Free Gambling Games For Real Money
Let’s be honest –
- As a matter of fact, very few online casinos will let you play casino games using the free spins to win real money, especially without the need for a deposit. So while we have done our best to find those bonus deals, you can see from the list above that only a handful of casinos do let you claim such promotions.
- Don’t play real money casino games for one reason or another. We think that no matter if you are playing the games for free or real money, your experience should still matter, so our team of experts want to give you an overview of the free casino games market. This page is dedicated to everything.
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Not everyone who wants to play online poker has a bankroll. Nor are they able to get backing, because they don’t have verifiable results and no one knows them.
Then there are others who do have a bankroll. But they’re levelheaded – they know they’re not ready to play online poker for real money.
So, what options do these people have?
One option is to play free poker games. You can play for free and learn your fundamentals before you dive into shark infested waters.
But that doesn’t help with the bankroll deficiency.
The next option – your best bet – is to play freeroll poker tournaments instead. Most poker sites offer them. Our top picks are below.
The point is this — freerolls can help you launch your poker career. But only if you’re patient and persistent, and only if you learn proper strategy.
We’re going to talk more about freeroll strategy later in this guide.
But first, let’s talk more about what a freeroll is and what makes it unique from other free games.
What are Poker Freeroll Tournaments?
Tournament freerolls are like free poker games. But there’s one major difference.
Freerolls have prizes. Sometimes they’re money. Other times they’re entries to tournaments with prizes.
Free poker games do not.
The competition in a freeroll is soft like a free money game. But because they award prizes, they can get hundreds or thousands of entrants. So, it will take a little bit of both luck and skill to make money from these.
Lots of people have done it. Some have managed to turn these small prizes into bankrolls they later grew to hundreds, thousands, even millions of dollars.
I’ve cashed in a freeroll or two, though I didn’t parlay mine into a lasting bankroll. But Chris Ferguson, Tom Dwan and Annette Obrestad have.
Ferguson did it as a challenge. But both Dwan and Obrestad launched their poker careers – earnings millions of dollars so far – playing poker freerolls.
You can do it, too. Your first step is to find the best site to join.
Nearly every poker site offers freerolls. Too many options can make it difficult to choose just one or two. So, here are the things we look for:
Consistency
We would rather join a poker site that offers freerolls on a regular basis. That can be every four hours or twice per day. This is better than the sites who offer freerolls at random.
Even if it means the prize pools are smaller. Seriously.
We want regular tournaments because, like real money tournaments, you’re not going to cash in every single one of them. In fact, the larger the tournaments, the less often you should expect to cash.
The way to cash more often is to play more tournaments. The best way to do that is to join a site who offers frequent freerolls on a schedule.
For example, when Merge Gaming was worth joining back in the day, they ran freerolls every 2-4 hours. Fortunately, many of the sites we recommend do something similar.
Another thing we look for are larger prize pools. Because you don’t want to play for your share of $10, which might be split between 10, 25 or 50+ players.
We recommend looking for sites who offers a minimum of $100 for their freerolls. A cash can get you $5, $10 or even $20. A couple cashes – much less wins – will go a long way once you make the switch to the micro stakes.
Capped Fields
Some poker sites let everyone sign up to their freerolls. Which means you might have to battle 4,586 players for your share of a $50 prize pool.
It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s just that the numbers aren’t in your favor. Even if you play well you’ll also need to get very, VERY lucky.
We prefer to find poker sites who cap the number of entrants. We’ve seen freerolls where the fields are limited to 600 or 1,000 players – the top 50 (or less) are paid.
That’s a lot of players. But it’s doable (and on a somewhat consistent basis).
Other sites limit their fields to 3,000 or 5,000 players. This is okay, but only if the prize pool is large enough to justify it. Otherwise it’s too big a field to fight through.
Most bonuses and promotions come with terms. For example, you must earn so many player points to clear your deposit bonus.
