How Do No Deposit Bonuses Influence New Poker Player Behaviour Online?
The no deposit bonus is one of the iGaming industry’s most highly sought promotional offers by online casino players and people who like to play poker online because it is essentially a free cash gift that doesn’t require a deposit to unlock.
Players can then use that free money to play their favourite online casino games and poker games for a chance to win even more money. The question being asked here is, ‘How do no deposit bonuses influence poker player behaviour online?
Let’s dive straight in to find out.
What are no-deposit bonuses?
A no-deposit bonus is a promotional offer used by iGaming operators to attract new players and encourage them to sign up to their website.
Alternatively, it can be part of an ongoing promotional offer, such as a daily log-in bonus or loyalty rewards program, or a one-off promotional offer at certain times of the year.
It usually arrives in a player’s account in the form of cash, but a no deposit bonus could also be a free ticket to play online bingo, a free scratchcard, X mount of free spins to play selected online slot machines, a free Golden Chip to try their live dealer games, a free poker ticket to take part in an online poker tournament, or free poker chips to play online poker in the real money mode.
Unlike most other online casino and poker bonuses that require at least the minimum deposit to unlock, no deposit bonuses, hence the name, don’t require a deposit. They are also known as deposit-free bonuses.
How do no deposit bonuses influence new poker player behaviour online?
The main reason why people prefer claiming a no deposit bonus more than any other type of bonus is that it is essentially money for nothing, and that they haven’t had to top up their account to unlock the bonus.
They are considered risk-free bonuses because they enable players to try specific games in the real money mode with zero possibility of losing their own money. Therefore, no deposit bonuses tend to change the behaviour of players when they use their no deposit bonus to play specific games like poker.
They can try out new strategies that they have been meaning to try in the real money mode, but didn’t want to risk losing their money if the strategy didn’t work.
They can also use their no deposit bonus to try new betting strategies, and so on, that they otherwise might not have tried when using their actual bankroll. Alternatively, no deposit bonus money can also be used to try new games that they might not have tried using their own money.
Therefore, no deposit bonuses are a great way to receive an instant cash injection. The free money can be used to try new strategies/tactics or explore new games with zero risk involved.
The obvious advantage of no deposit bonuses is that there is a real potential for players to win even more money.
Are there any downsides to no deposit bonuses?
Although no deposit bonuses are generally a win-win for players, there are still a couple of minor downsides. However, the pros for no deposit bonuses tend to far outweigh the cons.
For example, one of the downsides is that wagering requirements (aka rollover, turnover or playthrough requirements) are generally attached to no deposit bonuses. This industry-standard policy is there to protect iGaming operators, and it prevents players from simply withdrawing that free cash as soon as they receive it.
Not all no deposit bonuses come with wagering requirements attached, but most of the time, you will find that when claiming them, you must wager any winnings that you make anywhere from 20x to 50x times before you can cash out any winnings that you have made from your bonus.
Additionally, any winnings that you can make from a no deposit bonus are generally capped at a certain amount, which might be $/€/£50, $/€/£100, $/€/£200, $/€/£500, or more. In other words, it’s usually not possible to win life-changing progressive jackpots with a no deposit bonus.
If so, some unlucky iGaming operators could quickly go out of business if just a few players win multi-million-dollar jackpots on their site.
The only other real downside with some no deposit bonuses is that your free money, scratchcards, free spins, golden chips or bingo tickets can typically only be used on specific slots, scratchcards, table/card games, or bingo games, not any game of your choosing.
Final thoughts
When poker players use no deposit bonuses to play online casino games, such as Live Casino Hold’em, Jacks or Better video poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Texas Hold’em Poker, or any other popular online casino poker variant, they can play with more confidence that they aren’t about to spend (and potentially lose) their own, hard-earned money.
On a final note, to ensure that you always get the most out of your no deposit bonus, always take a minute or so to read through the terms and conditions.
Although they are optional, players have nothing to lose when claiming no deposit bonuses, so there’s no point in declining them when they are offered to you as it’s essentially free money, unless you just can’t be bothered to claim the bonus.