The previous bonus of a maximum of $50 at 100% match was well below what most other online poekr sites have been offering.

The bonus code for this new bonus is STARS600.

So, why was the old bonus so small and why have they increased it now?

Well, the general consensus on the previously tiny deposit bonus from Poker Stars was that they didn’t need to offer more, as they were, and still are, the most popular and biggest online poker room. I guess that they would prefer to spend their promotional money on various advertising and events rather than give it to their players.

It must have worked, as PokerStars has grown to be the biggest online poker site in recent years and by far out ranks their nearest competitor, Full Tilt, in terms of player numbers.

Having said all that, then you must wonder what reason they can have for increasing their bonus now. It is not as if they are feeling their competitors breath down their figurative neck as the distance between Poker Stars and all other sites in terms of player numbers has only increased in the recent past.

My guess for this sudden bonus increase, and it is only a guess, is that it is because of the situation in Italy, where all poker rooms that want to accept Italian poker players are required by Italian law to have a separate poker site just for Italians.

Being forced to launch was is esentially a new poker room just for Italians means that Poker Stars, and other sites in this situation, do not have the weight of numbers that they were used to using to dominate the market. So they had to offer a decent sized deposit bonus to their Italian players. I imagine then that when this situation became common knowledge it could give rise to some resentment from existing players, which in turn might lead to some bad press and negative feeling about their site.

This is only a guess, mind, and now that I write it down, I’m not sure that it makes as much sense as I had initially thought.

Whatever the reason, it is now a good sized bonus that can stand up against most other sites bonus offerings.

Further to that, Poker Stars are also offering their existing players a reload bonus of up to $300 at 50% deposit match. Which is good for their existing players as most of them will have only received the old bonus of $50.

All in all, way to go PokerStars!. Claim this bonus at Poker Stars.com – use the bonus code STARS600.

If you’re new at online poker, or you’re considering trying a new online poker site, you need to know about the online casino sign-up bonus. Understanding the sign-up bonus can seriously change where and how you play online casino and poker games.

What is a Sign-Up Bonus?

A sign-up bonus is a bonus you get for signing up with new online poker sites. You can only get the sign-up bonus once for each site where you play, so you want to make sure you get the best bonus you can. These bonuses are usually match bonuses, meaning you get a percentage of your deposit added to your account as additional money. A good sign-up bonus offers a 100 percent match or even more.

How Do You Get a Sign-Up Bonus?

When you find a new poker site that you are interested in, search around the web for bonus codes. Almost every site offers sign-up bonuses, so if you haven’t found one for your preferred site yet, you probably haven’t been looking hard enough. Once you find the best code you can, make your deposit. A great difference between playing offline and online is that you can put the bonus code at the same time you are making the deposit. If you submit the deposit without the code, you will lose the opportunity to collect the sign-up bonus.

How Do You Collect a Sign-Up Bonus?

The sign-up bonus does not appear instantly into your account, otherwise people could collect the bonus and run without ever playing on the site. To release the bonus you will need to meet a wagering requirement. This requirement is generally a multiple of your deposit, your bonus or both. Once you have wagered the amount of money required, the bonus is released into your account to do with as you wish. Note that some “sticky” bonuses can only be used for wagering and not withdrawn.