Sometimes poker sites have terms for their freerolls, too. The exact terms vary from site to site.
For example, we’ve seen sites who say their freeroll winnings are not cashable. But you can cash out the money you win with it. Others say you need to wager so many dollars before you can cash out, while others say you need to make a nominal deposit first.
We suggest finding a poker site who has as few terms and restrictions as possible.
10 Freeroll Poker Strategy Tips
Okay, so now you’ve found a site or two and got signed up. The next step is to play freerolls. And, one of the common questions we’re asked is, how the heck do you win?
Here are 10 tips which should help you out.
In the early stages, many players will go all in preflop to try to double or triple up. This includes players with any two cards …because why not?
Don’t get involved in this. Yeah, you might get lucky. But 25+ percent of the time you’re going to bust early. And doubling or tripling up early on is no guarantee you’ll run deep or cash anyway.
We recommend you stick to the top of your range early on. Play pairs, KQ, AJ, AQ and AK. Limp small pairs (to set mine) and only play them post-flop if you hit a set.
2Play premium hands aggressively
You should go all in (pre-flop) with QQs+. Jacks are questionable. You can play them aggressively -or- set mine. The same goes for hitting these hands on the flop. You should plan to play AJ+ and KQ+ aggressively post-flop unless the flop is draw-heavy.
This piggybacks off the last tip, but it’s that important. Too many players try to get too creative with their hands. But if freerolls, your opponents will call you with any two just because. So, you might as well get paid. When you hit your hand, bet, bet, bet.
4Try to win, not just cash
Many players make the mistake of tightening up near the (cash) bubble. This is a huge mistake. Your goal should always be to win. You might bust more often, but the times you don’t you’ll make deeper runs for larger cashes, profiting more money overall.
There are exceptions. For example, if you have 5 big blinds left on the money bubble it’ll make more sense to try to squeak into the money. But unless you’re desperate, go for the win.
5Wait for antes to start stealing the blinds
Beginners start stealing the blinds too soon in tournaments. The problem is the blinds aren’t worth stealing relative to what they’ll add to your stack. But when you wait for antes, stacks are shorter relative to the blinds AND the antes add dead money to pot which will make a significant difference in your stack when you pick them up.
The reason why we recommend staying tight early on is so you can get more active later (when antes kick in). The benefit to this strategy is that most players will think you’ve been card dead the whole tournament, but now suddenly you’re getting good hands. So, they’ll get out of your way. You’ll be able to steal the blinds uncontested more than not.
7Don’t bluff
Bluffs only work against players who’re capable of folding. Most freeroll players are not. So, it’s not going to make sense to bluff unless you know you’re up against a thinking player.
When you play a hand, you need to think a couple steps ahead. You got to have a plan for how you’ll play your hand if you connect on the flop.
For example, when you play an Ax hand, the goal is to bet. But say you hit top pair while holding A3o with 4 other players in the pot. Are you going to feel good betting this hand for value?
Probably not. Not only will you not like it, but chances are someone has your hand dominated.
A better strategy is to play hands that aren’t often dominated on the flop. You’ll get in trouble less often. You’ll feel better about betting for value, too.
9Explode during shorthanded play
Most beginners don’t adjust their strategy for different table sizes. Many full-ring tournaments will have as few as 5-6 players when players have busted or when the tournament’s winding down. They continue to stick to a tighter hand range.
This is a good opportunity for you to explode – open more hands and steal more blinds. Not only that, but hands go up in value in short-handed play. This includes your weaker Ax and Kx hands. Even when you’re called you can feel good about holding a hand like A9s or KJ.
This is another reason why it makes sense to stay tight early on. You’ll have a tight image, which will allow you to open several hands and steal several pots uncontested. This is much easier to do at a shorthanded table.
