Every lose money clearing a bonus?

[vindikation]

I busted out clearing a bonus the $100 100% Starluck Casino bonus last night. Granted, I've only cleared 3 poker bonuses (with a net $535 profit) so losing this $100 still puts me $435 ahead. I found out a few things Casino Whoring for the first time:

1). Blackjack is fun for about 15 minutes, then gets VERY boring, poker at least has a little more variety and challenge.
2). Clearing a Blackjack bonus would take a lot longer than I thought it would.
3). After starting off losing a lot of bets, I started to increase my bet amounts which quickly busted me (yes I know I'm stupid for doing this).
4). Something about the online "casino" vibe didn't sit too well with me. Playing other humans at poker online is strange enough, but playing a computer in an online casino was really strange.

This technically is a bad beat story (I apologize for that) but I think it is more of a revalation to me that Bonus Whoring is not neccesarily an easy thing. It takes time, focus and energy to play these games correctly and not to jeopordize losing money. A good wake up call me thinks.

[krazyace5]

I have lost more than I got for bonuses, and I have busted out of a couple too.

[Acesover8s]

I bust out about 1/2 of the bonuses I play, but the other 1/2 I come in way over expectation.

[Nick-Zack]

Starluck busted me also. I did well on the 888 and reef bonuses though. I remember now why I hate blackjack and unless Homer brings another sweetheart deal to the table, I think I have taken the 21 cure.

[vindikation]

Wow I'm suprised at the honesty and people admiting that they have lost money on bonuses. Next thing you know, someone is going to admit that they have actually lost money playing poker online...

... for the record I'm still down $465 after learning to play poker 6 months ago /images/graemlins/shocked.gif these bonuses will hopefully get me back in the black

[whiskeytown]

I think I lost $50 clearing my Party Poker deposit bonus of $30 last week.

but I made up for it by making $500 dollars when clearing the points on Doyle's Room for Supersystem 2 - (not counting that book will probably sell for a chunk of change when it's released for real.)

RB

[HesseJam]

I am playing the game now for three months (0.5/1.0). I lost maybe 250$ (-1.5 BB/100) to the game but made about $800 in bonus money. The bonus allows me to play and learn fear free. If you are an average player on Party you will lose about 4BB/100 to the rake.

I did the Reef when it was still (10xBonus+Deposit) but totally lost interest in grinding the BJ and switched to slots. I came out with 35$ of my own money plus the bonus of $200. I was lucky I guess. I will no longer do casino whoring.

[playersare]

online blackjack whoring can be profitable in the long run, although recently some of the good opportunites have been drying up. here are some things to keep in mind while you're working off a casino bonus.

- figure out in advance how much you need to wager in order to clear the bonus. I would stick to sites that only require you to bet a multiple of the bonus itself, and not the original deposit and bonus combined. sites that use the latter usually want too much action, or they're making it tricky for you on purpose. Any WR between 15x-25x the bonus amount is satisfactory. 10x might still exist if you shop around.

- make sure blackjack play is valid for clearing your bonus. many casinos have stopped awarding bonuses for low-risk games like craps, roulette (outside bets), baccarat, blackjack and even video poker. just like real b&m casinos, the promotions are primarily seeking to sign up slot players. Even if they do permit blackjack bonus action, some places double or triple the wagering requirement to make up for the lower house edge. Just make sure you keep the WR in the 25x range overall, or at the absolute worst, 40x.

- ensure that the minimum blackjack bet is sustainable by your bankroll. for basic strategy play, I would deposit at least 50x the table minimum to minimize risk of ruin. if the required deposit amount to earn the maximum bonus is less than 50x the minimum bet (doubtful), then you should deposit more on top of that to cover yourself. the one thing you don't want happening is that you tap out on funds before you meet the WR, and then you don't even get the bonus at all. double whammy.

