Types of Poker Bonuses
No Deposit Bonus
As the name suggests, this types does not require any deposit to your poker account. You simply sign up with the poker room, follow the instructions given to you and your account will be credited within the next 72 hours. This type of poker bonus is great if you are new to the game and want to practice before playing with real hard cash. The disadvantage is that you will usually not be able to take part of any first deposit bonuses if you decide to make a deposit and start playing with your own money. The same problem may come up when you decide to play with rakeback on the same site at another time. You will not be allowed this as you will already have an account with that poker room and most poker rooms do not allow you to create a second account.
First Deposit Bonus
This is a bonus that is given to you based on the size of your first deposit. The most popular first deposit bonus is a 100% bonus to match your first deposit.
Reload/Freeload Bonus
Once you have cleared your first deposit poker bonus the poker rooms will usually offer you additional bonuses which are called reload or freeload bonuses. The difference between a reload and a freeload bonus is that the former requires an additional deposit to your account while the latter is credited to your bonus account automatically when you just enter a bonus code.