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If blackjack is counted at 10%, does that mean someone who signed up for $X and got a welcome bonus of $2X would have to play for $500X to claim any money (or forfeit the bonus)?
Is there a strategy that allows the bonus to be +EV with minimal variance, or at least minimizes the -EV?
Your math is a little off but you're correct in principle. Yes, if you have a bonus that has a 25X playthrough requirement (which is typical), blackjack only counts 10% towards that. So, you have to actually playthrough 250X to receive your bonus if you try to get it through blackjack.
Now, even with optimal play, blackjack is maybe 99.5% payback (I've never actually tried it on Ignition -- it depends on some nuances of the rules -- e.g. whether the dealer hits soft 17, how many times you can split Aces, double down on any two cards, etc). Let's suppose they don't have the most lenient rules, so it is only 99% payback. Therefore, since you have a 250X playthrough requirement, it is NOT +EV, unfortunately.
You CAN get a poker new signup bonus though, that gives you various cash prizes for your first month of play; i.e. after you earn your first 15 "poker points" you get $5, then when you reach 85 poker points you get $25, etc. See details here (look at poker welcome bonus):
Check PokerScout.com and Safestpokersites.com for site info. Understand difference in networks and sites, aka skins. Game selection / player pool is same for all sites on a network but promotions may differ.
The following describes networks that have enough traffic to be interest and accept US players from states that have not explicitly legalized on-line poker:
Winning Poker Network (WPN) skins = America's Card Room, True Poker, Black Chip Poker and others. Allows tracking software, more sharks than fish in cash games, tourney's softer. Buy in premium adds rake on top of rake for loosing players (most players).
PaiWangLuo Network, US skin = Ignition Poker formerly Bovada, in US. Anonymous players, so you can't play the player, tracking software won't work.... zoom poker is fast, zip to next table on fold....softer games. Anonymous poker is arguably not poker. Again, rake on rake.
Chico Network, US skin= Betonline aka BOL in US - Nice software, only simple tracking software allowed. Generally Softer Player Pool that WPN.
Merge Network, US skin = Carbon poker and others. Allows tracking software. Carbon was once the highest traffic US Site that is not anonymous (other than Bovada). Preferred by many regulars until slow payouts and banning of winning players caused mass exodus.
Horizon Poker Network..Several US Skins but low traffic.....said by PokerScout to average about 85 players on line.
Here are a few websites that provide additional info addressing on-line poker sites. I do not have enough experience to say that one site is better than another, so I will provide the reviews below and allow you to come to your own conclusions. Hope this answers a few of your questions. Happy hunting.
The first site is the APT review mentioned in Stokely's note above. (Need to advertise the home team's review first.)
I have deleted some replies and am closing this discussion to further comments, because many of the replies were from (possible) shills promoting their own offshore real-money sites.
Comments
Your math is a little off but you're correct in principle. Yes, if you have a bonus that has a 25X playthrough requirement (which is typical), blackjack only counts 10% towards that. So, you have to actually playthrough 250X to receive your bonus if you try to get it through blackjack.
Now, even with optimal play, blackjack is maybe 99.5% payback (I've never actually tried it on Ignition -- it depends on some nuances of the rules -- e.g. whether the dealer hits soft 17, how many times you can split Aces, double down on any two cards, etc). Let's suppose they don't have the most lenient rules, so it is only 99% payback. Therefore, since you have a 250X playthrough requirement, it is NOT +EV, unfortunately.
You CAN get a poker new signup bonus though, that gives you various cash prizes for your first month of play; i.e. after you earn your first 15 "poker points" you get $5, then when you reach 85 poker points you get $25, etc. See details here (look at poker welcome bonus):
https://www.ignitioncasino.eu/promotions/welcome-bonus
So that will at least get you some of your rake back the first month.
"Or so I've heard" <----- SteveStokely does NOT endorse any particular online poker site, check your local laws!
Be sure to also check our blog post reviewing your various choices in online poker:
https://www.advancedpokertraining.com/poker/blog/top-4-us-online-poker-sites-2017/
Check PokerScout.com and Safestpokersites.com for site info. Understand difference in networks and sites, aka skins. Game selection / player pool is same for all sites on a network but promotions may differ.
The following describes networks that have enough traffic to be interest and accept US players from states that have not explicitly legalized on-line poker:
Winning Poker Network (WPN) skins = America's Card Room, True Poker, Black Chip Poker and others. Allows tracking software, more sharks than fish in cash games, tourney's softer. Buy in premium adds rake on top of rake for loosing players (most players).
PaiWangLuo Network, US skin = Ignition Poker formerly Bovada, in US. Anonymous players, so you can't play the player, tracking software won't work.... zoom poker is fast, zip to next table on fold....softer games. Anonymous poker is arguably not poker. Again, rake on rake.
Chico Network, US skin= Betonline aka BOL in US - Nice software, only simple tracking software allowed. Generally Softer Player Pool that WPN.
Merge Network, US skin = Carbon poker and others. Allows tracking software. Carbon was once the highest traffic US Site that is not anonymous (other than Bovada). Preferred by many regulars until slow payouts and banning of winning players caused mass exodus.
Horizon Poker Network..Several US Skins but low traffic.....said by PokerScout to average about 85 players on line.
Here are a few websites that provide additional info addressing on-line poker sites. I do not have enough experience to say that one site is better than another, so I will provide the reviews below and allow you to come to your own conclusions. Hope this answers a few of your questions. Happy hunting.
The first site is the APT review mentioned in Stokely's note above. (Need to advertise the home team's review first.)
The second site is SNG Planet's review of Ignition Poker noted below.
http://www.sitandgoplanet.com/ignition-poker-review.html
The third site is GPSTS's review of the Ignition Poker bonus system.
http://gpsts.org/ignition-poker-bonus-code-review/
The fourth is SNG Planet's review of Betonline Poker noted below.
http://www.sitandgoplanet.com/rooms/betonline-poker-review.html
I have deleted some replies and am closing this discussion to further comments, because many of the replies were from (possible) shills promoting their own offshore real-money sites.