Best Poker Bonus for January 2012
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2011 Absolute Poker Bonus
The current 2010 Absolute Poker bonus code allows new players to get a 150% matching bonus up to $500. Absolute Poker calls their bonus code a ‘referral code’ so you’ll need to enter 550BULLDOG into the box asking for your referral code during the registration & deposit process. Get My Bonus Now
This Absolute Poker bonus code can only be used on your first deposit, so make the most of it with the biggest deposit you can afford. We don’t want anyone to risk more than they can easily afford to lose, but we also don’t want people to give away free bonus money.
For example, a $50 initial deposit will allow you to get up to $75 in bonus money, but a $200 deposit can get you $300 in bonus money. So, the bigger your first real money deposit is, the more bonus money you can get (up to $500 in bonus with a $334 initial deposit).
After you’ve made your first real money deposit at Absolute Poker, your total bonus amount will be put into your ‘Pending Bonus Account’. This is where you can see how much bonus money you have left to earn.
Of course, the Absolute Poker bonus code only applies to real money players who sign up in 2010. You can play for free at Absolute Poker, but no bonus money is available for free play. With that said, if you think you might play for real money at some point in the future, write down the bonus code and use it when you sign up. Even if you don’t make your first real money deposit for a while, if you use the bonus code when you register your account, your bonus will be waiting for you when you do.
AbsolutePoker.com Bonus Code (Referral Code) Clearing Requirements
* Bonus paid in $5 increments
* 60 days to clear
* 17-20 Status Points required per $1 in bonus (based on your Status Level)
It’s much easier to clear the Absolute Poker bonus code by playing in cash games (ring games) than it is in tournaments. To earn the bonus, players need to earn Status Points. The more Status Points you earn, the more bonus money you’ll be able to receive. High stakes cash games and tournaments earn Status Points faster than low stakes games. If you want the most bang for your buck, and a bigger deposit bonus you might want to use the Pokerstars download.
If you play Texas Holdem, Omaha, 7 Card Stud or Razz cash games, you’ll earn AP Status Points at the following rate:
Pot Limit / No Limit Cash Games
- At or above $1/2: 1 Status Point per raked hand
- $.50/1: 1 Status Point per 2 raked hands
- $.25/.50: 1 Status Point per 3 raked hands
- $.10/.25: 1 Status Point per 5 raked hands
- $.02/.04 and $.05/.10: 1 Status Point per 10 raked hands
- $.01/.02: 1 Status Point per 15 raked hands
Fixed Limit Cash Games
- At or above $2/4: 1 Status Point per raked hand
- $1/2: 1 Status Point per 2 raked hands
- $.50/1: 1 Status Point per 5 raked hands
- $.25/.50: 1 Status Point per 10 raked hands
- $.05/.10 and $.10/.20: 1 Status Point per 15 raked hands
- $.01/.02 and $.02/.04: 1 Status Point per 20 raked hands
* You are eligible to receive Absolute Poker Status Points when you contribute to any raked pot. If you’re on the blind but fold pre-flop in a hand where a rake is collected, you will earn credit towards Status Points.
Texas Holdem ring games at Absolute Poker run 24/7 up to mid stakes levels. Higher stakes games get going during peak hours when player traffic is at it’s highest. Omaha and 7 Card Stud games run all day as well, but the stakes tend to be lower than in Texas Holdem games. Razz Poker games aren’t terribly busy, but low stakes games are available around the clock.
Short handed cash games (6 max) are popular at Absolute Poker, and since the action is faster at short handed games, it’s easier to clear the Absolute Poker bonus code at these tables. The same can be said for heads-up tables.
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Earning Status Points in Tournaments
Absolute Poker tournaments, players earn 1 Status Point for every $.30 paid in tournament fees. So, if you play in a $5 + .50 tournament, you’ll earn 1 Status Point, plus 20 cents towards a second point…so essentially you’re earning 1.67 Status Points. In a $20+2 tournament you will earn 6.67 Status Points.The bonus return in tournaments at Absolute Poker is 16.67%. It’s ok, but not anywhere near as good as cash games. Absolute Poker has sit and go tournaments, multi-table tournaments, and guaranteed tournaments that run all day, every day. Tournaments at Absolute Poker start for as little as 10 cents, and go up to $5200.
Fastest Way to Clear the Absolute Poker Bonus Code
As mentioned above, players at Absolute Poker earn Status Points and bonus money much faster by playing in cash games than they do in tournaments. Even if you’ve only played tournaments in the past, try the cash games from time to time so you can earn more bonus money.
Any time you’re trying to earn a bonus, you should be looking for ways to earn it as fast as possible – as long as you can stay profitable. Here are a few tips to help you clear the Absolute Poker bonus code faster.
Play in FL Games Instead of NL Games
There are a couple great reasons to play in FL cash games instead of NL games at Absolute Poker.
1/ If you don’t play cash games because they make you nervous, play in fixed limit cash games instead of no limit games. In fixed limit games the worst you can do in a single hand is lose a small amount, so there isn’t much to get nervous about. If you jump straight into a no-limit game however, you can lose your whole stack in one hand.
2/ If you play in $2/4 or bigger games (based on how Status Points are handed out), you’ll earn bonus money faster by playing in FL games than you will in NL games. The reason is because the player to flop ratio is higher in fixed limit games than it is in no-limit games. With a no flop/no drop rake policy, hands that don’t see a flop produce no rake. If the pot doesn’t produce any rake, no AP Status Points are awarded. So, you should see more raked hands in FL than NL, thus earning Status Points faster.
Try Multi-Tabling
If you can do it and still win, try multi-tabling. If you can play 2, 3, 4 or more tables at a time, you’ll earn bonus money that much quicker. For some players, they actually play better when they play a few tables at a time because they do less tilting. When you play just one table at a time and completely focus on every move, it’s easy to get irritated with a player or allow one particular hand to drive you crazy.
With that said, keep in mind that paying less attention to each table could offset the tilting benefit. Of course when you’re playing multiple tables at a time, you’ll gain less information about each of your opponents. If you can do it successfully however, you can rack up bonus money much faster by playing multiple tables.
Play Short Handed & Heads Up Cash Games
With fewer players and looser action, short handed and heads-up tables tend to see more flops per hour. The more flops you see, the faster you earn Status Points – and bonus money.
A side benefit of playing short handed and heads up ring games is that it’s great experience for improving your final table skills in tournaments. Players need to learn to adjust to playing weaker starting hands, and short handed & heads-up cash game experience can only help you in this area.
Cash Games at Absolute Poker
With over 25,000 simultaneous players during peak hours, there are plenty of player so tkeep the cash games busy. Even off-peak hours have plenty of players, especially for Texas Holdem games. Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, and Razz games slow down in off-peak hours, but games can still be found.
Short handed (6 max & 4 max) tables are very popular at Absolute Poker. If you like fast action tables, Absolute Poker is a good choice. On top of the short handed tables, they also have turbo cash tables where players are given less time to act.
Heads-up cash games are also very popular 24 hours a day. For those with a lot of heads-up cash game experience, this is a great room for you. Plenty of fish can be found in the low-mid stakes levels. When playing heads-up cash games, don’t get yourself into playing an ego game against a tough opponent. If your opponent is good, leave the table and find someone else to play. You’re there to win money, don’t forget that.
Cash Game Competition
2+ years ago, the cash game tables at Absolute Poker were the tightest in the industry. This was caused by two major problems. Back then it was almost impossible to clear the bonus. Players were playing very tight-aggressive, ‘by the book’ poker, simply trying to break even at the tables while they earned bonus money. The other problem was that the growth of the room was slow, not bringing in enough fresh meat to take advantage of. There were too many solid, good players back then. Thankfully, this has all changed when these two things happened:
1/ About 2 years ago when Absolute Poker made their bonus so much easier to clear, players stopped playing like nits. This alone made a huge difference in profitability of the cash games.
2/ Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet combined their traffic, with Ultimate Bet players being much looser. This new blood came in and made the Absolute players loosen up as well.
Now the cash games at Absolute Poker are quite loose, definitely looser than players at Pokerstars.net o. This is great news for cash game players who want to earn bonus money and destroy the tables at the same time.
No Limit Texas Holdem Cash Games
No limit Texas Holdem cash games start at $.01/.02 with a typical buy-in of just $2. Micro through mid-stakes games are busy non-stop, 365 days a year.
During peak hours high stakes games get going as well. The highest stakes NL Texas Holdem games available are $200/400, but it’s tough to get a full table (6 or 9 players) above $25/50 going. No limit Texas Holdem games up to $5/10 get a lot of action though, and with thousands of dollars at these tables, plenty of money can be made here.
$10/20 and $25/50 heads-up Texas Holdem games stay busy most of the day. If you like heads-up, this is a great room for you.
Free cash games (oxymoron?) are available 24/7. All new players are given free play point that can be used at these tales. If you go broke, you can always get more. With this said, if your goal is to learn how to play the game and get better, you’re better off starting at the $.01/.02 real money tables. Although you’ll only have a couple dollars at risk, the level of play is a lot better than it is at the free tables. Free players don’t care what happens and usually these tables are full of people who go all-in every hand. This is not real poker. Did you learn real estate investing playing Monopoly? Of course not, and it’s the same situation here.
If you were going to play for free, consider making a small $20 deposit instead, and play the $.01/.02 tables instead. While the action is still pretty crazy, it’s much more like ‘real’ poker than the free tables are.
Fixed Limit Texas Holdem Cash Games
Like every online poker site, fixed limit Holdem is one of the staple games at Absolute Poker. Every day thousands of players login to play this game. If no limit games scare you, stick to the fixed limit tables until you have a good understanding of the rules and proper strategy.
Micro – Low Stakes Fixed Limit Holdem at Absolute Poker
Fixed limit Texas Holdem cash games begin at $.02/.04 with standard buy-ins of about $1. This is the best way to learn how to play Texas Holdem. Called ‘no foldem holdem’ for a reason, this game will teach new players how the game works without risking the mortgage payment.
Games up to $2/4 are ultra-juicy, with tons of fish to take advantage of. See as many cheap flops as you can with suited connectors and small pairs, but learn to fold ‘better’ than your opponents. The players who win at the FL Texas Holdem low stakes levels do it by knowing when they are beat, or very likely to lose on the turn or river. Learn as much as you can about pot odds, when to draw, when to fold, when to raise. All of the little moves you make add up in the long run.
Mid – High Stakes Fixed Limit Holdem at Absolute Poker
Full tables in the $3/6 to $15/30 range can be found at most hours of the day. Heads-up tables up to $50/100 can usually be found as well. Tables in the $100/200 – $500/1000 range are available, but rarely get action.
While we wouldn’t classify these players as ‘bad’, they are definitely not as tough as they are at some other online poker rooms. For the serious FL Holdem player, this is about as good as it gets for finding profitable tables.
Omaha Cash Games
Most Omaha cash games at Absolute Poker can be found in heads-up, 4 player, 6 player, and 9 players formats. Short-handed Omaha cash games are great for earning the Absolute Poker bonus code requirements. Players see lots of flops, taking the no flop-no drop rule out of the equation. Since full ring games of Omaha take a long time for each hand to play out, try the short-handed or heads-up tables to clear the bonus code faster.
If you aren’t familiar with Omaha poker, it’s a game similar to Texas Holdem, except players receive 4 hole cards instead of two. Only two of those cards can be used to make a hand. Omaha is played in regular high format, or hi/lo…a more confusing game to learn. For new players, try Omaha first, then read up on Omaha Hi/Lo strategy before you play it for real money.
Pot Limit Omaha & Omaha Hi/Lo
Pot limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo ring games at Absolute Poker start at $.01/.02 and go up to $200/400. Pot limit Omaha & Omaha Hi/Lo games up to $2/4 stay bust most of the day, and a few bigger games get going during peak hours.
Fixed Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
These games start at $.02/.04 and go up to $300/600. The busiest FL Omaha Hi/Lo tables are games in the $1/2 – $5/10 range. $1/2 and $2/4 tables can be found 24 hours a day.
No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
No limit Omaha Hi/Lo games range from $.05/.10 – $500/1000, but very little action can be found at these tables.
No Limit Omaha
Stakes range from $.25/.50 up to $500/1000, but you’ll rarely find a table running.
7 Card Stud Cash Games at Absolute Poker
7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo are both offered at Absolute Poker. This is one of the classic poker games that every dad and grandpa knows how to play. Hit the old codgers up for some strategy ideas.
At Absolute Poker, all 7 Card Stud games are held in fixed limit format.
7 Card Stud Games & Stakes
Games start at $.02/.04 and go up to $100/200. While 7 Card Stud is offered this high at Absolute, tables are only busy from $.02/.04 – $1/2 for full ring games. Heads-up tables up to $15/30 can be found at different times of the day.
Razz Poker Cash Games
Razz Poker has been my favorite game to play in 2010. The main reason for this is because the competition is terrible. When I play Razz I think to myself, ‘this must’ve been how the pros felt in 2003 and 2004 when Texas Holdem was booming”. 2010 is to Razz what 2003 was to Texas Holdem. Decent Razz players can make a mint in this game.
The reason that the Razz Poker tables are so profitable is pretty clear. In recent years H.O.R.S.E has become a very popular game. While most players know how to play Holdem, Omaha and Stud, very few know how to play Razz. So, they head over to the Razz tables to learn so they can improve their H.O.R.S.E results. Once they get their heads wrapped around Razz, they go back to their H.O.R.S.E games. This means that a steady stream of players who don’t know how to play Razz are constantly coming in and out of the games.
For you, this could mean a huge opportunity. If you dedicate yourself to learning how to play Razz, you can literally destroy the cash tables you play at. To give you an idea, I can usually triple my buy-in within 45-60 minutes after I sit down at a Razz cash game.
At Absolute Poker, Razz is offered from $.02/.04 up to $300/600. There aren’t a lot of Razz players at Absolute yet, but the numbers are starting to grow and should continue to.
Razz is another game that is good for clearing the bonus code requirements. Since nobody knows how to play, every hand see’s a flop. Also, it’s the type of game where lots of starting hands could have potential, so you’ll contribute a small amount to a lot of raked hands. Remember, the more raked hands you contribute to, the more Status Points and bonus money you can earn.
H.O.R.S.E Cash Games at AbsolutePoker.com
The traffic for H.O.R.S.E games at AbsolutePoker.com has dramatically increased in recent years. At Absolute it is played in fixed limit format, with 2 or 8 players per table. It’s a fun game because it keeps players from getting bored. H.O.R.S.E is a rotating game of Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Eights or Better.
At Absolute Poker the H.O.R.S.E. game stakes begin at $.05/.10 and go up to $100/200. During peak hours, games up to $10/20 can be found. During off-peak hours, games up to $5/10 can usually be found.
Absolute Poker Cash Game Rake
The rake amount for any cash game is 5%, which is standard for the industry.
In cash games with only 2 players, the rake is 5% with a $1 max. In games with 3 or more players the rake is different, based on the number of players and game stakes. Most tables have a maximum rake of $2 or $3.
To make a profit on the AbsolutePoker.com bonus code, players need to be able to break-even at the cash tables, and beat the rake. So in theory, you need to be just slightly better than the average player to accomplish this.
Absolute Poker Tournaments
When Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet merged their players, the tournaments instantly improved. Guaranteed tournaments got bigger, sit & go’s started filling faster, and satellites became more prevalent as well.
As mentioned above, it’s easier to earn the Absolute Poker bonus in cash games than it is in tournaments. If you mostly play tournaments, give the cash games a try from time to time. Players have 60 days to earn as much of the bonus as they can – don’t let the free bonus money pass you by.
Here’s a rundown of the types of tournaments you’ll find at Absolute Poker.
Sit & Go Tournaments
Sit & go tournaments at Absolute Poker start for as little as $.11 ($.10+.01 fee). There are so many I almost don’t know where to start. For the simplified version…there are so many you should just see them for yourself.
Without going too crazy into details, there are sit & go cash tournaments, satellite tournaments, Steps tournaments, and satellites for major, live tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT).
Sit & Go tournaments are offered in heads-up, 4 player, 6 player, 9 player, and multi-table formats. You also have the choice between regular speed, turbo, and ultra-turbo’s.
Players can choose from Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, HORSE and HOSE sit & go tournaments.
I could go on and on about the sit & go tournaments at Absolute Poker. That’s a huge article in itself. Instead, just download Absolute Poker and go to the poker room lobby. Click on the ‘Sit & Go’ tab located towards the top of the screen. A number of tabs will open underneath that tab which will help you find the type of sit & go tournament you’re interested in playing in.
Weekday Guaranteed Tournaments
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AbsolutePoker.com Real Money Deposit Options
Deposit Options for US Players
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Deposit Methods for Players Outside the US
For players outside of the US, there are plenty of easy, instant deposit options. Each country has it’s own options, but most of the options listed below are available outside the US. Please note - Absolute Poker accepts most European deposit methods, and is one of the top five ukash poker sites.
Absolute Poker Download Options
Players can download Absolute Poker on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
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Absolute Poker Reload Bonus Code
Players can use an Absolute Poker reload bonus code to get extra bonus money from time to time. Typically a reload bonus is going to be quite a bit smaller than a first deposit bonus code, but free money is free money. When they’re available, Absolute Poker will generally send you an email about it, along with the reload bonus code you’ll need to enter when you deposit. Since 2010 started, several reload bonus codes have already been made available to existing players.
If you’d like to get a bigger bonus, why not sign up at Ultimate Bet instead? Ultimate Bet is on the same network as Absolute Poker, but they have a 2010 new-player bonus of 110% up to $1100. That’s a massive bonus to take advantage of. At Ultimate Bet you’ll be playing the same games against the same players as you do when you’re logged into Absolute Poker anyway, so why not get the bigger bonus? If you’d like to try Ultimate Bet Poker, write down bonus code 550BULLDOG and visit the Ultimate Bet website.
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