On a quiet weeknight you open the phone browser for a short session before bed, claim the welcome deal and win a little. The figure that decides whether that win becomes money you keep is not the win itself but the playthrough attached to the bonus. Players most often misread it as a total they must spend, when it is a multiple of the bonus that must be cycled through the games that count.
Getting the Welcome Offer
The welcome deal is attached to your account rather than handed out automatically, so the claiming steps matter as much as the play. Work through them in order and the offer lands where you expect it.
- Register a new account with accurate personal details. A name or date of birth that does not match your documents blocks any later withdrawal.
- Complete the identity checks the casino asks for at sign-up. These checks exist to confirm you are old enough and are who you say you are.
- Open the promotions area and select the welcome offer before making your first deposit. Claiming it afterwards is not possible once the deposit stands without a bonus attached.
- Make the qualifying deposit through the payment route the promotion allows. A deposit from an excluded route does not trigger the bonus, even if the amount is the same.
- Enter the bonus code if one is required at the deposit screen. Without a valid code the deposit goes through as a plain cash deposit.
- Wait for the bonus to appear as a separate balance alongside your cash. Keeping the two balances apart in your head is the first habit that protects your money.
- Start playing only on the games the promotion lists as qualifying. Games outside that list may add nothing to your playthrough, however long you play them.
The welcome deal at Pokerstars is aimed at new players who have not held an account before. A second account in the same household rarely qualifies, and linked accounts can be closed together. Read the promotional page before depositing, because the game contribution rules change how fast you clear the bonus. Slots normally count in full, while table games and live games often count for a fraction or not at all. That single detail decides whether a ten-minute session at a slot moves you forward or leaves you standing still. The bonus balance is not cash and cannot be withdrawn on its own. It converts into real money only when the playthrough condition is met. Until then, any winnings from bonus play stay inside the bonus balance. If you cancel the bonus, the balance and its winnings disappear with it. Treat the bonus as a separate pot and never plan around it until the condition is cleared. The deposit you made remains your money from the start; only the bonus is locked behind the playthrough.
Bonus Terms Explained
The table below sets out the conditions that shape a bonus, what each one does to your balance and the point that trips players up.
| Term | What it means for you | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | The smallest deposit that activates the bonus | Whether the amount is reached with one payment or only in total |
| Playthrough | How many times the bonus must be cycled through qualifying games | Whether the multiple applies to the bonus alone or to bonus plus deposit |
| Game weighting | How much each game type adds to the playthrough count | Which games count in full and which count partly or not at all |
| Maximum bet | The largest stake allowed while a bonus is active | Whether the cap is per spin, per round or per hand |
| Expiry | The window in which the playthrough must be finished | Whether the clock starts at claim, at deposit or at first use |
The term players misread most is playthrough, because it is read as money to spend rather than money to cycle. It is a turnover target on the bonus, not the price of the bonus. Nothing is deducted from your balance while you meet it. The casino simply tracks how much qualifying play you have put through. Pokerstars sets its own values for each offer, so the figure on one promotion says nothing about another. When you play at https://poker-stars.it.com, the game weighting decides your real progress, even more than the multiple itself. A generous-looking multiple on games that count in part can take longer than a higher multiple on slots. Treat both numbers together as a single condition.
Wagering in Numbers
The following is a worked example only and does not reflect the actual terms of any offer.
Start with a deposit of twenty-five and a bonus of the same size, so the bonus balance equals twenty-five. Apply a playthrough of twenty-five times the bonus. The target becomes twenty-five multiplied by twenty-five, which is six hundred and twenty-five. That total is turnover, meaning the sum of qualifying stakes that count toward the condition.
The formula is simple: bonus amount times the multiple equals required turnover. Only stakes that count toward the condition feed the total. Winnings do not, and the deposit does not. Note the difference if the multiple applies to bonus plus deposit. The same twenty-five multiple then sits on fifty, raising the target to one thousand two hundred and fifty. Reading the rule first changes the figure a lot.
Now suppose every stake went on slots, which usually count in full. You would need to cycle six hundred and twenty-five through those games. Wins and losses along the way change your balance but not the target. Neither does the order of your sessions. What matters is the total of qualifying stakes recorded against the bonus.
Change one element and the picture shifts. Play on a game that counts at a quarter of its stake, and you need four times the stake to add the same amount. Four thousand in such stakes would only add a thousand to the count. A large bet size does not help either, because the maximum bet cap can void the bonus. Mixing game types is the fastest way to inflate the work without noticing.
Assume you spend some of the balance on a losing run before finishing. The turnover you have already recorded still stands, but you have less left to play with. This is why chasing the target with big stakes is a poor plan. Smaller, steady stakes keep the bankroll alive long enough to reach the end. The condition rewards patience rather than speed.
Finally, the clock. If playthrough must finish within a set window, an unfinished bonus and its winnings are removed when the window closes. Progress already made is lost with it. Plan sessions so the target is realistic inside that window. Any bonus cleared on time turns into withdrawable cash. Any bonus left part-finished is not a partial payout; it is a deleted balance.
Withdrawing After a Bonus
A withdrawal request can only include money that has been fully released from the bonus conditions. Cash deposited and never mixed with bonus play stays yours and moves first. Bonus funds sit in a separate balance until the playthrough is complete. The cashier shows the two balances side by side, so split them before you request anything.
Identity checks usually block a request until they are finished. Upload documents early, while you are still playing, rather than at the moment of withdrawal. A mismatch between the account name and the documents is the most frequent reason a payment is sent back. Fixing that before a request saves a long wait.
Meeting the playthrough does not always mean real money appears straight away. Some bonuses convert automatically once the condition is met. Others need the bonus to be claimed or the balance moved before the cash part is free. A quick look at the balance after the final qualifying bet shows which situation applies to you.
Cancelling a bonus is possible but costs you the bonus and its winnings. The deposit you made remains, unless the deposit itself was tied to the offer. Use cancellation only when the playthrough is clearly out of reach inside the time window. Then the remaining cash is worth more to you than a lost cause.
Requests are paid back through the same route you used to deposit, so the route must be in your own name. Shared cards and third-party wallets cause the payment to fail. Keep one payment method per account and use it consistently. That single rule removes most delays before they start.
Finally, avoid making a withdrawal request while a bonus is still active. The request can cancel the remaining bonus automatically, and the playthrough you built up is lost. Finish the condition, let the balance convert, then withdraw. The order of those two steps decides how much you keep.
Free Spins Rules
Free spins arrive with their own small conditions and are often treated as a separate bonus. Each spin has a fixed stake value set by the promotion. You cannot raise or lower it. The value is small by design, so the wins are too unless a multiplier lands.
Winnings from spins normally go to a bonus balance rather than to cash. That balance then carries a playthrough of its own before it can be withdrawn. The multiple is usually smaller than on a deposit bonus, but it still applies. A lucky spin result is not cash until that condition is met.
Spins usually come as a package released in parts rather than all at once. Some are credited on the day of the claim, and the rest arrive on later days. Unused spins expire when their window closes. Missing a day means losing those spins, not a refund.
The games the spins work on are fixed and may not be your usual choice. A spin package tied to one slot cannot be used elsewhere. Wins on a different game do not come from the free spins. Opening the named game is the only way to use them.
The maximum bet cap also applies while spin winnings sit in the bonus balance. That means playing a different game with a high stake can void the whole balance. Keep stakes modest until the spin winnings are converted. It is an easy trap after a good result.
Some offers make spins part of the welcome package, with their own timing tied to the first deposit. Pokerstars lists the release schedule on the promotion page, so the days of credit are visible before you claim. Set a reminder for each release day if the game matters to you. Spins that expire unplayed are simply gone.
Common Mistakes
Most lost bonuses come from a handful of avoidable habits. Each one is easy to fix once you know where it starts.
- Depositing before claiming the offer leaves the deposit without a bonus. Claim the promotion first and deposit through the qualifying route.
- Playing excluded games wastes time that adds nothing to the target. Confirm the qualifying games before your first spin or hand.
- A stake above the maximum bet cap can void the bonus and its winnings. Keep stakes under the cap until the playthrough is complete.
- Leaving the playthrough until the window nearly closes risks a lost balance. Plan the sessions so the target fits inside the expiry window.
- Requesting a withdrawal with an active bonus can cancel it outright. Finish the condition, let the balance convert, then withdraw.
- Ignoring the conversion rule means waiting for cash that has not been released. Check whether the bonus converts automatically or needs a step from you.
- Using documents that do not match the account name stalls the payout. Upload matching identity documents early rather than at withdrawal.
A bonus is a contract with a clear finish line, and the player who reads it wins more often than the player who plays fastest. Treat the playthrough and the game weighting as one number, not two. Keep the bonus balance and the cash balance separate in your planning. Assume nothing about one offer because of another, since each promotion carries its own values. Play the qualifying games at steady stakes and keep an eye on the expiry. Upload your documents while the balance is still in play, not after. If the target is out of reach, cancel before the last day rather than after. The deposit stays yours in most cases, and that is a better outcome than a deleted balance. The habits above cost nothing and protect every offer you claim at Pokerstars.