Thursday, November 11, 2004

PlanetLuck and StarLuck Casino Bonuses

Hmm.

So yesterday continued my venture into the casino bonus waters, this time hitting up StarLuck. They offer the same signup bonus as PlanetLuck (100% match on a $100 deposit)and are part of the same Party/IGM family.

Deposited $100 at StarLuck, got the $100 bonus match, played blackjack for an hour or two, ended up with $370 in my account after clearing the WR (wager requirement).

Hmm.

Let me be the first to admit that I know this is abnormal, and I'm not suggesting in any way that casino whoring is a no-risk path to great riches. I mean, it's blackjack. If you're patient, though, and do some research and target the right bonuses, play the right games, it is +EV. It's also boring as all hell, but, well, you know. Money is good, especially if you're building/re-building a wee bankroll.

If you've been curious about casino bonuses, StarLuck and PlanetLuck are probably the best places to test the waters. They've got good bonuses that only require $100 to max out, low WR (the amount you have to wager before the bonus can be withdrawn), and fast cashouts (basically the same payment/transaction system as Party). Each also offers an extra free $20 or so if you fill out a silly survey in their Players Club section, which you'll get an email about after you signup. Just click on the Players Club tab at the top of the main screen, answer all the survey questions, then convert the points into cash.

A couple of things to keep in mind, though. As I understand it (and I could be wrong), you can't cash out your bonus money until you've met the WR, and they consider money wagered to first come from your deposit. Let's say you deposit $100. You immediately get the $100 bonus, so you have $200 in your account. The WR for the signup bonus is 8x (deposit + bonus), so you have to wager $1,600 in the casino before you can withdraw. You hit a horrible streak of cards and your account drops from $200 to $75. At that point you say "Screw this" and you want to withdraw your money and cut your losses. Except you can't, until you've wagered a total of $1,600, as the casino considers that remaining $75 to be your bonus money, not your original deposit.

So there is an element of risk. You can greatly minimize that, though, by making small bets ($1, $2, or $3 per hand) and playing blackjack. It ends up being +EV as the bonus is big enough to cover the standard deviation. If you're interested in the maths, check out the CasinoWhores FAQ here.

Long story short, if you're working with a limited bankroll and/or prone to poker whoring, don't ignore the casino bonus options out there. It's a different scene but the same basic game.


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