Bonuses not all they are cracked up to be!

[KasinoKing]

Firstly thanks for all the replys..a great forum with plenty of traffic!
Just to expand on a few points, i think my main gripe is in the way some sites initial advertising leads you to think that the bonus is the best thing since sliced bread! but when you get down to it it is pretty crap.. with the odd trap or two.
I know 1 or 2 of you may not agree with the word " trap " but i like a good discussion so here is my argument:-
To have " excluded " games in the T&Cs are nothing short of a carefully concealed pit full of sharpened stakes for the " uneducated punter " to fall into!
When i say uneducated i mean in the ways of online gambling, not there schooling.
To think that a newcomer to gambling might sign up at a site and play allowed games and win a good sum of money, then play an excluded game ( even if he loses at this game )and have all his winnings taken away is nothing short of stealing in my book!
I can not see any reason to include this rule but to cheat the customer..sure dont count it to the w/r but to take their winnings ROBBERY!
I even believe the casinos know this as usually this clause is burried in the T&Cs and not even on the same page as the list of " excluded " games.

This post is absolutely spot on!

The most recent case of this I came accross was, very surprisingly, at the Casinomeister (and me) approved Main Street Group.
I had completed the WR with a small profit, but was uneasy with a condition that said 'Any BJ play will increase your WR x3 (or something like that)'.
So I asked CS if it was OK to play BJ now that I had completed the WR and my funds were fully withdrawable - but they said 'No - if you play BJ your WR will increase and come back into play!'
Seems like a very strange & unfair rule.
But it was in their T&C's - which just emphasizes why you must always read them!

[KasinoKing]

KK, I want to weep when I look at your site and see all the money you've thrown away by not playing the best games

I know - but it was FUN!!!

[pmutts]

You are playing for the house, not to win.

Now even though I know this, I'm a sucker for a fat bonus. The reality is when the luck is there it is there. It usually hits fast and immediately after I start playing if I'm going to have it at all.

I'm sure most all of you can relate to hitting the Royal Flush or the big jackpot in your first 10 plays. Then you check and see that you have thousand s of dollars you are required to wager in order to actually take the win.

I need to swear off all but the very best bonuses. 100% with play allowed on BJ & VP even if at .50 or .60 per play. Playthru 15x or 20 max. Club World sends out these "Loyalty Bonuses" to their regular players monthly. Those are worth it.

[pmutts]

This post is absolutely spot on!

The most recent case of this I came accross was, very surprisingly, at the Casinomeister (and me) approved Main Street Group.
I had completed the WR with a small profit, but was uneasy with a condition that said 'Any BJ play will increase your WR x3 (or something like that)'.

So I asked CS if it was OK to play BJ now that I had completed the WR and my funds were fully withdrawable - but they said 'No - if you play BJ your WR will increase and come back into play!'
Seems like a very strange & unfair rule.
But it was in their T&C's - which just emphasizes why you must always read them!

On so many sites. Sites to be avoided. I recently received an email from "Crazy Slots" who used to be on Vegas Tech (rest their mother loder soul). It was uncanny to me how I could never win there but won frequently at the English Harbour Group.

Anyway, they have moved over to TopGame and I got this email telling me I had $50 in my account. Terms for "free" chip are nowhere on their site and the Chat rep took 15 minutes and changed her story several times. She finally ended up telling me you cannot cash out anything resulting from the "free" $50. What a joke.

[Jasminebed]

I like the challenge of bonus play, and I like that it gives me a cashout goal.

B&M or online, I didn't come to take 5 or 10 spins and leave.

I play without bonuses too.

I won't take a bonus that I think makes it harder for me to break even. Offer me a slot bonus that takes me back up to 98 percent instead of 95, and I'm probably there.

Different kinds of bonuses require different strategies. I've only recently started taking some non-cashable bonuses, and so far I've not done well. I've taken a handful in the past, but they do require different play I think.

Often it's easier to beat a small bonus than a large one. Not too small, because it does tie up a modest win.

I like MG bonuses, because they are only times the bonus, not bonus plus deposit.

I usually play a little past the wagering, unless it's got a max cashout. Would just kill me to hit my first RTG random on a free chip I could have cashed out on but kept spinning hoping for the max on the free chip. I'd rather cashout out less than max and then redeposit.

I won't take any deposit bonus with a max cashout. I'm happy to play free chips with max cashouts anytime, whatever the WR.

Other than the sign-up, 3Dice offers bonuses for loyalty, and I don't think I've missed claiming one since I first cashed out there. While I don't always win, they are EV plus.

If I only have $20 to deposit, I have taken big non-cashable bonuses just to have an evening, with little expectation of winning.

I have one in my inbox... I'll check out the terms when I'm sober.