Who is PokerCroaker.com?
We are an independent site that provides objective reviews of all the major online poker sites, exclusive free money sign-up bonus codes, educational resources, and more. Explore our site, and make sure to use the bonus codes any time you sign up with an online poker site. We update them frequently, so they're always current.
What are sign-up bonus codes?
Simple: Every online poker site is eager to attract new players -- after all, the more action at their site, the more money they make. So they enlist the help of sites such as this one by providing bonus codes that PokerCroaker.com can provide to our readers to entice them to open accounts there.
These bonus codes usually provide players who open new accounts with anywhere between $25 and $200 of real money when they make their initial deposit -- in most cases, using the bonus codes listed here gets new players higher sign-up bonuses than are available to the general public. In return for helping them attract business, the poker sites pay PokerCroaker.com a small amount for each new player we send their way.
How do I use the bonus codes?
Each poker site has slightly different instructions, but most involve entering the bonus code when you are prompted to do so during initial account set-up. Some poker sites don't use explicit codes, but rather require you to follow a link from PokerCroaker.com. See our Bonus Codes page: we provide detailed instructions and step-by-step screenshots for each poker site.
Is there any catch?
Nope! All you need to remember is that most sites require you to play a minimum amount in order to release the bonus funds. Your bonus will typically start in a "pending" state, and is released once you have reached certain minimal played-hand requirements. Each site's requirements are slightly different, but most require you to play somewhere between 250 and 1,000 hands.
Is online poker safe?
Playing poker online is very safe, as long as you take the general precautions associated with conducting any online financial transaction. Poker sites use very secure software, and the weakest link in the chain is your poker site password. Guard it preciously!
Rest assured, though, that even if someone were able to gain access to your account, they would only be able to withdraw funds to addresses or bank accounts in your name, or ones that you have previously registered with the site. This means that even though a hacker couldn't transfer your entire account balance to himself, he could take your money to the poker site's tables and lose it all! (Such episodes, however, are extremely rare.)
Nevertheless, you need to take basic security precautions:
- Do not make your password easy to guess, and change it frequently!
- Make sure a reputable anti-virus and/or firewall program – such as Norton or McAffee – is installed on your computer
- AdAware and Spybot are two popular free software applications that you can run to remove spyware and other malicious code from your computer. We suggest you download them at download.com, and run them each at least once a month.
Should I be worried about crooked poker sites?
This seems to be a major concern for many would-be poker players, but it shouldn't be for one simple reason: poker sites are extraordinarily profitable.
One estimate suggests that the largest sites generate over $2 Million in revenue each day! (Poker sites make money by taking a small amount from each pot – between 50 cents and $4 dollars, called the "rake". It may not seem like much, but over hundreds of thousands of hands dealt each day, it really adds up!) There is simply no incentive for them to cheat their players. In fact, the opposite is true: it's in their best interest to take affirmative steps to make sure play on their site is completely honest and legitimate.
They would be crazy to jeopardize such an extraordinarily lucrative business operation. Moreover, PokerCroaker.com only partners with the most reputable of sites, each of which is audited by an independent gaming commission.
Isn't it really easy to cheat online?
A reasonable question, but something that you shouldn't really worry about. Cheaters do exist online, just like they exist in real casinos, but most forms of online cheating are actually surprisingly easy to detect. Poker sites are always on the lookout for suspicious activity, such as the same players always sitting at the same table, or logging in from the same IP address.
Also, unlike in real casinos, online sites are able to keep electronic records of every hand played on their site, which makes going back and investigating suspicious table activity pretty straight-forward. Cheaters, when caught, are banned from the site.
In summary, the existence of a small number of people who try to take advantage of the system (just as in any walk of life) shouldn't dissuade you from playing online.
What about poker-programmed robots?
This issue has garnered a lot of attention in the press lately, but it might be one of the most exaggerated concerns out there. Yes, poker-playing "bots" (computer programs designed to play automatically, even if you are out of the house) do exist, but they shouldn't worry you for 3 important reasons:
- Poker sites are aware of some of the major "bot" programs, and have taken measures to prevent their use.
- The use of "bots" is expressly forbidden in the terms and conditions of major poker sites, and anyone caught using one is at risk of having their entire bankroll confiscated; most people don't want to expose themselves to that risk.
- Most importantly, they simply don't work!
Most insiders agree that the technology is very primitive, and robots are completely incapable of taking into account the various human decision-making elements that make poker such a complex game.
Contrast this with blackjack: computers could be very effectively programmed to make the correct decisions in blackjack, because what is "optimal" can be determined mathematically based on what cards are on the table, and what cards have been seen already.
But poker contains a whole new element: independent human decision making. Suppose a computer was programmed to fold every time a player raised in a certain situation. That computer could easily be exploited if the human player instead chose a different course of action!
In short, there is no way that a computer can adapt to the myriad of different strategies that can be adopted by human players. Humans can intentionally alter their play, while "bots" cannot, which necessarily constrains
their effectiveness.
Is playing poker online legal?
Well, it depends on where you live, and we strongly encourage you to check your local laws before beginning to play. That being said, online poker is permitted nearly everywhere, as long as you have reached the age of majority (18, in most cases).
You may have heard a lot about a so-called online poker ban in the United States -- this is one of the biggest misconceptions around. Yes, a law was signed in October 2006 that introduced dramatic changes to the American online poker scene, but it did not make online poker illegal.
The law did not target individual players, but rather American financial institutions. In a nutshell, it prohibits American banks from processing transactions with offshore gaming sites. But the good news for Americans is that there remain plenty of funding options that don't require you to use your bank account or US credit card.
Several poker sites, however, have stopped accepting American players, but many of the largest sites still serve the American market
(including, as of this writing, PokerStars, Absolute Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Full Tilt Poker, all of which we have partnered with to offer exclusive sign-up bonus codes.)
I'm ready to play online -- how do I get started?
Well you're at the right place! Read through some of the reviews on this site, and decide which poker site is right for you. Party Poker, Ultimate Bet, Pacific Poker, and Poker Stars are generally where first-timers start out. You can always open accounts at other sites if you don't like your initial choice.
Remember to use one of the bonus codes provided here, since they're only provided to PokerCroaker.com readers. |