10Look for good “reshove” opportunities
A great way to add easy chips to your stack is to “reshove” over preflop limps or raises once antes have kicked in (in the later stages). The reason why this works so well is because most players will have a wide opening range, which means they’ll fold often. And because there will be so much (dead) money in the pot relative to your stack, you don’t have to win the pot very often for it to be a profitable play.
And when you do win the pot you’ll add a ton of chips to your stack.
You’ll notice our tips are a mix of generic poker tips and common low stakes SNG/MTT strategy. But that’s because poker freerolls are going to play the same way.
For that reason, when you’ve practiced these tips and want to learn more, we suggest you read up on more beginner/low stake MTT strategy. It’ll help you out.
After you’ve played a few freerolls, chances are you’ll have cashed or are on the brink of your first one. Which means you’ll want to know this:
Most players will want to parlay this into a bankroll. To move up in stakes and start playing games that aware real money prizes.
And that’s a great idea. But, only if you’re ready.
For one thing, you should only make the jump if you’re comfortable with your poker skills. It won’t be a huge transition, moving from freerolls to real money games. But it’ll help you a ton if you have the basic MTT fundamentals and strategy down.
Then there’s your bankroll.
We don’t recommend switching to real money games with a tiny bankroll. It’s great that you’ve won $10 or $20, but you’ll struggle to find traction if that’s all you take with you to the micro stakes. A bad bout of variance will send you to the showers.
Instead, we recommend having a minimum of $100 before making the switch to real money games. This will give you 20 buy-ins for $0.2/$0.05 or $0.05/$0.10 cash games, or about 30-50 buy-ins for the $1-$3 SNGs.
We recommend playing SNGs because they’re great for learning MTT fundamentals. They’re much easier on your bankroll, too.
But that’s only one-half of the battle. You also need to learn how to manage your bankroll, unless you want to go back to playing freerolls. You can learn about bankroll management here.
And there you have it. That’s how you can build your poker bankroll and launch your career playing freeroll tournaments.
FAQ
Here are some common questions we regularly get about poker freerolls and freeroll poker sites (and our answers).
A freeroll I want to join requires a password. What gives?
These are for community run freerolls. These are hosted by/for a specific website, organization or home game. These aren’t for you unless you’re invited or part of one of these groups.
Many players will go out of their way to steal these passwords. Then play the games to win money that’s not meant for them.
This isn’t very nice or ethical. Please don’t do it.
I don’t understand – what’s the difference between free play and freerolls?
The biggest difference between free play or free games is you cannot win money. You’re given free chips and you can play any free game you can afford to buy into. But there are no real money prizes. You’ll only win more free chips.
But with freerolls you can win real money prizes – like cash or tournament entries.
What’s the difference between the freerolls available to everyone, and the freerolls only available to VIP members?
Not much. Both offer real money prizes.
The biggest difference is that the VIP freerolls are available only to players on a specific VIP level (or all levels). Players who aren’t VIP members can’t play. One benefit to this is a smaller playing field. The prizes are usually better, too. And it is money the poker site puts up to reward their loyal customers.
What are the biggest benefits to playing freerolls?
There are lots of reasons why you might consider playing freerolls. Here are some of the biggest benefits:
- Practice strategy. This is a good opportunity to practice the strategy and tactics you’ve read about. Want to practice c-betting? Stealing the blinds? 3-betting? This is a good opportunity to not only try it, but to learn when, whom against and how much to bet.
- Build a bankroll. This is one of the best reasons. If you don’t have money, or maybe just want to challenge yourself, then you might want to play freerolls to build your bankroll.
- Learn patience. It’s going to take a fair amount of time, not only to cash or win a freeroll, but to build a large enough bankroll so that you can move on to real money games. Without patience, you won’t go very far.
- Learn bankroll management. This piggybacks off the last point. You’ll first need to be patience and save up your money until you have enough for the games you want to play. Then your bankroll won’t likely be very big. So, you’ll need to be patience and play within your means to avoid going broke. Playing freerolls can be a long and painful (and painfully boring) process. The more you take huge and unnecessary risks, the more time you’ll have to spend playing them.
