The right Australia poker bonus can boost your bankroll with minimal risk, but only if you understand some crucial points. I’m here to explain those points so you don’t lose out because of some missed wagering requirements.
If you want to get the most out of your AU poker promotions, here’s all you need to know.
Types of Poker Bonus in Australia
Australian online poker bonuses come in many guises. Some offers suit cash game grinders, while others are better for tournament players.
If you don’t know which type of player you are, check out our guide on how to play poker. Once you understand the basics and which formats you prefer, it’s time to collect bonuses.
Below, you’ll find an overview of the most popular promotions, where to find the best online poker bonuses in Australia, and my tips for maximising your returns.
Welcome Bonus
The welcome bonus is a metric by which I judge the quality of a site. If a poker sign-up bonus in AU gives you plenty of free credits and has fair wagering requirements, there’s a good chance it’s coming from a world-class site.
Whenever you join a poker room, the first online poker bonus in Australia you’ll receive is a sign-up offer. Otherwise known as a welcome bonus, this offer is only for new players.
The exclusive nature of this offer means that operators can afford to up the ante in terms of value. Put simply, a poker sign-up bonus in AU is likely to be worth more than all other offers. For example, CoinPoker’s welcome offer is worth up to $2,000 (USDT).
Unless you’re a high roller who earns a ton of rakeback, no other Australia poker offers give you that much value in a single hit. That’s why I use welcome bonuses as a measure of quality when it comes to reviewing Australian poker sites.
It’s the reason you should take them seriously. Almost all Australian poker welcome bonuses are deposit-based. That means you’ll receive a reward once you’ve made an initial deposit. After that, the other wagering requirements to keep in mind are:
- Minimum deposit: Make sure you meet or surpass the minimum deposit.
- Codes: Some offers require you to enter an AU poker bonus code during the registration process or before your first deposit.
- Playthrough: This is the amount of rake you have to generate to release your bonus. In general, these Australian poker bonuses are released incrementally each time you hit a small rake target.
- Clearing period: All AU poker promotions expire. Most welcome bonuses remain active for up to 90 days, so you’ll have time to release 100% of your bonus. But the incremental nature of releases means that you can still get something extra even if you don’t clear the entire bonus.
Best Welcome Bonus: CoinPoker
Newbies can get up to $2,000 (USDT) when they join CoinPoker. This is my top online poker bonus in Australia for two reasons:
- The multiplier: CoinPoker applies a 150% multiplier to your first deposit of $10 or more. Most poker deals in Australia have 100% multipliers, so you’re getting 50% more value at CoinPoker. This means you don’t have to deposit as much to get a sizeable bonus.
- The playthrough: You’ll unlock 10% of your CoinPoker sign-up bonus when you generate 2x the value. For example, if you receive $500 in bonus credit, the total playthrough is 2 x 500 = $1,000. That’s an effective rakeback rate of 50%, which is incredibly generous.
Reload Bonus
Reload bonuses are similar to first deposit offers but with two important differences:
- Reload poker deals in Australia are for existing customers rather than newbies.
- Reload online poker bonuses in Australia have smaller multipliers than first deposit offers.
Going back to my CoinPoker example, first-time depositors receive a 150% multiplier. The average reload bonus multiplier is between 10% and 50% of the deposit’s value.
Other than these differences, the wagering requirements are the same, which means there are minimum deposit requirements and playthrough targets to hit.
Best Reload Bonus: Ignition Poker
Ignition is my go-to Australian poker site for reload bonuses for a few reasons. The first is that the weekly offers prioritise crypto deposits.
If you’ve read any of my previous content, you know that I converted to crypto payments in late 2023. Crypto payments are a safe, anonymous, and efficient way to make poker deposits and withdrawals.
I love that Ignition has made its weekly reload bonuses available to crypto users. Plus, tiered rewards make it possible for players at all levels to get something extra, making it my top AU poker reload bonus:
Here are the latest poker reload bonuses at Ignition:
- 50% up to $200
- 50% up to $500
- 50% up to $1,000
My only criticism of Ignition’s reload bonus is the fact that you’ve only got three days to hit the 25x playthrough. It’s far from impossible, but it does mean you can’t hang around. The upside, though, is that crypto deposits start at $5, so you don’t have to be a high roller to unlock this offer.
No Deposit Bonus
There aren’t many offers that can challenge welcome bonuses and rakeback when it comes to overall value. But I’d say no deposit deals are the best poker bonuses in Australia.
Why? Because you get something for nothing. Sometimes, you’ll need to convert bonus credits into withdrawable cash by generating rake. But you don’t need to risk anything to claim the bonus.
In essence, AU no deposit poker bonuses allow you to try before you buy. For example, you could test out a new poker site’s SNGs with a no deposit bonus that contains free tickets.