- make sure you play perfectly by the basic strategy chart. a lot of people think they know the correct way to play every blackjack hand but in my experience watching others, the reality is a lot different. make sure you know the exact table rules of the casino you're playing at (how many decks, hit/stand on soft 17, double after splitting, late surrender). then use a site like blackjackinfo.com to generate yourself a master chart to follow while you play.

- do NOT vary your betting amounts or playing strategy during your session. you can bet more per hand (the same amount each time) if you want to clear the bonus faster AND your bankroll (50x) can handle the swings. But going up and down in bets (aka progressions) in relation to wins, losses or psychic powers is pointless and will only increase your volatility and chance of total loss. almost all online casinos shuffle the entire deck after every hand so trying to count cards or predicting a "hot" or "cold" streak is a waste of time. If you happen to lose 10 hands in a row, it's no different than a bad beat on the river...keep playing your cards right and you will overcome the variance in the long run.

- calculate the theoretical loss of your blackjack play vs. the bonus you are getting. a rough rule of thumb is to multiply your wagering requirement by 0.5% and then subtract it from the bonus amount. For example, if the bonus offered is $100 and they want 25x that amount of betting before it is released, your theoretical loss is $2500 x 0.005 = $12.50. so your net theoretical profit would be $87.50. of course, standard deviation will make your actual results lower or higher than that, but it's important to know in advance what you're shooting for. sometimes it's worth playing a little longer even after you can withdraw the bonus, if you find yourself slightly below the bell curve. chances are you are statistically favored to catch up a little.

- no one said that this was going to be exciting. compared to online poker, BJ whoring is dull dull dull. But depending on your skill level and the speed of the site you are playing at, it is possible to earn as much as $20+ an hour in your spare time. I have two computers so I'll sometimes play hold em on one machine while working some blackjack hands on the other one between folds. make sure you play blackjack on a private table where you're one on one with the dealer. this way you won't be timed out because no other players are waiting for your decision. alternately, there are two other ways to work off casino bonuses which are relatively low in risk and volatility - Let It Ride, and Multi-Hand Video Poker. There are obviously different strategies for these games as well, and they are slower paced games and maybe have higher minimum bet requirements. However, they are acceptable for whoring if you want to take a short mini-vacation from blackjack during your mission (but stick to blackjack as much as possible to maximize profit).

as i previously mentioned, blackjack whoring opportunities are getting slimmer now. you can make a certain amount in the beginning with initial signup bonuses, but subsequent monthly and/or reload bonuses are a lot less. here is what i've done so far:

initial deposit bonuses
Intercasino
VIP Casino
Omni Casino
Sands of the Carribean
Casino On Net
Planetluck
Starluck
Cherry Casino
Casino Domain
Be The Dealer
AceClub

Reload/Monthly recurring
Intercasino (cannot be used at the same time as Interpoker)
Cherry Casino
Casino Domain
Omni
VIP
Casino On Net

as a general observation, poker bonuses are increasing while casino bonuses are shrinking. do what you want but keep your eye on the trend.

[Lazymeatball]

I don't think I've ever lost money playing off of a blackjack bonus, but if I did, I honestly don't think it woud bother me that much. I knew it was a good investment going in, so I don't bitch about things I can't control, like the weather. I hate people who complain about the weather.
Although I have played alot of sites, but I do play very conservatively, sacrificing hourly rate and EV.

Currently I am down 168bb's at $.50/1.00 trying to clear this Party bonus with 1309 of 1400 hands played. I know my game has degenerated recently, but I also suspect I'm not in the best of runs. I'ts going to be a tough 91 more raked hands to eek out a profit.

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]

3). After starting off losing a lot of bets, I started to increase my bet amounts which quickly busted me (yes I know I'm stupid for doing this).


[/ QUOTE ]


Had you stuck with flat betting there is a good chance you might have recovered and cashed out a profit. Variance in blackjack is huge and the first rule to being a successfull casino whore is to not chase your losses. At CON I dropped $200 flat betting $5 in my first 100 hands. Stuck with mostly flat betting (occasional $6 or $7) and made the $200 back in the next 250 hands.


