PokerStars has become one of the biggest names in online poker gaming. In addition to offering state-of-the-art poker software, first class customer support, and diligent security, PokerStars also provides some of the best promotions in the online poker world, among them their welcome bonus of 100% deposit match up to $600 (€465, £390, or CAD $625).
Earning this bonus and applying it to your account is a relatively simple process as long as players are willing to deposit real money into their PokerStars account.
First off, visit PokerStars and register your new account with the 2012 PokerStars Marketing Code of “PSA7201“. This exclusive PokerStars Marketing Code provides you with additional benefits, which we’ll explain at the bottom of this article!
Players qualify for the PokerStars welcome bonus immediately after making their first cash deposit. The PokerStars welcome bonus is a 100% deposit match bonus, meaning if you deposit $100, your bonus will be $100, with the maximum bonus being $600, €465, £390, or CAD $625. Use the PokerStars Bonus Code STARS600 each time you make a deposit to qualify. Enter this into the “bonus code” field while you are depositing, and don’t hit “deposit” until you have entered this bonus code!
The cash deposit can be of any size, but you will have to deposit a total of $600 within 3 deposits, and within the first 90 days to take full advantage of the maximum bonus of $600. The PokerStars download has recently added this feature – allowing 3 deposits within a 90 day period – to make it easier for new players to earn the full bonus amount.
Just make sure you enter the PokerStars bonus code STARS600 upon making your first deposit and any subsequent deposits that would still qualify for this bonus (first 3 deposits).
You qualify to “cash out” the bonus, or convert the bonus money into real money that you may play with or withdraw, once you have earned the required number of VPP’s.
“VPP” stands for “VIP Player Points.” Players earn VPP’s by playing in real money tournaments and games in PokerStars. These poker games have a rake or an entry fee that the player pays, and this equates to VPP’s. Players earn more VPPs by playing in tournaments and games with higher rakes. Each $1 spent on the rake earns the player 5.5 VPPs. The rake cost varies depending on the game. For example, a $10+1 tournament has a $1 rake. This means you pay $10 dollars to the prize pool and $1 to the rake. Playing this tournament earns you 5.5 VPP for playing. A $5 dollar tournament has a $0.50 rake fee, meaning you earn 2.75 VPPs.
You don’t have to win the game or tournament to earn the VPP’s, every player participating immediately earns the VPP’s. Click the “Cashier” button and then the “Check My Bonus Status” button to monitor how many VPP’s you have to earn.
You will need to earn VPPs equal to 17 times the bonus amount (based on $USD figure, see table below for VPP clearance rates in other currencies). The bonus is released in increments of 10 ($10, £10, €10 etc), each released into your account as you clear the needed VPPs (e.g. 170 VPPs for every $10 increment). You have six months after each qualifying deposit to earn all the VPPs needed to release your bonus, which is plenty of time to earn the maximum bonus of $600, €465, £390, or CAD $625!
| Currency | Max Bonus | Clearance Rate |
|---|---|---|
| USD ($) | $600 | 17 VPP's per 1 USD |
| EUR (€) | €465 | 22 VPP's per 1 EUR |
| GBP (£) | £390 | 26 VPP's per 1 GBP |
| CAD ($) | CAD $625 | 16 VPP's per 1 CAD |
The bonus increments will automatically be paid into your account and you will receive an email from PokerStars stating that bonus has been put into your account. You may check your account screen to see that the bonus is no longer listed as “Pending”, and then check “History” in the “Cashier” section to see that it has been applied to your real money balance.
The PokerStars welcome bonus is available to all new players that wish to play for real money!
Now we also mentioned opening your new player account with the PokerStars Marketing Code of “PSA7201” for some extra perks! Enter this in the Marketing Code field, and qualify to enter in $1,000 worth of freerolls and money added tournaments every month!
Here’s an overview of the exclusive events you may participate in, every month:
$500 freeroll – You must earn 200 FPP’s the month prior the freeroll, and you’re in! This event is held on the 14th of every single month!
$500 money added – $5 buy-in and restricted for ONLY those who sign up to play on PokerStars with the marketing code PSA7201 and then register a Poker Forum account at our partners at FlopTurnRiver.com. The password is published in the FlopTurnRiver.com forums every month!
So not only can you get $600 of free bonus money, but also compete in events that have $1,000 added to the prize pools, every month! This is a great deal, join PokerStars today!