The prize money you win might be locked until you hit a rake target, but the fact remains that you tested the software without risking your own money. If you like the site, deposit some cash and hit the playthrough target. If not, move on and get AU poker bonuses elsewhere.
Best No Deposit Bonus: Everygame Poker
No deposit poker promotions aren’t as prevalent as I’d like them to be. But, if you look hard enough, there are ways to add some extra firepower to your arsenal without adding funds to your account.
My preferred method for getting AU no deposit poker bonuses is Everygame’s Gold Chip rewards. Essentially a form of loyalty reward, Golden Chips can be exchanged for special prizes or tournament tickets.
You need 100 Frequent Player Points (FPPs) for a Golden Chip. Every dollar raked in cash games is worth 1 FPP. Every dollar paid in tournament fees is worth 7 FPPs. So, the lesson here is clear: tournaments are the easiest way to get no deposit bonuses at Everygame Poker.
Tournament Tickets
I love free tickets because they can be worth thousands of dollars if you win the tournament. The downside to these offers is that you’re not guaranteed a return. You get to play poker tournaments for free, but you’ll only get something if you finish in the money.
But that’s the fun of poker. In fact, there are other positives to getting free tournament tickets. Notably, the average skill level in the tournaments you get tickets for is usually quite low. This means you’ve got a decent chance of making the money if you play a tight-aggressive style.
The other reason ticket giveaways are among the best poker bonuses in Australia is the fact that prizes are paid in cash. You might not be guaranteed to win, the any prizes you do win are paid in money you can withdraw instantly. When it comes to AU poker promotions, you can’t ignore any deals that pay you in cash.
Best for Tournament Tickets: BetOnline
BetOnline is my top pick for ticket-based Australian poker bonuses. Ignition and CoinPoker are also worth a mention because they have fantastic freerolls with prizepools topping $2,500. But, when it comes to playing real-money MTTs for free, BetOnline is best.
It all starts with a welcome bonus that gives you a combination of bonus credits and tickets. The 21 satellite tickets are for BetOnline’s $100,000 Sunday Major.
Don’t get me wrong, you will need to play through a lot of players to win a seat in the Sunday Major. But, if you manage it, your welcome bonus could be worth upwards of $10,000.
Rakeback
Rakeback is the mother of all Australian poker bonuses in terms of ongoing value.
Rakeback deals are, as the name suggests, bonuses that give you back rake. What’s rake? Rake is a small amount of money taken from every cash game pot and tournament buy-in.
Rake covers an operator’s running costs, so it’s the price of playing poker. The top Aussie online poker sites give you back a percentage of the rake you generate.
These rebates are typically paid in cash on a weekly basis. If you remember what I said about AU poker promotions that pay cash, you’ll see why I love rakeback. Cash rebates mean you don’t have to hit any playthrough targets to reap the benefits of your efforts.
Another aspect of rakeback that’s often overlooked is relative value. The amount you play directly correlates with the amount of rakeback you earn. If you play more, you’ll earn more.
I’m not saying you should ignore sensible bankroll management strategies and play irresponsibly. But rakeback is the only online poker bonus in Australia that has no upper limit in terms of value.
Best for Rakeback: Juicy Stakes
It’s a close call in this category, but I’m giving Juicy Stakes the win over CoinPoker because you get slightly more rakeback. As I’ll explain later in this guide, CoinPoker’s rakeback system is better in certain ways.
For now, though, I want to praise Juicy Stakes for giving all real-money players 36% rakeback. You have to put in a request to switch from the loyalty program to rakeback, and MTT entry fees don’t count towards your total.
But in terms of consistent value, the Juicy Stakes rakeback system is almost unbeatable. Payments are made daily, which is great. It’s also worth noting that 36% rakeback is extremely generous and reminiscent of what was available during the golden age of online poker back in the mid-noughties.
How to Get an AU Poker Bonus
Now that you know what the best poker bonuses in Australia are, it’s almost time to claim them. I’ve got a few more things to say about AU poker promotions, but first I’m going to show you how to claim them. Follow these steps to get the latest online poker bonuses in Australia:
- Check out our Aussie online poker reviews to find your ideal site.
- Use the secure link within the review to start the registration process.
- Enter your details on the sign-up form. Make sure to include an AU poker bonus code, if necessary (we’ll let you know in the review if one is required).
- Complete the registration process and verify your email address.
- Log into your account and open the cashier page.
- Choose a payment method and make a qualifying deposit. Most bonuses are activated automatically, but check before you finalise the transaction.
- Approve the payment and start playing real-money poker games to convert your bonus credits to cash.
Top Poker Bonus in Australia
The best poker bonuses in Australia offer plenty of free credits, but the ones you deem the most valuable depends on the games you play. For example, if you’re a tournament player, Everygame’s Gold Chip promotion will be the best. If you’re a cash game grinder, Juicy Stakes rakeback will be the most attractive AU poker bonus.
