Playing with Bonuses Opinions

[ProbabilityZero]

I'm sure this has been covered many times, but I couldn't find the information I was after in a search.

I have been playing at 32 Red's excellent casino for a couple of years now. I have nearly always taken a bonus. I have no complaints as for the time being I am in profit with them (although currently on an inevitable downward spiral). I am considering changing tactics though and playing without a bonus. I understand the "for" and "against" bonus play arguments quite well but am very interested to gauge in depth opinions from this wonderful community.

Personally although I have enjoyed bonus play because for me it has given me a tangible goal (except a few foolish occasions when I haven't cashed out when WR met and blown the profits), I am starting to appreciate the counter argument as there is nothing worse than getting those big early wins and then losing it during the grind. Also I am being drawn to the appeal that each spin will be a definite result without the stress of sometimes "rushing" play because I am eager to know the WR outcome. Sure I'll get less play without Bonuses but maybe I'll get more enjoyable play.

I realise you guys (and gals) can't decide for me, but your own opinions could well help me choose my future path. Thanks in advance

 

[deanus76]

For me i tend to play bigger bets with bonuses as it doesnt feel like my money, I tend to low roll with my own money.

 

[spintee]

I could not put it better my self, Im thining of giving up the bonus now days, Ive had quit a few deposits this month and a few bonus, I had good hits with bonus play and jack all on normall play, I get to a stage where so annoyed with the play threw I give in,

I just used my 50 free spins on luckydino casino, (twinspins) and I won £3 odd, I had 10 free spins on wish master the other day and netted me £60 odd, come with a big wager, But saying that I was giving a £5 free last week and endded up withdraw £175

I am a low roller so any bonus is good, But come to a point now that most deposit bonus is just a waste of time

 

[Simmo!]

... I am starting to appreciate the counter argument as there is nothing worse than getting those big early wins and then losing it during the grind

That's where I sit but with loyalty bonuses I do sometimes take them. I take them when a) the WR is reasonable, b) I have a lot of time on my hands and c) I am playing mainly for entertainment or am short of funds. If I have a decent bankroll and I only have an hour or two of play time which is more regular, I waive the bonus unless it's really low WR (x5 or less).

Sometimes, if I am on a lean streak, I take the bonus and bet big on the basis I may hit a biggie and if not, I am a few spins closer to winning.

I never take a signup bonus - they are much more of a hindrance than a help - and I never play long at places which credit bonuses automatically.

Final caveat: this is all a big waste of time unless you have the discipline to get out when you are ahead without getting greedy. If you are crap at that, take the bonuses because you'll lose either way, just more slowly with a bonus

 

[spintee]

That's where I sit but with loyalty bonuses I do sometimes take them. I take them when a) the WR is reasonable, b) I have a lot of time on my hands and c) I am playing mainly for entertainment or am short of funds. If I have a decent bankroll and I only have an hour or two of play time which is more regular, I waive the bonus unless it's really low WR (x5 or less).

Sometimes, if I am on a lean streak, I take the bonus and bet big on the basis I may hit a biggie and if not, I am a few spins closer to winning.

I never take a signup bonus - they are much more of a hindrance than a help - and I never play long at places which credit bonuses automatically.

Final caveat: this is all a big waste of time unless you have the discipline to get out when you are ahead without getting greedy. If you are crap at that, take the bonuses because you'll lose either way, just more slowly with a bonus

Let us in to the secret x5 wager? I personaly not seen that in years

 

[spoton]

I took a 400% max 400NOK bonus at buckandbutler the other day. It had a huge 85x WR, but I decided to have a bit fun and do some 'big' bets. I guess i peaked 8000 NOK with 1/3 of the WR cleared, but in the end I cashed out 2700NOK. Boring to loose that much because of the WR but I'm pretty sure I would never have seen those 8000 without the bonus funds.

Also I usually don't deposit more than 3-5 times a months, so I like to take bonuses to get a bit more playtime. Not fun to sit down for a session and bust out before you managed to open the beer

 

[deanus76]

I was thinking of taking my VIP match at slotsmagic but the thought of over 15k of wagering put me off. Unless your playing £3 a spin it will take forever, and my normal max bet is about £1.50 a spin. I also find NETENT the hardest bonuses to actually complete wagering so doubt i will take a bonus at one of these casinos.

 

[spintee]

I was thinking of taking my VIP match at slotsmagic but the thought of over 15k of wagering put me off. Unless your playing £3 a spin it will take forever, and my normal max bet is about £1.50 a spin. I also find NETENT the hardest bonuses to actually complete wagering so doubt i will take a bonus at one of these casinos.

Would not waste time on there, got free spins other day, Was shocked to be honest and same probs, Slow spins, Took forever

 

[deanus76]

Would not waste time on there, got free spins other day, Was shocked to be honest and same probs, Slow spins, Took forever

I do wonder if it is WMS server as i had the same problems with Starspins.