- Learn and play different games. Many freerolls run games other than holdem. If you want to play and learn a new game without risking your bankroll, freerolls are a great way to do it.
All you should have to do in most cases is create an account. Then find and join a freeroll.
Sometimes you might have to be a VIP member, though, which means you’ll need to create an account, make a deposit and play for real money first.
Can I play on my phone or tablet?
Yes. So long as the poker site offers freerolls on mobile devices. Many poker rooms don’t offer all their games and stakes for mobile devices. The only way to know for sure is to read our reviews or download the poker room’s app.
Yes. In fact, some of the best freerolls are (and have been) on US-facing poker sites. We suggest starting with BetOnline, who routinely offers daily/weekly freerolls.
What kinds of freerolls are there?
Some of the different kinds of freerolls you’ll find are:
- No-restrictions. These usually have a prize pool of $100 or less. Entrants may be up to 5,000.
- Recent deposit requirement.
- Player point buy-ins.
- Player reward tier threshold.
- Private community-run freerolls.
Most of them offer freerolls to incentivize and encourage players to play. And when players win from freerolls, sometimes there will be terms they got to follow – like making a deposit or wagering so much money – before they can cash out.
Between the terms and winning money, this can encourage players to deposit more, which is something poker rooms want. It’s how they make money.
In other cases, they do it as a promotion. To give back to their VIP (loyal) players. Other times it’s to promote a live event the freeroll is a satellite to.
Can I cash out the money I win from freerolls?
It depends on where you play. Some poker sites will let you cash out your winnings. Other rooms may have terms you need to follow first. This could mean making a nominal deposit or wagering so much money (like a casino bonus) before you can cash out.
In other cases, the freeroll winnings may not be cashable. But you can use them to play real money games where any money you earn from those IS cashable.
Casinos put these types of rules in place to protect themselves from people who sign up only to play freerolls and cash out their winnings.
Whether you’re new to poker or simply new to playing poker online, No Deposit Poker offers a chance to get your first online hands in for no money out of your own pocket.
While you can always play for free on any poker site in play-money games, most online poker sites also give you credit to play in real money online poker games just for signing up.
This is known as “No Deposit” Poker. While it’s usually not a ton of money (typically up to $25 or $30), and it can’t be cashed out right away, a no deposit poker bonus makes it easy to play for fun in actual, competitive poker games and start building your online bankroll.
All you have to do to claim it is set up a new account, create a username, and start playing.
No Deposit Poker Bonus Codes
Poker Site | Free Money Offer | States Available | Bonus Code |
---|---|---|---|
WSOP.com | Free $10 (NJ) Free $10 (NV) | • New Jersey • Nevada | NJ: 10FREE NV: GET10 |
888poker | Free $20 | • New Jersey • Delaware | No code needed |
partypoker | Free $25 | • New Jersey | PLAYNJCASH |
BorgataPoker.com | Free $20 | • New Jersey | FREEMONEY |
BetMGM Poker | Free $25 | • New Jersey | PLAYNJFREE |
Global Poker | Free $20 package with a verified account | • US players (excl. WA) • CAN players (excl. Que.) | No code needed |
PokerStars (Note: Deposit required but play is free) | Free $30 (with $20 deposit) (NJ, PA or MI) | • New Jersey • Pennsylvania • Michigan | FREE30 |
Where can you play no deposit poker in the US?
As of 2021, there are five states that currently offer legal, real-money poker sites to US players:
At ;east one more state has passed regulation to license and legalize online poker but has yet to launch any real money sites:
While the amount of real money poker sites available in each state varies (NJ has the most options, for example), most if not all poker sites offer no deposit poker for new players.
No Deposit Bonus Poker Sites
Whichever your state, use the links in the table above to claim your no-deposit poker bonus. After downloading the online poker software, you can then create your account.