I want everyone to get something extra, which is why I’ve chosen CoinPoker’s rakeback offer as my top AU poker bonus. At 33%, it’s only slightly less than the 36% rakeback you get at the market leader, Juicy Stakes.
What makes this offer better, in my opinion, is the fact that all rake contributions count. If you recall, I explained that Juicy Stakes doesn’t include MTT entry fees in its rakeback calculations. SNGs are fine, but not multi-table tournaments. This excludes a whole category of players.
CoinPoker doesn’t discriminate in this way. The only caveat is that you must stake CoinPoker’s crypto token, CHP. As long as you do that, you’ll receive 33% rakeback paid into your account every week.
I play a mixture of Omaha cash games and jackpot SNGs. These games suit my playing style but also give me a decent chance to earn rake. Omaha, by its very nature, encourages you to be more active. The more active you are, the more rake you generate.
The same is true for jackpot SNGs. These three-handed games only last a few minutes, which makes it easy to rattle through a few dozen in a short space of time. I’m not suggesting you play games you’re not comfortable playing. But, if you’re willing and able, I find this strategy to be highly effective when it comes to earning rakeback.
One important caveat is that the stake on jackpot SNGs can be poor compared to other tournaments, especially when you hit the minimum prize amount.
How Does an Australian Poker Bonus Work?
Australian poker bonuses are given to players who complete specific tasks. These “tasks” are the wagering requirements you’ve seen me refer to throughout this guide. Essentially, do X, and you’ll receive Y. That’s the way online poker bonuses in Australia work.
You already know that deposit-based bonuses have minimum funding requirements from what we’ve discussed already. You’ll also recall that some offers require codes, while others have playthrough targets.
Let’s dig deeper into these, because they’re often overlooked.
Poker Bonus Codes
Australia poker bonus codes are required for certain offers. In most cases, you won’t need to enter codes. The same goes for opting in manually. As a general rule, you’ll typically unlock offers by depositing money or generating rake.
But there are situations where you’ll need to opt in manually or, more commonly, use an AU poker bonus code. In most cases, Australia poker bonus codes are used for special offers, such as reload bonuses connected to current events.
The other time AU poker bonus codes are used is for exclusive promotions that give you something more than the standard offer. We’ve got Australian poker bonus codes for a variety of top-rated sites, including:
- CoinPoker AU bonus code for new customers = CPLAYER
- BetOnline AU bonus code for new customers = POKER1000
Playthrough Requirements
Playthrough requirements are targets you have to hit to release bonuses. In this context, releasing a bonus means converting the credits to cash that can be withdrawn. You don’t have to withdraw the cash. The point here is that you turn something intangible into something tangible.
Here’s an example of how playthrough requirements work:
- You receive a $500 welcome bonus.
- 10% of your bonus ($50) is released each time you rake $100.
- You play $1/$2 cash games where $0.01 rake is taken for every $0.20 in the pot with a cap of between $1 to $4.
- Most AU poker sites only take rake from cash game pots that reach the flop, known as “no flop, no drop”.
- Anyone involved in the pot receives credit for the rake taken.
- You play for an hour and are involved in 10 hands that reach the flop. Based on the value of those pots and the fact that there were six people in the game, you generated $7 in rake.
This means you’re 7% closer to your $100 rake target after just an hour of play. As you can see, it doesn’t take very long to unlock bonuses. What’s more, you don’t have to do anything other than play the games you’d normally play. So, in this regard, there’s no downside to claiming online poker bonuses in Australia.
AU Poker Bonuses – The Good vs The Bad
You should almost always claim a poker online bonus in Australia because it’s basically a risk-free way to boost your bankroll.
But not every bonus is completely free. Here are some things to consider before you claim any Australian poker bonuses.
| Pros | Cons |
| AU poker bonuses provide guaranteed returns | Most offers can only be claimed once |
| Rakeback allows you to earn while you play | No deposit bonuses require you to deposit/wager money at some point |
| You can claim multiple bonuses by using a variety of Australian online poker rooms | Requesting a withdrawal removes an active bonus from your account (except for rakeback) |
| Welcome bonuses offer generous returns for comparatively little risk | Some payment methods are excluded from deposit bonuses |
| New AU poker bonuses are available every week |
Best Poker Bonuses in Australia – Conclusion
Poker is unpredictable. Even if you’re the most skilled player in the world, basic poker odds and negative variance can get in the way of your plans. That’s why bonuses should be part of your arsenal.
You now know what the best online poker bonuses in Australia are and where to find them. Before you rush off and fill your coffers with free credits, here are three important things to remember:
- All AU poker bonuses have wagering requirements, so read the terms before you start.
- Remember to hit your playthrough targets before your bonus credits expire.
- Maximise your EV by claiming multiple bonuses from all of the best online poker sites.
Keep these points in mind, play responsibly, and you’ll be well on your way to boosting your bankroll with very little risk.