My first sticky experience

[LeonShuffle]

After exhausting all the cashable bonuses, I decided to give a sticky one a try tonight. I registered at Golden Palace and deposited $100 for a $300 bonus. I set a goal of turning the $400 into $700 at which point I'd drop my bet and grind out the WR. I started betting $50 right off the bat and before I knew it, had $700. After just 11 hands!!! Then I just bet between $5 and $20 to finish it out, and won another $100.

The T&C make it pretty clear that bonus abusers will not receive any winnings so I guess I'll play a little every night for a couple weeks. I just can't believe I won $400 on my first try!!

[KenSmith]

Nice! Excellent start to the world of sticky bonuses.

[zengrifter]

What is a "sticky" bonus? zg

[LeonShuffle]

A sticky bonus is bonus money given which can never be cashed out. However, they can be about as valuable as cashable bonuses if played correctly because they're usually bigger than the cashable ones and with lower wagering requirements. In the case of Golden Palace, the bonus is 300% (up to $300) with a WR of 4DB. So although the most you stand to lose is $100, you've got $400 with which to make big bets. In my case, I decided to bet $50, but some people just bet their entire bankroll on the first hand. Doing this, about half the time you'd lose $100 and the other half you'd win $300 (and then grind out the rest of the WR). Unfortunaely, Golden Palace is the only one I've found with such a high bonus.

[zengrifter]

Gratzi! zg

[E-town-guy]

It can be a real pain in the ass trying to withdraw your money from sticky bonuses because even some admin who has no clue what BJ is can spot a bonus hunter a mile away with sticky bonuses. I'm a bit leary about trying to take advantage of most of them so let us know if you have any problems.

[KenSmith]

I've heard that some players have had their accounts closed for going all-in on the first bet with a sticky bonus. So there are definitely some casinos that are watching for sticky-optimizing strategies. Here's a thought...

If you're willing to put up with a lot of variance, you can actually use these profitably on slots. Bet high denomination slots, which usually means you'll zero out. If you do hit a decent size payout, you can switch to another less risky game to finish your wagering.

[LeonShuffle]

I played a bunch more at Golden Palace until my balance was down to $750. Mostly messing around at Roulette. I just withdrew $350 of the $450 available. I don't think there'll be a problem.

[E-town-guy]

Why not just withdraw all of it?

Ken's suggestion sounds pretty good though I don't know the odds on slots and if you'd expect to win often enough to off set when you lose.

[LeonShuffle]

Yeah, I'm probably being over-cautious, but I've got plenty of money in my Neteller account for other bonuses. Plus, they have a "refer a friend" bonus and I know a few people who'll play there. I figure if I want to see any of that money, it's best that I still have a balance.