This is where you enter your “Bonus Code” (see table above) to secure your no deposit bonus. After signup, the bonus is instantly credited to your account. You can then hit the tables and get started.
If you want to play no deposit poker outside of the above states, see our Global Poker section below.
WSOP.com (NJ, NV) – $10 free
This is the online poker arm of the famed World Series of Poker. WSOP.com offers online poker to players in Nevada (where it’s the only operator in the market) and New Jersey.
The WSOP partners with 888poker in the US for its software platform. 888 is a respected international online poker operator and a regular sponsor of the WSOP in Las Vegas.
WSOP.com offers the only shared player pool in the US among Nevada and New Jersey, and with 888 in Delaware. This makes for larger prize pools and player pools in most events, which makes it the regular revenue leader in New Jersey.
WSOP.com gives you a free $10 no deposit bonus simply for signing up. This makes it easy to play low-budget cash games, tournaments, sit & go’s, and other events.
That 10 bucks may not seem like a lot, but there are cash games that start at only pennies and low roller tournaments and sit & go’s for that as well. Those who decide to play for even more will also find an extra bonus of 100% match up to $1,000 on your first deposit.
If you prefer taking your poker on the road, WSOP.com also has a nice real money poker app for your phone. The free $10 No Deposit Bonus is also available to app users so it’s easy to jump right in the action and test drive what’s on offer.
888poker (NJ, DE) – $20 free
888poker offers online poker in New Jersey as a partner with WSOP.com, but also offers all online poker in the state of Delaware. 888 players also benefit from being part of the New Jersey/Nevada/Delaware interstate player compact with WSOP.
As for a no-deposit bonus, new players get $20 free to play real money casino games and poker tournaments. Here’s how that cash is distributed:
- $10 in free play for select casino games on 888 Casino.
- A credit of $4 worth in bonus money that can be used at 888poker or 888 Casino.
- Six 888poker tournament tickets with a value of $1 each.
If you want to deposit into your account for further play you can also claim a 100% match bonus up to $1,500.
partypoker (NJ) – $25 free
This is another excellent option for players in New Jersey offering a $25 No Deposit Bonus for players simply signing up. That can go a long way for players looking to play some cards on house money.
partypoker is one of the best platforms in the world and partners with MGM’s Borgata casino in Atlantic City. The additional skins BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM Poker also make use of partypoker software and all three share the same group of players.
You can receive your $25 in a few different ways. This makes for a nice way to play some of what partypoker has to offer including:
- $10 in poker cash
- $5 free for use in partypoker tournaments
- $10 free for use in the party casino
Players simply have to set up and account to earn that free money. The partypoker app also offers a great playing experience, and the company has worked to make it an even better option since 2019.
Beyond the free money option, those looking to fund their account will find another nice deposit match bonus of 100% up to $600.
PokerStars (NJ, PA, MI) – $30 free play (on deposit)
When you’re the most recognized and popular online poker site in the world, a no deposit bonus isn’t in the cards. But you can get $30 in free play for a minimal deposit.
Known for its world-class software and massive tournaments, PokerStars now offers real-money online poker in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. As of January 2021, it’s the only poker site in PA and MI, but that should change shortly when partypoker launches. In the US, all of NJ, PA and MI are still “fenced-in” markets, which means players can only play against others located in that state – not against a national or international player pool (yet).
That being said, you’ll find many similar series and promotions that you’d find on the international PokerStars platform, only geared toward each state. Both have proven popular so far and offer access to big tournament series such as the NJ/PA Championships of Online Poker and the Bounty Builder Series.
Players won’t find a completely free no deposit bonus for poker, but a pretty solid deal nonetheless. For a deposit of $20, players get $30 in free play. Or, on that first deposit players can also choose a 100% match bonus up to $600 instead.
