Sunday, July 09, 2006

Casino Bonuses Played

Rather than reporting my casino bonus results in my day to day posts, I've decided to keep a running tally of them here. I'll update this post every time I do another casino bonus, and I have also linked to this post in the side bar.

The first few bonuses here are from before I started keeping this blog, and they detail how I built my original bankroll. If you want to do any of these bonuses for yourself, remember to check the current terms and conditions, as they often change. If you are unfamiliar with the process of bonus swindling, check out my strategy guide, Bonus Swindling

#1. Deposited $200 at Bet365 for their 100% sign up bonus up to $200, with a WR of $4000. I started off betting $1/ hand then got ahead a bit so I upped it to 5/hand, and went on a large losing streak. I proceeded to up my bets to $100/hand to chase my losses- which you should NEVER NEVER do, however on this occasion I got lucky and ended up with a $350 profit.

Result: +$350

#2. Deposited $100 at Casino Elegance for what I THOUGHT was a cashable bonus of 100% up to $100, but it turned out to be sticky. Moral of this story- READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY. I finished the WR about even, but then, realising that I had no profit upped my bets to 100 and lost it all pretty quickly.

Result: -$100

#3. Reading the posts at Blackjackinfo lead me to believe that the bonus at Golden Palace was a sticky bonus. I read and re-read the t & c's but it still appeared to be cashable to me, however since I had already made that mistake previously with Casino Elegance, I decided to play it as a sticky bonus. I deposited $100 for the 300% bonus up to $300, which gave me $400 on the table to start. I aggresively bet $100 per hand and ran my balance up to $900 before settling back to grind out the WR. It was as around this point that I read on in the thread at Blackjackinfo and discovered that the Golden Palace bonus WAS now a cashable bonus (it had previously been sticky). This was GREAT news, I finished the WR up some more and cashed out of this one with a proft of $840.50.

Result: +$840.5

#4. Deposited $100 at Starluck for the 100% sign up bonus up to $100. I ran well on this one betting the minimum $1/hand and finishing up above EV.

Result: +$125

#5. Deposited $100 at Planetluck (sister casino to Starluck) for exactly the same sign up bonus as Starluck. I absolutely killed this bonus, starting off betting $1/hand at the beggining then upping it to $5/hand at the end when I was well ahead.

Result: +$224

#6. Deposited $80 at at Will Hill for the 100% sign up bonus. I did really well here and withdrew with a profit of 180 bucks. Will Hill also offer a $40 monthly bonus and another $40 monthly poker bonus- I will hit these later.

Result: +$180

#7. Intercasino offer a great sign up bonus of 100% up to $100, but they also offer this same bonus EVER month. The WR isn't bad at 25x bonus ($2500), and is generally easy money. I decided to bet $5/hand so it would clear quicker and because I could handle the variance better now as my bankroll was bigger. I went on a losing streak and lost the bonus and deposit.

Result: -$100

#8. Littlewoods offer a 25 pound sign up bonus as well as a recurring 25 pound bonus every month, so thats 50 pounds for the first month. I absolutely murdered this bonus, finishing well up after betting 2 pounds/ hand. Littlewoods also has a reacurring monthly poker bonus which i'll hit up later.

Result: +$295

This is the point where I started keeping this blog. In actual fact, the next two bonuses I was already doing before I officially started the blog, but as I hadn't finished them yet, I decided to count them as entirely in the blog documented period.

#9. Deposited $100 at Aceclub for the 100% sign up bonus. The bonus for Aceclub is rather high ($6000), considering the value of the bonus, so I was ready to expect more variance. This was lucky because I proceeded to go on a bad losing streak and lost the bonus and the deposit, betting $5/hand.

