Online poker have gained so much popularity because of several reasons. First, poker rooms found both in live tournaments and the World Wide Web are player friendly. Majority of the poker rooms feature freeroll games that does not require entry fees and buy-ins. Another reason for the worldwide recognition earned by such gaming rooms is their vast anthology of games. On top of the reasons mentioned, poker players prefer to spend their time and money in poker rooms because of the maelstrom of bonuses and prizes that they can get from them.

These windfalls and bonuses were devised by poker rooms to captivate newbies to the poker world and at the same time to give incentives to the seasoned poker gamers for their staunchness. The bonuses that poker rooms offer are as multifarious as the games that they provide. Bonuses and prizes may come either in cash or in kind. Most of the experienced and hardcore poker players will agree that almost every other poker room offer the deposit bonus. This type of bonus is considered as the most timeworn gimmick used by gaming rooms to lure more players. A poker gamer is qualified in the deposit bonanza once he makes his initial deposit on the room`s account. After his first deposit, the player will earn a certain percent bonus of the initial deposit. For example, if the player`s initial deposit is $100 and the room gives 10 percent bonus, the player will get $10 as his deposit reward.

However, poker players must also know that these bonuses are not given instantly. These bonus rewards are credited automatically to the player`s account after he accumulated the desired players points or raked hands. The player points are usually based on the point system set by the interactive poker room and the amount of the poker gamer`s initial deposit. For instance, the point system is 20 points per $1, and the initial deposit is $100, therefore, the player should accumulate 2,000 points to get his deposit bonus. The player`s deposit bonus will be added to his account immediately after he earns the required player points within the time frame of the promo.

The player points are earned every time a poker gamer rakes the needed real money on featured cash games or poker tournaments. Poker players who played on various multi-table and sit-and-go tournaments will accumulate points. On some poker rooms, the players are required to sit on the gaming table from the start of the round until the beginning of the next hand to get their points for that specific round. These points can come in handy for most dedicated players because aside from using them to claim bonuses, they can also be used to purchase signature and exclusive items at the room`s shops, to enter and join for big stakes tournaments, and to win seats to prestigious poker tournaments like the World Poker Tour.

Another gimmick that is worth noting is the referral system. Here, a player is rewarded a certain cash bonus for endorsing the site to his friends. A referred friend must first become an account holder of the room and make his first deposit to earn the bonus. Similar to the deposit bonus promo, both the player and his referral must earn required player points to claim their bonuses. The rules regarding the needed points vary in every site, but one thing is for sure, bonuses will be credited instantly to a player`s account after getting the desired points.

Most of the time, the prizes offered in poker are based from the buy-ins and entry fees required from the players. In some land-based and web-based poker rooms that conduct charity tournaments, the management matches the prize pot with another prize pot, which are then used as donations to a specific charity or recipient. Usually, the winners are given the liberty of choosing the charities. There are also some tournaments that do not require buy-ins and entrance fees. These playoffs are called Freerolls, and the prize pot here are taken from external funds.