Micro-Limit Fans...TAKE NOTE!

[RammerJammer]

If you are one of the players who enjoy making a minimal deposit on your favorite poker sites with the intent to hit the micro-limit ring games, take note of the following.

Noble Poker, which is heavily promoted on this forum and where we hold frequent freerolls, does not award its "Crown Points" for the smallest of the micro-limit ring games. You will not receive any credit for playing raked hands at the .01/.02, .02/.04, .05/.10, or .10/.20 tables. Crown Points are only awarded at the .25/.50 tables and up.

1 "Crown" is awarded for each raked hand at the .25/.50 level. 2 "Crowns" are awarded for each raked hand at the .50/1.00 level. 4 "Crowns" are awarded for each raked hand at the 1.00/2.00 level and above. It takes 500 Crowns to release each $10.00 in bonus money earned!!

If you deposit $50, as I did, and are entitled to receive the advertised "100% matching bonus" from Noble, you have to use that $50 to play 2500 raked hands at the .25/.50 tables to pick up the "free" $50! Call me the eternal pessimist, but I have a hard time believing I'm going to be able to stretch fifty bucks out over 2500 hands when the average pot frequently reaches $20 or more. I'll be lucky to see even $10 of that bonus before I'm pumping more of my money into the till to keep playing.

The moral of the story? Unless you've got hundreds of dollars to toss into various internet poker kitties, and have plenty more where that came from, read the fine print on these so-called "bonuses". I would emphasize that there's nothing underhanded going on here, and that these details are featured on each site. Just make sure you check them out before deciding where to invest your money.

100% of nothing is nothing.

 

[smtbonzi]

Yep, I ran into the same thing on Noble. Love to play there, but there is no way I will ever clear my bonus.

 

[xdmanx007]

Crowns are awarded to players for each hand in which they participate, as long as the hand is raked, no matter whether the player contributed to the pot by placing a blind or a bet, or whether the player folded. This is an important point Rammer because you don't have to actually contribute money to the pot to get crown credit. The hands will cranck out much faster than you think since even if you fold preflop the hand counts, as long as you were dealt cards and the hand is raked. Pot needs to reach 5 dollars in LIMIT play and 1 dollar in NL/PL play to be raked. I feel your pain my friend I go through the process everytime I play a new site as to what their raked hand and bonus policies are. I wish that there was a universal definition for a raked hand but every site has their own definition! Good luck!

 

[HoldemChamp]

Most sites work this way. The usual minimum to earn points or release bonues money is 25/50 cent or even 50/1.00 limits. NL tables because pots can still get large at even as low as 1/2 penny.

 

[xdmanx007]

I admit does seem pretty harsh now that I really think about it for 50 bucks! 500 hands gets 10.00 so 2 cents per hand. They can do better than that!

 

[rocka13]

Rammer this is indeed one of the hardest bonuses to clear. I am currently researching and writing up a guide to online bonuses. I hope to post it here in the next week or so. The best way to clear this bonus is at 1/2 limit, 125 raked hands per $10.00 giving each raked hand a value to you of .08 cents. Find a wild 1/2 game (lots of raked hands) and play tight/aggressive.(I guess we should be looking for these anyway)

 

[xdmanx007]

Rammer this is indeed one of the hardest bonuses to clear. I am currently researching and writing up a guide to online bonuses. I hope to post it here in the next week or so. The best way to clear this bonus is at 1/2 limit, 125 raked hands per $10.00 giving each raked hand a value to you of .08 cents. Find a wild 1/2 game (lots of raked hands) and play tight/aggressive.(I guess we should be looking for these anyway)

I can help with a bonus article I have cleared several at several sites. If it is for here hit me up and I'll help!

 

[RammerJammer]

Thanks, 007 & rocka. We have a lot of new players here and, judging by several recent posts, the stiff requirements are catching many of them by surprise. The sites aren't being dishonest. They're just marketing themselves in the most attractive way possible, which is to be expected. It's up to the players to take the time to go to the websites and actually read the details on how bonus money is paid out. There truly is no such thing as "free money". Never has been, never will be.

The info you're proposing to share will be very valuable. Thanks again.

 

[xdmanx007]

Yeah in reality all they are doing is refunding some of your rake, back to you. pacific poker is the only one that credits your account immediatelly with the money you just can't cash it out until 20x has been wagered. IMHO best place for a first time depositor. You probably will not cash out the bonus, although I have cashed out every single one from them. The big plus, the money is your to wager at the tables I LOVE IT!