Result: -$100

#10. Window's Casino was an utterly terrible experience for me, read more about it here. In summary; I deposited $150 for what I thought was a cashable bonus with low WR and good blackjack rules, however it turned out that the WR was MASSIVE (10500) and the rules were terrible (dealer hits soft 17). But since I had already deposited I decided to play anyway, and after being mostly up throughout the WR, I finished it at my all time low, got stroppy, upped my bets, and lots it all. I repeat: NEVER NEVER NEVER RAISE YOUR BETS TO CHASE LOSSES.

Result: -$150

#11. As its now a new month, I doubled back and did the Intercasino monthly bonus, $100 match. After a couple of bad bonuses I needed a winner and, thankfully, Intercasino delivered this time and I finished well up.

Result: +$189

#12. Doubled back for Will Hill monthly bonus, $40 match. I finished the WR at -$17 and decided to cash out at that point, not raise my bets to retrieve losses, which I'm happy I was able to avoid. Looking back, I was quite stupid with this one, as with Will Hill you wager through the bonus first, so once i'd lost back to my original $40 deposit I could have simply cashed out even, oh well, I'll remember that for next time.

Result: -$17

#13. Deposited $188 over at UK Betting for their monthly bonus of 100% up to 25 pounds. The reason I deposited so much more than the value of the bonus was that its a bonus thats added AFTER you have wagered through the wagering requirement. Its another crypto bonus like Intercasino, Will Hill, and Littlewoods so I had to wait for a pin code to cash out. The WR for this one was 500 pounds, which I completed in one session, betting 2 pounds/ hand, and finished down 36 pounds, so once the bonus was added my result was -11 pounds (about -$20.20).

Result: -$30.20

#14. Cherry Casino was a HUGE head ache for me, but it turned out alright in the end. I deposited $222 for the 50% sign up bonus up to $111, which had a WR of 13 x bonus and deposit= $4329, a pretty big WR as it is, but I decided to bet 5/ hand thinking I'd finish it in about 4 sessions. I proceeded to go on a terrible loosing streak, I just couldn't seam to buy any luck... by the time I'd wagered though $4500 I was down to $195, so I'd lost the bonus and about $30 of my deposit as well. However my low point was around $160, so I was glad that I'd recovered somewhat and has happy to cash out only down 30. I went to the cashier and my balance available to withdraw was much less than my total balane. I was about to send an email in my rage, then I checked my bonus WR level and saw that the unthinkable had happened. Between the time that I looked at the Terms and Conditions for this bonus and the time that I'd actually deposited (about two weeks) they'de changed the WR to 20 x deposit and bonus = $6660. I was faced with a predicament, I was already down but 30 bucks and I still had $2000 of WR to fulfill, which could lead me to being down further. In the end I decided that I'd continue to play but play it like a semi-sticky, that is I would bet higher amounts and try and run my balance back up then grind out the rest of the WR. I did this, and after some nervous moments managered to run my total back up to $333 (orginal deposit plus bonus). I then dropped back to betting 2/hand and ground out the remaining WR, finally finishing with a good profit.

Result: +$104

#15. Deposited $50 at Sportingbet USA for the $30 sign up bonus (10% of deposit plus $25 free). This bonus is pretty borderline in terms of hourly winrate, but hey its free money. I bet $1/ hand for this one which took a little while because the software is very slow. The WR is only 20 x bonus so that wasn't too bad. This bonus is a little bit different to the others, because you must deposit into your account and they will give you the 10% of sign up bonus, then wager through 10 bucks and they will credit your account with another $25 within 24 hours. This bonus is also good because it is released into you withdrawable balance bit by bit as you go through the WR not in one lump sum and the end. I ran pretty well with this one finishing up with a nice profit.

