Martinspoker Bonuses

I've been playing at Martinspoker the last few days, and thought I'd share some info, as I hadn't heard of them before and they're offering some pretty crazy poker bonuses.

The site is part of the B2B network, which caters largely to European players. It's got decent traffic, but keep in mind the time difference, and what peak hours for Euro players would be as opposed to us monkeys here in the US. You'll usually find many more NL games but they usually have a decent number of limit HE tables running, although 5/10 is about as high as it goes. Everything is denominated in euros, including deposits and withdrawals, so keep that in mind, too.

The site markets itself in the "play with the crazy Europeans" vein, and boy howdy, it doesn't disappoint. I've had some pretty crazy swings here, because many players not only play aggressively, but they simply won't fold. Seriously, strap on your anti-tilt flak jacket, as I've had some absolutely huge pots pushed to people who kept capping with their gutshot and finally getting there, or calling 4 bets cold pre-flop with 95o and hitting.

The bonuses are kind of a slow grind to clear, but they're pretty hefty. They're also a little unique, especially the initial signup bonus. I'll basically walk through the steps below to get the three big bonuses they're currently offering, along with terms.

1) The initial signup bonus is a 100% match, up to 600€. That's right, kiddos, it's a $726 signup bonus. To get the signup bonus, you have to accumulate 3000 VIP points, which is the system the B2B sites use to track and reward bonuses.

Here's the catch. Even if you accumulate 3000 VIP points in a week, you won't immediately get the signup bonus. It's awarded 90 days after you create your account, assuming you've met the 3000 VIP point requirement. So if you signup today and somehow clear 3000 VIP points in one night (you won't), you'll get the 600€ signup bonus on April 11, 2006..

Yes, I know, that's really weird. But bear with me, as there's more that offsets the weirdness and makes this a really good deal.

So to maximize the value of the bonuses here, create an account and deposit 600€ using bonus code novdeposit. (I know that looks odd, with the "nov" part, but it's on their website now and it works.) The cashier will confirm that your bonus is valid, show you the terms, and then you'll click submit again and make the deposit. You can also deposit less, if your bankroll won't support the full amount to maximize the bonus.

2) They also have a reload bonus running, which you can deposit for immediately after signing up. It's a 100% reload, up to 200€. So make a second deposit for 200€ using bonus code novreload. (Again, ignore that it seems to be a November promotion, as it works fine, and the cashier will always confirm that your bonus code is valid before you deposit. If it doesn't confirm it, then assume it isn't valid anymore.)

This one is a little different. Once you clear 600 VIP points, the 200€ is credited to your account. No waiting, nothing like that. I got mine credited automatically in a little under two hours after clearing the 600 VIPs. For reference sake, I two-tabled for a couple of hours and cleared the 600 VIP points in one afternoon. Not bad at all for a $242 bonus.

What's extra special nice is that the bonuses clear concurrently, so the points you accumulate for the reload also count towards the 3000 VIP point total you need for the signup bonus.

It also should be pointed out that you can withdraw at any time, and you don't have to leave any funds in the account to receive the signup bonus 90 days later, after you've cleared 3000 VIP points. While you don't get the big signup bonus immediately upon clearance, you can withdraw at any time, so there's no risk involved in tying up funds in the account for a long time. They allow you one free withdrawal every 30 days, and charge a nominal fee for withdrawals after that.

The site's apparently well-known in Europe and is completely legitimate, so I wouldn't worry too much about sticking the large deposits needed for the bonuses in there. Remember, too, that you can withdraw the bulk of it anytime you want, and only leave what you need in the account to clear the 3000 VIP points. You'll get one bonus of 200€ immediately when you clear 600 VIPs (which you can do pretty quickly), and then another bonus 30 days later, and the big signup bonus 90 days after creating your account.

So yeah, sort of a weird bonus structure, but pretty damn juicy. I'm up the 200€ from the bonus you get immediately plus a little over 400€, just from playing with the crazies at 5/10 and 3/6 limit tables. It does take awhile to grind the VIPs out, though, so don't expect to bang this one out in an evening.

If you do give this one a whirl, feel free to put "frogalog" in the referral field when you sign up, as that'll give you an extra 25€ bonus, plus I'll get a wee bit of money in my account and you'll reap the rewards of all sorts of good karma and assorted mojo.