 

[spintee]

I do wonder if it is WMS server as i had the same problems with Starspins.

Its been a non stop issue, It was sorted at 1 point than looks like same probs, Please bear in mind if you not no that this used to be jackpotparty, But only using there name and our details,
Edit:: All sites gets probs, But if you see some the previous posts about this site you see it is something on there side, Other sites that get probs than all seem to be sorted, They stick there hands up, Again unsre if servers or what but its sorted just like vs other day, came on a thread and was sorted in no time when machines was not palying right,

 

[Simmo!]

Let us in to the secret x5 wager? I personaly not seen that in years

I get a few loyalty bonuses with no WR or 1-5x turnover but they are normally VIP bonuses to be fair.

 

[sledge13]

Twice in the early bonus stage so easy to build up to £600 no sweat, then boom doomswitch so you cant cash out and thanks cheers...

 

[243 lines=daft]

My two cents. I take 25 percent and 50 percent bonuses when offered with a reasonable playthrough.
I've had my biggest cashouts from either 25-50 % bonuses or else clean deposits.
100 percent bonuses when I took them tended to end in tears and neighbours complaining about loud F-bombs in the middle of the night.

I only play highish medium variance games with bonuses and never ever change the variance of the games I play after a big hit.
That tactic to me seems like a dodgy football team switching to defense after scoring first, asking for and probably deserving punishment.

 

[spoton]

I do wonder if it is WMS server as i had the same problems with Starspins.

I had the same problem with WMS on Betsafe.. And as it has happened to me before on other WMS sites im getting tired of it. The casinos need to get WMS to fix this, or pull their games. The casinos are the ones that are responsible to us as players, and shouldn't think that excues like "Problems with WMS serves" makes it OK.

Maybey time for a general warning on the WMS-games on casinomeister?

 

[weesie]

I don't know what to think anymore. I am a small time player so a bonus with a decent wagering is nice. I use to like the low percentage (40% with no wagering) when I could get them at CWC. That offer has not been on the table for a long time.

When I do take the other bonuses, I never make it through 25x wagering, so I just end up frustrated.

And the latest ones with "free spins" attached plus percentages just tick me off.

They were fine when the wagering was just on the bonus, but with the free spins figured in, who knows what kind of wagering reqs. you will end up with?

I can understand the casinos side, free spins with no wagering could be a major loss for them, but they are a major pain for me!

So, now that I said all that, which CWC is hitting tonight??

 

[sueyh]

I don't like taking bonus when I deposit, since most casino has at least 30 times wagering requirement. I want to withdraw when I decide to withdraw and I don't like the idea of keep playing just to complete wagering requirement.

But when I don't have any cash left on my casino account and I don't want to deposit any more, sometimes I use loyalty points to play which requires wagering terms.

 

[tinybettor]

I have not been one to take bonuses when I first started due to being locked in wagering when you get a big hit early on which would normally take a sour turn and you end up busting out or your winnings are practically reduced to ashes. After having my ass handed to me and with a limited budget I decided to take on more bonuses after seeing all these winning stories and big hits that occurred with a bonus in play.

So I went on Netent binge signing to over 2 dozen casinos with 100-300% welcome bonuses. I busted out on all of them with the best one completing no more than 15x the required wager. In addition to these I took the subsequent second and third deposit bonuses if they were available but didn't have any luck with them as well.

So after being burnt out to wits end I banned myself from bonuses in addition to playing Netent. If you an extremely unlucky player like me, then forget about it, but if your on a budget and have had average luck then by all means go for it but if I were to ever take one up again, it would be no more than a maximum of 40x the bonus in wagering and be at least 100% with a minimum of $50.

 

[KasinoKing]

Personally although I have enjoyed bonus play because for me it has given me a tangible goal (except a few foolish occasions when I haven't cashed out when WR met and blown the profits), I am starting to appreciate the counter argument as there is nothing worse than getting those big early wins and then losing it during the grind.

One way of looking at this:
So you play without a bonus, win big and cash-out.
Then what? You stop playing forever? (That is the ONLY way you can guarantee to be a long-term winner).
Or do you slowly re-deposit all your winnings and carry on playing, hoping for another biggie?
If the latter, was there really any point in cashing-out the first win?
And how do you know exactly when to stop playing and make that first cash-out?

I'm with you - a bonus gives you a tangible goal - a definitive stopping point.
For me, trying to complete the WR with a profit also adds a bit of extra interest in playing in the first place - it's a tough challenge.

Final caveat: this is all a big waste of time unless you have the discipline to get out when you are ahead without getting greedy. If you are crap at that, take the bonuses because you'll lose either way, just more slowly with a bonus

Could not have put it better myself

KK