Result: +$75.65

#16. Deposited Casino Euro for 50% up to 111 Euro, this is the same as Cherry Casino, these two are in the same group. However the WR for Casino Euro was only 3330 Euro. This one looked like it was going to be a white wash, as I lost every session and was right down to my original deposit, but I had a nice little run at the tail end of the WR and finished up by 49 Euro's. However there was some trickery at work. When I deposited the 222 Euro, US$288 was taken from my Neteller account, applying the same exchange rate to my withdrawal (as most casino's do) my cashout amount should have been US$69, but I only received US$49 back in my Neteller account. I sent an angry email to support explaining all this, and they said that they must follow the exchange rate as it changes and that the apparent loss of $15 was from the change in exchange rate from time of deposit to time of withdrawal. I am no expert in finance, but that change in ex rate seems a little high. They gave me the website that tells them the ex. rate but I haven't got around to checking it yet. All in all I was somewhat peeved, and felt like I was cheated out of $15. In other words, if I'd waited until the ex. rate went back to what it was when I deposited and then withdrew, I would have got the correct amount.

Result: +$49

For those of you playing at home, I would caution you to be careful when tackling the bonuses at Casino Euro and Cherry Casino, and had problems with both. And, despite coming out with a profit from both, I only had 1 winning session out of the 10 I played at the two casino's. Don't avoid them, they are still good bonuses, just be warned.

#17. I had a much better experience at VIP casino which is another crypto. I deposited $200 to take full advantage of the 50% bonus up to $100. For some reason the software was really slow the first couple of sessions, but after that it improved to its normal speedy self- I think it was a connection problem from my end. I ran really very well with this one betting $2/hand, and finishing up $169. However I feel like I lost a bit because I was up by $250 at one point, but $169 is still pretty awsome.

Result: +$169

#18. Deposite 75 Euro's (US$97.55) at Private Casino for 100% deposit bonus up to 75 Euro's. This is a great casino and bonus, fast software and quick cashouts. The WR is only 20x deposit which leads to a good expected value. I went well with this one finishing above EV for a profit of 110 Euro (US$134). Private Casino is definately going on my top 10 list.

Result: +$134

#19. Deposited $50 at Players Only Sportsbook and Casino for a 50% bonus up to $25 plus $5 free money. This is in the same group as Sportingbet USA which I did earlier, its a small bonus, but hey... its still money. The WR is $600 and I finished up above EV with a profit of $38.

Result: +$38

#20. Its another month, so back to Intercasino for the $100 monthly bonus. Finished a little below EV for this one, but still a tidy profit.

Result: +$79

#21. Littlewoods monthly was next, another 25 Pound bonus added after finishing WR. I finished up by 4.5 pounds for this one but due to a changing exchange rate my net result was even, oh well.

Result: $0

#22. UK Betting monthly- same as littlewoods, 25 pounds added after completing WR. Finished up above EV at +43 pounds but similar to Littlewoods got hit by the exchange rate and had a smaller profit than expected, but hey thats still good.

Result: +$71

#23. Ran well with the Will Hill Monthly too, finishing with a good profit.

Result: +$63

#24. Finally time to hit the video poker bonuses. I started off with Sterling House Online Casino, and deposited 50 Pounds ($96) for the 100% sign up bonus. The WR was large and video poker has a higher house edge and variance than blackjack, so the strategy was to try and double up first at BJ, then drop back and grind out the WR at Vid Poker Aces and Faces. However I lost the bonus and deposit while trying to double up. Not such a good start.

Result: -$96

The next group of Vid Poker bonuses are all part of the same group and offer similar bonuses. The good thing is that they use software that has an autoplay feature so you don't actually have to play the hands urself... you just set the number of hands to play and the software will play automatically applying expert strategy. The aslo allow 20% of the WR to be cleared at BJ, then the rest must be cleared at certain Video Poker games, with the best allowable game being Aces and Faces.

#25. Fortune Room Online Casino: 100% up to $50, WR= 20x (d&b)

Result: -$50

#26. Royal Vegas: 100% up to $100, WR= 20x (d&b)

Result: -$100

#27. 7 Sultans Online Casino: 100% up to $85 plus $15 free, WR= $3775

Result: +$42

#28. Desert Dollar Casino: 150% up to $90 plus $10 free, WR= $3250

Result: -$60

#29. Vegas Towers Casino: This one was unique, a 100% STICKY up to $50 with NO WR. Since this was a sticky I decided to aim for an aggressive target of $300. WR allowable games were anything so this wasn't actually a Vid Poker bonus but BJ bonus. I lost my bonus and deposit trying to hit aggressive target.

