Suggestions on working off Poker Host Bonus

[HoldemChamp]

No Nick I am not tooting my own horn again. LOL

Honestly though. I have $36.50 from coming in 5th for the private freeroll at Poker Host on the 6/7/05.

Unfortunately I didn't know I had to deposit to get the bonus money out and all the hoops I would have to jump through just for the chance to redeem my prize money.

I figured some of you Poker Host Veterans might be able to have a solution to my dilema that isn't to costly in the short term.

I have never even venture over the micro limit levels. So, playing 1/2 dollars tables is not an option.

The Nice Operator I talked with said something about since I like playing tournies I could make the minimum deposit and use the bonus money to play tournies to release the bonus. I might not even have to touch my deposited money at all.

But, I am not sure I understood her correctly.

Can someone help out? I really would like to put that 36.50 to some use.

 

[xdmanx007]

WELL! Did they tell you the money you won in the freeroll was "bonus" money? Might be, cause that was a pretty big payout for this site. Anyways why not use the loot to build a bankroll there? You will have nothing invested but time, and you might get a real roll going! Goog luck I have heard Host has pretty harsh bonus clearance requirements though.

 

[Crippler450]

Good luck, Pokerhost is a crooked, rotten site who will make you work your a** off to get a single cent of money in profit. I like playing there, but I would NEVER make a deposit

 

[RammerJammer]

The Nice Operator I talked with said something about since I like playing tournies I could make the minimum deposit and use the bonus money to play tournies to release the bonus. I might not even have to touch my deposited money at all.

But, I am not sure I understood her correctly.

I had the same live chat with a Poker Host guy just last night. I would offer you the transcript, but my request to receive it via email by clicking the appropriate button in the chat box has been, so far, ignored.

My take on it is this. Your $36.50 is forever locked into "bonus money" status until you redeem it at the rate of $1 per 5 raked hands at the $1/$2 tables. You will NEVER see that $36.50 in your pocket until you meet that requirement. The $36.50 you won on the freeroll and the amount you deposit is not segregated for you on the Cashier screen. If you deposit $25.00, you will see $61.50 as the amount of "real money" you have in your bankroll. But if you tried to withdraw $61.50, they wouldn't let you.

I have no idea where the support person you talked to was coming from with the "use your freeroll dollars to play tournaments" pitch. Do you really think if you sign up for a $5 buy-in tourney that Poker Host is going to take the five bucks out of the 'unredeemed freeroll money' side of the ledger? Hell, no! That's going to be five of the dollars you just deposited being used for the buy-in. Meanwhile, the $36.50 just sits there, waiting for you to start playing those $1/$2 tables.

That's just my personal observation, based upon my understanding of their policies. If I'm wrong on these points, please offer correction.

 

[rocka13]

Hi folks,
It would seem that pokerhost has differrent types of bonus dollars this is the release requirements for their deposit bonus dollars, No mention dollars per raked hand.

The 110% bonus is only applicable to initial deposits. The bonus money will be credited in PokerBucks.

PokerBucks are promotional dollars that get converted into real money as you play.

PokerBucks do not appear in your real money balance. They are deposited in a separate balance. This balance is viewable by the player at anytime in the cashier under the title Unreleased Bonus Awards. PokerBucks are released into the player's real money account in $5 increments. Every time you contribute to rake at any real money table, 50% of your rake contribution will go towards releasing your PokerBucks into your real money account. Each time your rake contribution reaches $5, you can release this $5 into your real money account.

In order to withdraw, players must meet all requirements. Bonus money cannot be withdrawn until it is converted into real money. If at anytime your balance goes to zero, you will not lose your remaining bonus money. You may at anytime make a deposit and continue converting your PokerBucks into real money. To keep your PokerBucks account balance active you must play at least 100 raked hands per month.

If your $36.50 is in the Unreleased Bonus Awards in the cashier you may have to get it released under these conditions. As for the 100 raked hands to keep your balance active there is no mention whether you must contribute to the pot or just get dealt cards in a raked hand for it to qualify.
It would seem more and more that money won in freerolls is not actually money but bonuses that can only be taken out after meeting the usual bonus requirements.
Good luck,
Rocka

 

[Kenzie 96]

Pokerhost aborted their $500 freeroll tonight @ apparently last night also. In addition I got home 10 minutes after start of $100 freeroll @ was unable to take my seat. Impressive site so far.

 

[Poker Player 100]

Cant you just depodit a little money and withdraw it??