The Ace Formula is how to we rank our poker, casino, sports, and bingo bonuses. The factors vary based on which platform the bonus is offered since poker and casino bonuses clear differently.
Poker
The Ace Formula for poker is based off of the following factors:
- Match %
- Amount
- Rake per Day
- Value
- VIP Value
Using this formula:
((Match + Amount) / Rake per Day) + (Value + VIP Value)
In other words:
Match: Match is the percentage multiplier of the bonus, so a 100% bonus has a value of 100.
Amount: Amount is the maximum bonus offered, so a $500 bonus has a value of 500.
Rake per Day: This is a calculation of (Total Rake / Expiration). In other words, if a bonus requires raking $2,000 and must be cleared within 60 days, the calculation would be $2,000 / 60 = 33.3333. This means to clear the bonus fully, a player must rake an average of $33.33 per day or more.
Value: This is a calculation of the (Bonus Amount / Total Rake). In other words, if a $500 maximum bonus requires raking a total of $2,500, the calculation would be $500 / $2,500 = 0.20, or 20%. This means a player would earn 20% of the rake they paid in return creating the “value” of the bonus. A result of 20% has a value of 20.
VIP Value: While earning the bonus, players will collect points. Almost all poker sites have some kind of VIP Program and within the program, players can exchange points for cash or bonuses. This value takes the total points earned and calculates the value of those points. This isn’t as straightforward as the other variables in the formula, but with some work, it can be calculated for every room. For example, if a player collects 10,000 points by raking $2,500 while clearing a $500 bonus, and those 10,000 points can be exchanged for $100 cash, the value would be $100 / $2,500 = 0.04, or 4%. A result of 4% has a value of 4.
Plugging these numbers in outputs one number. There is no maximum score. The larger the number, the better the bonus and the higher the room is ranked.
Notes
- If a bonus has no match percentage, the amount used will be 100. Some rooms offer flat tier bonuses where any deposit activates the maximum bonus amount.
- If a bonus has no maximum amount the amount used will be the maximum deposit allowed for the most convenient method.
- Unless otherwise noted, for consistency, currency used for the bonus amount is always in $USD.
- Value and Rake Per Day are calculated using tournament fees as this comes up with an exact number. If you play cash games, the total rake you will pay to clear the bonus will vary slightly from this number. (You can see our reviews which estimate the number of hands required by stake.)
- VIP Value isn’t an exact calculation for some rooms. It may be possible that points become more valuable by increasing a player’s VIP level. To keep this as consistent as possible, we always use the average Rake per Day when determining the value of points. This means the VIP Value may vary slightly depending on a player’s VIP level while clearing the bonus. In other words, the more points you earn in a shorter period, the higher the value will be.
- Some sites award tournament tickets or cash bonuses instead of cash for VIP points. In other words, 10,000 points may award a $100 bonus, which then must be cleared. This will be noted in the review and the full VIP value score will still be awarded.
- If a bonus has no expiration, one year, or 365 days, will be used.
- Some factors increase the value of the bonus but are not easily quantified. For example, PokerStars allows your first three deposits to count towards the full $600, whereas most poker rooms allow only one deposit. This makes it easier to earn a larger amount. Any extra incentives such as this will be noted, but not added to the Ace Formula score.
- Some bonuses, usually small free or no deposit bonuses, do not have any wager requirements meaning players do not have to pay any rake for the bonus. This creates a divisible by 0 error and breaks the entire formula. In the event that this happens, we assign a bonus value of 100% and remove rake per day from the equation.
- In the event that a poker bonus is non-cashable, the overall Ace Score will be divided by 4 (valued at 25% overall) to account for the fact that the bonus can not be withdrawn. (This is not common with poker bonuses.)
Casino
Coming soon.
Sports
Coming soon.
Bingo
Coming soon.
Changes to the Ace Formula
As we grow and the industry evolves, it may be possible that changes are made to improve the formula.
Currently no changes have been made. In the event that changes are made, they will all be documented here.