 

[ffbigfoot]

THIS ONE IS FOR ALL YOU BONUS SEEKERS

Im not trying to advertise or promote any other sites on this forum. This is just to help you get answers to your questions and help with bonuses. There is a website called www.bonuswhores.com . It gives right ups for just about every poker site along with up to date notices of bonuses and there policies. Please forgive me if I am not suppose to post other site stuff on here and feel free to edit. Just trying to help fellow players.

 

[IrishDave]

The thing that really bothers me about Noble is that you do not get credit for tourney participation like you do at other sites. I play a lot of SNGs and get no credit at Noble.

Just an aside. Was down to my last 12.00 on Noble last night so I sat at a .25/.50 table to try to build my stack (and work on the crowns). Second hand get QQ, get mugged by everyone on the table, end up all-in, and lose to a draw. I'm now broke on Noble and figure I have to make another deposit so I can play in the next Cardchat $5 buy-in. New I only had 125-175 crowns.

This morning, got a message from Noble saying my first $10 in bonus had been released. I know I didn't have 500 crowns; however, maybe they just want me to play... Interesting...

 

[max_barry]

lol irish that sounds funny, this is all very interestig becuase nick worships noble and keeps telling us how great the $800 binus is, well maybe its just not lol. And thwere is one place thata ctually give you FREE MONEY- RoyalVegasPoker does!!

 

[xdmanx007]

argh! Well they just did toughen te bonus requirments but it is what it is I suppose. I have had good luck with them although haven't been tried out the new bonus deal. From the beginning Noble hasn't targeted low limit players all you have to do is look at the number of tables at the middle limits! The EMPTY tables... I digress.. A good way to look at a bonus is like a coupon you try the shit if you like it you keep buying if not you switch... Thats the way I would look at it if I was a new real money player

 

[rocka13]

Noble bonus breakdown.

Here is a breakdown on the Noble bonus.

100% bonus up to $800.

3 months to clear (I don't know whether this is calender months or 90 days I'll fire off an email and report back)

Crowns are awarded to players for each hand in which they participate, as long as the hand is raked, no matter whether the player contributed to the pot by placing a blind or a bet, or whether the player folded.

Crowns are awarded according to the stakes at ring games as listed in the following table:
25c/50c - 1 crown.
50c/$1.00 - 2 crowns.
$1/$2 - 4 crowns.

Bonuses are awarded according to the number of Crowns a player has earned.
500 crowns = $10.00.
700 crowns = 10 euros.
900 crowns = 10 GBP.
(Depending on the exchange rate and the charges involved with your deposit method it may be in your interest to deposit in British pounds, but for the rest of this bonus review I will stick to $US.)

Crown value.
Each crown has a bonus value of $0.02.
Raked hand value.
@ 25/50 - $0.02.
@ 50/1.00 - $0.04.
@ 1/2 - $0.08.
Raked hands per $10.00.
@ 25/50 - 500.
@ 50/1.00 - 250.
@ 1/2 - 125.
Clearence rates.(These figures are based on a small sample of games available when I logged on to noble but will still give you an idea on how to work out clearance rate values).
Limit HE
@ 25/50 avg pot $2.36 very few pots reached the $5.00 rake.
@50/1.00, avg pot $7.22, hands/hour - 60+ @ 6 handed - 48+ @ 10 handed .
6 handed = 60 hands x $0.04 = $2.40 per hour.
10 H = 48 x .04 = $1.92 p/h.
@1/2 avg pot $11.00, hands/hour - 57+ @ 10 handed.(there were no 6 handed games when I logged on)
10 handed = 57 x .08 = $4 56 p/h.

Summary.
This is not a bonus geared to micro limit players and that is fair enough, lets face it companies like noble are in business to make money and make their money from raked hands. So gearing thier bonuses toward rewarding the player that plays at limits more likely to be raked is not such a bad thing. The fact that they do not rake the pot until it reaches $5.00 means the average micro limit holdem player can play just about rake free.
To make the most of this bonus it is probably better to wait until you have $500.00 or more and are confident enough in your game to handle $1/2 limit holdem. Then it is not the worst value on offer. A $500.00 bonus will take 6250 raked hands to clear, at 60 hands an hour this means it will take you 105 hours of play to clear at a rate of just under $5.00 per hour, not bad to get $5.00 an hour to do something you love, Playing Poker.

This is the first time I have done anything remotely like this so any Criticism, questions, comments or feedback will be greatly appreciated.

