The most generous online poker rooms will give you money simply as a thank you for trying out their room. The only requirements being that you put their poker room software on your computer and open a "real money" account. You have to open a "real money" account so there is a place for them to put your real money bonus, and so you can sit at the "real money" tables.

It is not uncommon for a poker room to require some proof that you are an adult before they give you money. This proof is often the presence of a valid credit card number, as you usually have to be an adult to obtain a credit card. While this may not be foolproof it does provide a barrier to entry, and minors have to be devious enough to trick the system to gain entry.

With free chips in hand, you can take a seat at the poker tables and enjoy yourself. But remember that a $10 gift stake is not a sufficient bankroll for a player at two dollar or even one dollar tables. Playing at those tables will likely result in your playing time being very short.

As well as "No Deposit Bonuses" that some poker rooms offer, there is another incentive bonus that every room awards. This is a first-deposit "Welcome Bonuses". Welcome bonuses are common among online casinos, and poker rooms have followed suit to attract players, and most poker rooms offer a first time deposit bonus of some sort. These bonuses differ between poker rooms, as well as the terms and conditions of the bonus.

2) Giving new players a percentage of there their buy-in.
With this system the more you deposit the more free chips you get. Thus, if a room is offering a 35% deposit bonus a $100 buy-in gets you a $35 bonus while a $2000 buy-in gets you a $700 bonus. The poker rooms usually cap the amount of money you can buy-in with, to prevent you from depositing your life-savings and making 35% on it in one day.

To prevent players from buying-in and then immediately withdrawing their chips and leaving, the poker rooms usually have conditions placed on the bonus. These conditions usually involve "raked hands", or having you play at a "real money" table. At "real money" tables there is a "pot" that the house rakes a percentage of, the larger the "pot" the more money the house takes, up to a preset maximum.

Each poker room looks at what counts as a raked hand differently. Some poker rooms give a player full credit if they are sitting at a "real money" table, see their cards and fold them but never put a penny into the pot. Other poker rooms do not. When your main concern is receiving the welcome bonus, it is important check with the poker rooms customer support to clarify the terms of the bonus and determine what the room regards as a raked hand before making your deposit.

Many rooms offer "re-deposit" bonuses to players as well as the initial welcome bonus. This offer is offered to all players regardless of their account status and is similar to, but usually less than, the first deposit bonus. Poker rooms often use these re-deposit bonuses to reward players for time spent at the tables or as an enticement for you to return to their tables.

Some poker rooms are known for frequent offerings of re-deposit bonuses.

As well as chip bonuses many poker rooms use a comp system to reward players. Often players earn a form of "comp points" for time spent playing poker at their tables. Points may be awarded for simply entering a tournament or for playing a raked hand. Different poker rooms may award players comp points for different things, some of these include: winning high hand, bad bet of the hour, to starting a new table. Comp points, once acquired, can usually be spent on merchandise items (such as: logo-wear, poker books, to Harley Davidson motor-cycles, and DVD players). Sometimes poker rooms have poker tournaments where only players with a certain amount of comp points are eligible. Comp programs are as varied as the poker rooms themselves. If you see yourself spending a lot of time playing poker, it worth taking a look at the comp system (or the lack of) offered by the poker room.

All online poker rooms should have some sort of "comp" system (some rooms call them by different names such as: "player points" or "promo points"). Some rooms have very complex comp systems and follow them when releasing bonus money. If you are looking at receiving a bonus you should check the website of the poker room to ensure that you meet the terms of the offer before making a deposit.