The $30 free play bonus includes:
- $20 Bonus Money
- $10 in Spin & Go tickets
- Free entry into a $5,000 depositor freeroll
- 1 million in Play-Money chips
BorgataPoker.com (NJ) – $20 free
The online site of one of Atlantic City’s most renowned poker rooms, Borgata Poker online is a partypoker skin that offers another nice no deposit bonus – simply set up your account and earn a free $20.
As they share software, you’ll find the same excellent and newly revised table layout you’d find on partypoker NJ plus the same cash game and tournament selection.
Your no deposit bonus comes in the form of:
- $10 in cash
- $10 poker bonus
If you choose to go on and make a deposit you’ll get a 100% match bonus up to $600.
Online Gambling Games Real Money
Players at BorgataPoker.com will find some nice daily and weekly events as well as major tournament series. That includes chances to qualify at the property’s regular live tournament events – some of the best in the country.
BetMGM Poker (NJ) – $25 free
Another partypoker skin, this platform also uses the same software and player pool. It also offers the chance to earn another nice no deposit bonus.
Set up an account and take the free $25 to jump on a table and do some betting and bluffing. No big requirements here; just use this link and get started playing with your free cash.
If you decide to actually make an additional deposit, you’ll get a 100% match bonus up to $1,000.
Global Poker No Deposit Bonus (All US except WA & Canada except Quebec)
This is a unique sweepstake poker site available to players in the US (excl. WA) and Canada (excl. Que). Similar to a social gaming site, players can play for a free with a virtual currency called Gold Coins (GC).
Those who purchase more Gold Coins receive Sweeps Coins (SC) as a bonus. These can also be used in separate tournaments and ring games and ultimately be redeemed for cash prizes and gift cards.
Global Poker is a great sweeps cash poker option with a $20 Gold Coin no deposit package for you to get started and try the platform out.
Free Poker vs No Deposit Poker
No deposit poker is a great way to jump in to your first action online. These bonuses are indeed real money and can be a great jumpstart to having a proper poker bankroll you can use to play progressively bigger stakes.
That’s certainly not required however – you can play at the lowest stakes (literally pennies) for as long as you want to. Legal poker sites also offer the chance to simply play for virtual currency (play money), too, although the game is decidedly different strategically than real money poker.
Regardless, through both you can see how the site functions, get used to the speed of the online game and work on your own strategy weak spots.
Playing at a legal, regulated online poker site in the US is the same as playing at a live poker table at a casino. They offer safety and security and must meet strict gaming regulations like traditional casinos. Read more about safe and secure online poker sites.
Online Gambling Casino Real Money
Beyond the traditional poker software client, playing for real money on poker apps is also an option.
These are not to be confused with other social gaming and similar play money apps. These don’t offer a real-money option and playing poker is much different when not playing for real money. You’ll find traditional real-money online poker is much closer to what you might experience in a real casino card room.
Traditional online poker sites in the US offer players a virtual game as well as the ability to play for real money in major tournaments and cash games.
New Player Freerolls to Build a Poker Bankroll
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Another great way to build a bankroll on an online poker site is to make use of freerolls. These are free tournaments to enter where the poker site puts up a real money prize pool.
There is no tournament fee and you can earn real money if you win or make it into the money spots. Many sites offer new players exclusive freerolls in addition to no deposit bonuses.
Freerolls are another nice option to make some money on a poker site without having to make a deposit. Additionally, these tournaments aren’t solely for new players and many sites use them as promotions.
No Deposit Bonus vs. Welcome Bonus
Most poker sites offer all new players a Welcome Bonus. This shouldn’t be confused with a no deposit bonus.
A welcome bonus, also sometimes referred to as a match bonus, applies to players who make an initial deposit. Some of these bonuses can be for up to $1,500 and make for a great way to get started on a real-money online poker site if you intend to play a lot of poker. Meeting the clearing requirements for some welcome bonuses – particularly the largest amounts – will take some concentrated effort in a short period of time.
