Today's online poker resources usually offer players highly generous and exciting bonuses and promotions designed to attract as many potential players as possible. On top of all sorts of hot first, second and third deposit bonuses, most virtual gaming destinations boast a wide selection of qualifier tournaments to such prestigious poker events as the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Other common perks include numerous freerolls, Sit-N-Go's, Bad Beat bonuses and guaranteed prize tournaments. Let's try to figure out what bonuses and promotions are truly worth our effort.

Sign up and reload bonuses

The vast majority of online card rooms currently operating over the Internet offer players all types of deposit bonuses for first time, second time and third time deposits. The first deposit bonus is called a 'sign up' bonus and is available only to players who deposit at a particular online poker website for the first time. When it is a player's second time at this poker room, he/she is no longer entitled to a 'sign up bonus' but can certainly take advantage of so called 'reload bonuses,' if such are available. While the purpose of 'sign up' bonuses is to recruit new players, 'reload bonuses' are intended to retain a poker room's existing ones. Unarguably, the more money you can get the better!

Freerolls

Freeroll tournaments are yet another very frequent promotional tool. Freerolls' greatest attraction lies in the fact that players are not required to invest any money in order to play. The poker room hosting a freeroll tournament simply puts up a predetermined amount of money and invites players to compete for the prize. The attractiveness of the freeroll is determined by how much money each participating player has the potential to collect. For instance, if a poker room hosts a $2,000 freeroll and 200 entrants roll in, each player has the potential of nabbing $10. Assuming that they are all of average gaming skill, the EV (Expected Value) of this particular freeroll is +$10.

Guaranteed prize pool tournaments

Oftentimes, poker rooms promote their tournaments by guaranteeing the size of the prize pool. This means that the card room is willing to add money if there are not enough players enrolled in the tournament to make the prize pool equal to the amount promised. Nevertheless, since guaranteed prize pool tournaments usually attract enough players, poker room operators are not required to put additional money in the prize pool.

Sit-N-Go tournaments

Sit-N-Go is a type of tournament with a predetermined number of available seats. Once enough players have signed up to fill these seats, the tournament kicks off. Let's take, for example, the "Dirty Dozen - Jackpot Sit 'N' Go" tournaments now offered by TitanPoker.com. The Dirty Dozen is a two-table, twelve-player, $2 + $0.40 Sit 'n' Go tournament. Players need to win four "Dirty Dozen - Jackpot Sit 'N' Go" tournaments in a row to collect a $2,000 jackpot. While the promotion is great for the more skilled players among us, it is much less profitable for poker novices and average players who will end up ponying up more in tournament fees.

Bad Beat bonus

A Bad Beat bonus is a monetary prize awarded to a player with a very strong hand who was beaten by another player with even a stronger hand. Internet poker rooms often won't award a Bad Beat bonus to players with hands poorer than 'four of a kind.' Most of the time, the dominating requirement is that both pocket cards are used to make the final hand in order for players to collect a Bad Beat bonus.

Satellite tournaments

Online poker websites frequently hold satellites featuring seats to important live events as first place prizes. Players who participate in such tournaments do not collect monetary awards for winning, but an entry to a major land-based event such as the WSOP. In fact, WSOP champions Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Jamie Gold won their seats to this prestigious competition through an online satellite.