On a good note though, people like you (and me too as I have busted a couple too - Starluck being one of them and for the same reason as you) are the reasons casinos can continue offering bonues.

[Scotty_H]

I have lost money only once and that was playing Blackjack in spite of using perfect strategy. Every other time I came out ahead, often a good deal ahead. You do need patience, keep your bets small and use the right strategy for the site.

[GrannyMae]

where did you come from?

i have seen 2 posts of yours today that were extremely informative, very well written, and full of great content. however, i don't really recognize your screename. i see that you have plenty of zoo posts though.

anyhoo, very nice post. keep up the good work, and keep taking whatever medication that you have been using today. it seems to be working very well.

http://techhelpers.net/e4u/drink/trink07.gif

[BradleyT]

I've done 25 casinos for BJ in the past year+. I've busted out completely at 4 casinos.

Edit - including starluck and planetluck the first two months I tried them so I never went back.

[AncientPC]

I just busted out of Starluck. I was too tired after grinding for 4-5 hours to give a f*ck anymore and did the same thing you did.

[vindikation]

LOL, wow that's 5 people in this thread that have busted out of Starluck playing Blackjack. Man I was so depressed last night and this morning thinking about it. Now I'm just laughing it off, thanks for the feedback.

[Emmitt2222]

I lost $25 clearing a $100 bonus at empire at .5/1, the last part was tiltish but it was easily my single day biggest downswing ever. Against all odds I am still a winning player at .5/1.

[AncientPC]

If 25BB is the biggest downswing you've ever had you're in for some fun. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[moondogg]

[ QUOTE ]
LOL, wow that's 5 people in this thread that have busted out of Starluck playing Blackjack. Man I was so depressed last night and this morning thinking about it. Now I'm just laughing it off, thanks for the feedback.

[/ QUOTE ]

At one point or another, I have busted out at (off the top of my head):
Ruby Fortune
Casino On Net
Lasseters
King Solomons
King Solomons
King Solomons (this place almost always screws me, but I'm still up there overall)

I usually bust at at least 3 or 4 casinos a month, and make money (lose less than the bonus) at many, many more. Personnally, if I'm not going bust at a casino at least once per week, I'm not playing enough. Historically the more aggressively I play, the more I walk away with at the end of the month. But that's me, and you have to stay within your own risk tolerance.

I'm too much of a math geek and a literalist, so I have virtually no cap on my risk tolerance at those casinos. If I deposit money into a site I have no problem losing it all as long as it was +EV. If I can't live with that, I don't deposit there.

[TobDog]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate people who complain about the weather.


[/ QUOTE ]
You want weather? You know how bad the weather is gonna be here in Southern Cali between now and Christmas? Were gonna have Santa Ana's, so its gonna be windy and like 80, DAMMIT!

[Emmitt2222]

hahahaha, no you misunderstood, it was 125BB because I lost all of the 100 in bonus and then 25 more. This is my biggest one day downswing but also my biggest overall. Over the past 15k hands I have had downswings of several 50's, 80, 100, and now 125 so I havent exactly been running so well that I dont know what a downswing is, I just havent hit a massive 200 one yet or anything.

[pzhon]

Casino whoring can be boring, but it pays much more than poker whoring per hour. It's the fastest way to build a gambling bankroll.

Many people here seem to think it is stupid to make larger bets, a sign of tilting. In fact, if you are adequately bankrolled, it is a good idea. It increases your EV, gets the wagering requirement cleared much more rapidly, and can make gambling exciting rather than boring.

Last week, I managed to bust out of 3 casinos for $500, $600, $1300, and lose $700 at another casino in the span of a few hours betting $25/hand and $50/hand. That was exciting! I've since won it back and then some, and cleared many more bonuses than the people who bet $3/hand can try.

There are other benefits. King Solomons, where I have lost $800 despite receiving $900 in bonuses, just sent me a nice box of chocolates for the holidays.