A no deposit bonus is just as the name implies. A new player only has to register an account and can play using these funds without even making a deposit. No deposit bonuses are the easier way to get started with online poker.
Play Free Poker on Your Phone
Online poker has exploded as a way to play poker for real money on a cell phone or tablet. Poker sites now tailor their product for mobile users as well as those using the traditional poker client.
All the traditional online poker sites mentioned here in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Delaware all offer nice poker apps. Those include:
- WSOP.com (NJ, NV)
- PokerStars (NJ, PA)
- 888poker (NJ)
- Partypoker (NJ)
- BorgataPoker.com (NJ)
- BetMGM (NJ)
Poker apps are easy to download for both iPhone and Android. You can still take advantage of no deposit bonuses as well as other deposit offers found here. You can expect to find all the games and events you’d find using a laptop including:
- Cash games
- Tournaments
- Sit & Go’s
- Major MTT series
If you try out a poker app you’ll find a platform built specifically for mobile play. Much of the play on a poker app can be done utilizing a single finger, which makes playing on the go very simple. Most features found on the desktop client are also available on the app.
For players not able to play traditional online poker on their phones, sweepstakes poker sites like Global Poker also offer an opportunity. While Global doesn’t yet have a mobile app, the site uses a browser-based system that also works great on a cell phone or tablet.
No Deposit Poker FAQ
Are online No Deposit Poker bonuses really free?
Yes, poker sites offer these bonuses to USPoker readers to try out the site. Players can build a bankroll using these funds and ultimately cash them out for real money.
What games can I play with a No Deposit Bonus?
While these bonuses may be smaller than players would typically deposit, they do offer a chance to play for real money. Players can take advantage of cash games, tournaments, and sit & go’s.
You can find stakes for all bankrolls and can play for as low as $0.01/$0.02 at many sites. You’ll also find tournaments and sit & go’s available for around $1.
Some sites may offer the no deposit bonus as a simple credit to your account allowing you to play as you wish. Others may offer players specific tournament or sit & go tickets. These can be used to actually win real money and build a poker bankroll just like funds you can deposit on the site.
Can I claim a No Deposit Bonus and a Match Bonus?
Yes, a no deposit bonus is free money a player can use after simply creating an account at a site. There is no deposit required and you don’t have to fund an account.
Match Bonuses or Welcome Bonuses are funds credited to a player’s account after making a deposit. These can be hundreds of dollars and even thousands, and are a great benefit for players looking to make a deposit.
These may have requirements for “play-through” before these funds are released however. That means a player may need to play a certain number of hands or events to have some of that bonus released and credited to his account.
When can I withdraw my no deposit bonus?
Most winnings from these bonuses can be withdrawn as they are accumulated. These funds are real money as if the player had made a deposit.
What’s the catch with a No Deposit Bonus?
There’s no “catch” with these types of funds. They’re available to you to try out a regulated, legal online poker site for real money and see if it’s for you. It’s real money to play poker and it’s free. What could be better? You won’t be able to claim the bonus and then immediately cash it out, obviously, but that shouldn’t be classified as a “catch” per se. That’s simple common sense.
Where can I get a No Deposit bonus in the US?
Since 2011, after what’s known as “Black Friday,” the US has been limited to a state-by-state approach to legalizing online poker. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware have offered online poker since 2013.
Pennsylvania began offering online poker in 2019 and Michigan online poker launched its first poker site in 2021. West Virginia legalized online gaming including poker in 2019 but has yet to go live as of February 2021.
Those looking for some No Deposit Poker are in luck with a few sites in some of these legal states. It’s also important to note that while you have to be located within these states to play, you don’t have to be there to sign up for a No Deposit Bonus or even fund your account.
Some players see that No Deposit Bonus as a challenge – ie how long they can make it last as they try to build it up into an even bigger bonus. Here’s a look at a few popular sites where you can get in the games just for signing up.
If you’re interested in no deposit bonuses for online casino play, see our dedicated page here: