First, a sticky bonus is one where it is for play only, you can not cash it in ever. This is different from the cashable bonuses. You will have a wagering requirement just like the cashable bonuses. You will need to meet the wagering requirements before you cash out. Once you cash out, the bonus is removed from your account.

example: You deposit $100, get a $200 bonus and start with $300. If you have $700 when you withdraw, you can only withdraw $500 and the other $200 will be removed from your account.

That is the basics of sticky bonuses. Notice that if you play 1 or 2 dollars a hand you will need to get extremely lucky to win any money. Also notice that if you play break even, you will not make anything like you do with the cashable bonus casinos. So the way make real money on the sticky bonus casinos is by making big bets.

Notice also that if in our example you have 200 when you finish the Wagering Requirements, you really have nothing. If you attempt to cash out, you will lose all your bonus and you will have nothing. So these bonuses you should play for either a big win or bust.

Here are the two main strategies that are widely used:

1. Bet it all on one hand (or half on one hand), and then grind it out if you win. - So in out first example, you bet 300 on one hand of war, or half on a hand of blackjack (so you can still split or double) and if you lose you are done, and if you win you have 600 and grind it out with $5 bets. Notice that if you win one out of every three like this, you will be up in money. Personally, I have never used this strategy. I tend to enjoy playing, but there are some math guys who will find this method superior.

2. Bet 1/5 - 1/7 of your amount of chips every hand. So if you have 300, you bet 60. If you lose you have 240 and you bet around 50, if you win you have 360 and bet around 70. Repeat until you have met the WR and reevaluate. I have done this with some success.

Here is how I personally play:

Bet 25-30 dollars every hand no matter what. If I get up to lets say 500-600 I may up my bet to 40. When I hit WR, I reevaluate where I want to get to. I normally aim for around a $300 profit, and if things are going good I slide my target up. What is good about this method is that you shred through the wagering requirements.

If you don't like making that size bets, I would say at the very least make $15 bets. Basically anywhere between 15-50 dollar bets are the way to go here

2 things that I have learned when doing these stickies:

1. Setting a target - My target is normally 300 dollar profit for each of these. That means I can go one out of four and break even. So if I am below the target when I am finished with the WR, I will try to get to my target or bust.

2. Getting out when I hit my target - On more then a few occasions, I have busted out when I have already hit target. That really really really sucks. It is very tempting to try to go for a huge score, but for your first couple I would advise against it.

When you do try for a big score, think about this. I have been hitting the big scores by setting a "get out of dodge" target. So lets say you have 800 in chips on a 100 deposit and 300 sticky and you just hit WR. I may say to myself "I am leaving if I get to 700, and I will reevaluate if I get 900. Then if I get to 900, I say I am out at 800. Then if I get to 1000, I say I am out at 900. This helps not to kill good streaks, and helps me to get out of these online casinos with my profit.

Big bets, setting a target, and leaving before giving it all back. Those are the main points.

Please note that this strategy is just some ideas that I have about sticky bonuses and how I play them. I do not claim that this is the most +EV on average that you can make from sticky casinos. Also understand that no matter how you play them, there is a risk of busting, which is generally higher then cashable casino bonuses. Also note that this strategy can be used for any sticky bonus, and is not limited to online blackjack. Three card poker bonuses, online slot casinos, and video poker sticky bonuses also work with the same strategy.