3. Earn While you Learn , The Power of the Bonus

As we've discssed in previous lessons even the best holdem players can expect to make just 1 big-bet (BB) per hour. Some put the estimates of long term profitable players as low as just 10-15% of all players. Why so low? Well, overcoming the rake is no mean task. Pretty much every pot is raked at 5% some even 10%. If you're playing live the deal is even worse: you have to overcome the dealer tips (toke) too.

This is where online poker offers such a great opportunity to those new to internet play, and those pretty new to poker as well. Competition is pretty fierce for new players online. in order to attract you, The Player, most pokerrooms online offer some kind of incentive. This incentive is usually in the form of a first deposit bonus. Nearly every online pokerroom out there will offer you a % of your initial deposit as a bonus. They will attach some terms and conditions to this bonus, usually in the form of playing 'x' amount of raked hands.

Like most things all bonuses are not created equal. Some are much more valuable than others. Some when played at certain times of the day are far more valuable than when played at other times of the day. Some are almost like a trap and could very well end up costing you money.

By learning to play solidly at one low-limit table, then gradually learning to play solidly at 2 tables whilst always clearing a bonus for your first 10,000 hands it becomes pretty straight forward to learn a winning style whilst at the same time profiting to the tune of $1500 in bonuses.

How long does 10,000 hands take? Playing 1 10-Max table 50 raked hands/hr is a fair average. Playing 1 6max table we can average out at 75 raked hands/hr. Now, play 2 tables at once and we double these numbers, we can clear upto 150 raked hands per hr. Playing 1 10 max table 10,000 hands would therefore take 200hrs, playing 2 6 max tables 10,000 hands would take just 66hrs. That's anywhere from $15-$30/hr in bonuses if you chose where and when to play wisely.....all whilst learning your game at $1/$2 (or sometimes even lower limits). Calculate for yourself what can be made if you chose to learn to play 3, 4 or even more tables simultaneously!

I personally used this strategy to build a $5000 bankroll from $100, infact I still use this strategy often to this day, it's just too profitable not to. The point is, playing for these bonuses helped me learn the game whilst at the same time my bankroll grew. I was then able to safetly move up in limits to a level where 1 BB/hr is sufficient ($10/$20) without the danger of ever going bust.

If all this is news to you, or if you'd like to know more about which bonuses are best to play please either sigunp to our free poker school or post in our forum.

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