5 Steps For Winning Real Money With Free Bonuses
It’s not easy to win real money with free bonuses.
No in-game strategy will help. (And please don’t listen to anyone that claims otherwise).
The key to winning real money with a free bonus is by selecting the most favorable bonus.
We’ll show you how to spot them:
#1. Make Sure The Wagering Requirements Are Low
The simplest way to get a favorable no deposit bonus is to prioritize bonuses with low wagering requirements.
Basically, the wagering requirements tell you how much you need to stake before you can withdraw your winnings.
Let’s illustrate how it works:
Imagine you have to choose between two no deposit bonuses.
- Bonus A is worth $10 and has wagering requirements of 30x.
- Bonus B is worth $10 and has wagering requirements of 80x.
Whereas with Bonus A you’d only have to stake ($10 x 30) $300 before you could withdraw your bonus winnings, with Bonus B you’d have to stake ($10 x 80) $800.
From our example it’s clear that the wagering requirements have an enormous impact on your chances.
Our recommendation is that you should only consider no deposit bonuses with wagering requirements around 10s and 40x.
That’s a huge difference.
#2: Play The Right Game
The eligible game is another thing you should think about.
Ideally, you want your bonus to be eligible on a slot with a low volatility and a high return to player (RTP).
Here’s why:
- High RTP – RTP is an acronym for Return to Player, which basically indicates how much a slot returns to players. For example, a slot with an RTP of 92% will return 92% of all wagers to players of the slot. What needs to be remembered with RTP is that it is calculated over what may as well be an infinite number of spins. In the short-term, then, it isn’t a great indicator of your chances.
- Low Volatility – You can think of volatility as a synonym of ‘risk.’ For instance, a high volatility slot poses a high risk that you will lose your bet.
Volatility is a good short term indicator of how your gambling session will play out. High volatility slots offer fewer wins of a larger value, low volatility slots offer more wins of a lower value.
When you combine high RTP and low volatility, you can keep your bankroll going in the short term and improve your chances of making money in the long term.
If you keep consistently wagering your bonus (and you are lucky), you should eventually see the benefits of picking the right slot game.
Extra Tip: Don’t Play Table Games!
We have a bit of sad news: table games and no deposit bonuses are not compatible.
While many no deposit bonuses will let you play table games, it will not be without a significant reduction in their ‘game weighting percentages.’
This is a rule used to re-balance the favorable odds of table games.
So, say for instance that you want to play blackjack with your no deposit bonus.
The odds of blackjack are the highest of any casino game, which means under normal circumstances you are more likely to win real cash playing blackjack than any other casino game,
To counter this, your casino will lower the amount of your stake that goes towards the wagering requirements (the ‘game weighting percentage) to somewhere between 0-20%.
Let’s say your bonus sets blackjack’s weighting at 4%.
If you were then to wager $100 on blackjack using your bonus, only $4 would go towards the wagering requirements.
Ultimately, it makes winning real money on no deposit blackjack almost impossible.
#3: Calculate The EV (Expected Value)
If you’re particularly serious about finding the best bonus, a good trick to learn is how to work out the EV of a bonus.
EV is a mathematical formula that you can use to find out if a bonus is likely to be profitable.
Working out the EV of a casino bonus requires you to record 3 variables:
- Value Of The Bonus – The amount of bonus credits or money you win using your free spins.
- Wagering Requirements – The total amount you must bet before you are allowed to cash out.
- House Edge – The advantage the casino has compared to your chances of winning.
Once these have been recorded, you can then assemble them into the following equation:
EV = Bonus Value (in $) – Wagering Requirements (in $) x House-Edge (in %)
If a bonus is likely to make money, its EV will be positive. If it’s not likely to make money, its EV will be negative.
Let’s provide you with an example:
Let’s say you ask for a bonus with these variables:
- Value Of The Bonus – $40
- Wagering Requirements – (10 x $40) $400
- House Edge – 2%
You can then assemble them into the prior equation as so:
Bonus Value ($40) – Wagering Requirements ($400) x House-Edge (2% / 0.02) = EV (-7.2)
Due to the EV of this bonus being negative, the bonus isn’t likely to make you money.
#4. Use Your Bonus Immediately
This rule is not as hard to understand as the others.
There is an expiration date for no-deposit bonuses. Most bonuses end between 2 and 7 days after they are given out.
It is important to bet all of your bonus money right away. If not, you won’t be able to meet the requirements in time.
#5: Claim Bonuses At Different Casinos
Claiming more than one free casino bonus is a smart way to increase your chances of making a profit.
If one doesn’t work, try another.
You will get there in the end.
Please keep in mind, though, that you can only get one bonus per casino.
We also recommend you only use one bonus at a time.
If you try to use two no deposit bonuses at the same time, you are more likely to let one of them expire without giving it the time and attention it needs.
Top Tip
Bonus Tip – Check Out Our Exclusive No Deposit Bonuses
As we have implied, the T&Cs of your no deposit bonus can have a big effect on how likely you are to win.
Luckily for you, we negotiate directly with the best online casinos for exclusive no deposit bonuses.
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