For those of us who play lower limit poker I am currently experimanting with building a bankroll starting with $50.00 and using bonuses and special offers to see how I can get it to grow to the point where I will be able to take advantage of these larger offers. I should be making my first report on this experiment in 2 or 3 days and as soon as i have run it past the powers that be here at cardschat.
Keep flopping monsters.
Rocka

 

[Tammy]

Yeah, having just recently deposited at Noble...I got to thinking about the Crown system. Then I said to myself..."How exactly is this bonus free?" If it were free, then I wouldn't have to spend the money I deposited jumping through hoops to get the bonus. I have half a mind to write a strongly worded email to Noble and let them know about a phrase called "Truth in Advertising". At which point they would probably politely tell me to go "f" myself! lol But, I do enjoy the site, and having bitched and moaned about the Crown thing, they did give me an instant $10 bonus for making my first deposit...so that was cool.

 

[rocka13]

JuiceeQ.
Before I will deposit money at any site regardless of any recomendations I may have recieved or their reputationsn as a staight up site. I will spend 2 or 3 hours at least reading their terms and conditions regarding their general play rules, the withdrawel and deposit rules and any information I can get on bonus and rake hand definition.
This may seem borderline paranoid but it is my hard earned cash I putting in these peoples hands and I prefer profit to loss any day.

So any noobies out there take a bit of advice, take the time, do the homework and take the stress of finding out too late that getting your hands on YOUR money is not as easy as it should be.

Remember, just because your paranoid doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you.

 

[xdmanx007]

Well Rocka if you are gearing it towarsds new low nl or limit players some of the stuff you have in there will be greek to them. For example most players don't start figuring their hourly rates till after quite sometime in the game. Although it something anybody other than a recreational player needs to factor in. KIS keep it simple only advice I can give. The advanced guys will like the hourly rate and hands per hour but your new and even average online player doesn't speak that language :top: Good Job on being comprehensive though

 

[rocka13]

Thanks xdmanx007,
I realise that to a lot of the newer players these figures probably seem a bit excessive but I am hoping that by seeing them at a site like this they will grab a calculator , a note pad and a pen , do a little simple math and not stumble into what sounds like a great bonus only to find they have bought in to it under funded and with little or no chance of ever seeing the bonus in their account.
Thanks again for the feed back,
Rocka

 

[Tammy]

ROCKA13

Thanks for the advice. Seems like a no brainer! lol By the way, you have used my all time favorite quote in your closing comment! :laugh:

 

[paradocks]

I have to say when I see a bonus system like Noble it just makes me even less interested in depositing money than I may have been before even seeing there was any bonus at all... sounds silly but that's me. I think these bonus systems obviously work very well for the casinos and many many novices must sign-up for a bonus that they really have no chance of ever getting then just end up losing more money than they gain from trying to activate the bonuses. Apart from that it just seems like such an annoyance, I have a very busy life and really have better things to be thinking about
than how many crowns I have left to activate in the time remaining.

I'm a cheapskate though

 

[rocka13]

Paradocks,
I too am a cheapskate.This is why I won't deposit at a site unless I can take advantage of the bonus offers. Why not get comped $3.00 an hour to play .10/.20 limit HE or $9.86 an hour (depending on the GBP to $US exchange rate) to play $1/$2 limit. You are completely right when you say "that these bonus systems obviously work very well for the casinos". But with a little effort and a bit of thought you can make them work very well for you too.
Flop monsters,
Rocka.

 

[RammerJammer]

OK, guys, here's the flip side of the coin....are there any sites out there, to anyone's knowledge, which offer matching bonus money of any percentage to first-time depositors, with no strings attached? No minimum raked hands, no table limits, no points accumulated, just straight up. "Thanks for joining. Here's your bonus. Have fun and good luck!" Any such animal?

 

[ChuckTs]

i think when i make my first deposit, i'll just try and make money off that that i put in
screw the bonuses i don't play enough or even have enough time to collect those crowns
and I end up reaching some kind of bonus with my play, then great, but for now ill jus play with my deposit and go from there

 

[RammerJammer]

i think when i make my first deposit, i'll just try and make money off that that i put in
screw the bonuses i don't play enough or even have enough time to collect those crowns
and I end up reaching some kind of bonus with my play, then great, but for now ill jus play with my deposit and go from there

Not a bad approach, as long as the player understands that ignoring certain games is going to result in NEVER getting his bonus, regardless of how well he does or how long he plays. If he's cool with that, I agree. Don't sweat the bonus and play where you want to play.

 

[xdmanx007]

Rammer I just started working off a deposit bonus at Noble and I have to admit I really didn't crunch the numbers or the numbers didn't crunch me until I took a real look at it! OMG man if you play the .25/.5 NL tables the bonus works out to 50 times the number of raked hands to clear that is just plain INSANE!! I play a little higher so mine is half that but OMG man you are right that bonus looks like a BITCH now! Definantelly not worth concentrating on clearing that for dam sure. I emailed them about it cause I have smoked 2 previous deposit bonuses there with no trouble, they didn't just stiffen the bonus requirements they made em hard as DIAMONDS!