Room skin, was the next site I joined, and they were offering free $25 to new players. While you could cash out any winnings, you couldn’t cash out the original $25 until acquiring 1,250 power points, something I have yet to do. This site was very, very good to me and I was able to cash out a number of times totaling more than $500.
I have also played on Poker Stars and Full Contact Poker (FCP) which was launched in December, 2005. I no longer play on Poker Stars, but I still actively play on FCP and Party Poker. I have had a good run playing online and luckily have been a winning player on each site I've played.
For people who are looking to start out online, check out Poker Source Online which has good reviews of the sites as well the current promotions they are offering. Also, you can sign up to Party Poker (new players only) through Free Money and get a free $75. Check it out!
Good Luck and I hope the tables are as kind to you as they have been to me!
posted by BT at 11:12 AM
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