Result: -$50

#30. Platinum Play Casino: 100% up to 100 pounds, WR= 20x (d&b)

Result: +$26.50

#31. Vegas Palms Online Casino had a unique bonus where you deposit $100 and then get unlimited free money to play with in a mini casino but only on slots. Then you could claim the amount you made over the top of the original free money balance. I claimed the maximum of $200 then had a WR= 20x (d&b)

Result: -$8.75

Net Result for all Vid Poker Bonuses above: -$300

#32. Its a new month so hit back at Will Hill for the monthly bonus. I had a pretty bad run here, and to make matters worse, I accidently changed my bets from 2 bucks to 5 bucks at one point which really compounded my losses. I orginally deposited $200 and was all the way down to $88 when I got frustrated and did the unthinkable of betting it all... luckily I won and ended up finishing the WR at down only $39.

Result: -$39

#33. Hit back at Intercasino for the monthly bonus again. I decided to play it a bit differently this month to make it less of a grind. The plan was to play it like a semi sticky, that is make big bets of $25 a hand and run my total up to something like $400 then drop back to smaller $5 bets to clear the rest of the WR. Unfortunately, I busted out in the first stage of $2 bets, oh well, thats the way the cookie crumbles.

Result: -$100

#34. Deposited $100 at Sports Interation casino for a 125% sign up bonus up to $125. I played this one like a semi sticky, betting $50 a hand to reach a target of $375, however busted out before reaching it.

Result: -$100

#35. Deposited $50 at Sands of the Caribbean for a 100% sign up bonus up to $50. Again, played this one as a semi sticky, $50 bets towards a target of $200. Busted out after only 4 hands, :(

Result: -$50

#36. Deposited $30 at Pharaohs Casino for a 100% bonus up to $30. Played as semi sticky, busted out making bets of $30 towards a target of $120.

Result: -$30

#37. Deposited 50 Pounds at Ladbrokes for a 100% up to 50 GBP sign up bonus. This is a great bonus as teh WR is low, only 200 GBP, however 5GBP is the minimum bet that can be made. I ran well with this bonus finishing up.

Result:

#38. Deposited $100 at Omni Casino for 100% sign up bonus up to $100. The WR for this one was high ($5000) so I needed to play it like a semi sticky. I started off with $50 bets and ran my total up to $400, then dropped back to $10 bets to grind out the rest of the WR, however my balance dropped back to $195, so I played $50 bets again and unfortunately busted out.

Result: -$100

#39. Deposited $200 for a 100% sign up bonus up to $200 at casino on net. The WR for this is $10 000, so needs to be played as semi sticky. I made $50 bets and hit my target of $625 very quickly which meant I had a lot of bets to make to grind out the rest of the WR. It took almost 2000 bets, but I finally finished with a good result.

Result: +$205

#40. This bonus was great, and very satisfying. Windows casino gave me a birthday bonus of $25 of free money with no deposit required and a WR of $1000. I made $5 bets and went on a hot streak, finishing the WR well up.

Result: +$140

#41. Doubled back to Littlewoods for the monthly bonus, depositing 80 GBP to complete the WR of 625 GBP and then have the bonus added afterwards. I finished this one even.

Result: $0

#42. I received an email from Casino Elegance offering me a 300% reload sticky up to $60. With a starting BR of $80 I managed to make it through 625 of the 900 WR betting $10 a hand, but then unfortunately busted out.

Result: -$20

#43. Oops, these two belong back between #32 and #33, but I guess I'll just have to put them here. Hit back at Intercasino and Will Hill for the September Monthly Bonus. Bet $5/ hand and finished down a bit for both.

Result: Int: -$18.50
Will: -$39.00

1 Comments:

Blogger morris said...

cat

12:46 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home