No Deposit Poker Explained
Everybody loves something for nothing, and playing poker for free – with the opportunity to win some real cash – encourages thousands of poker players each week to enter freeroll tournaments, enroll in poker schools and join online poker sites through special affiliate offers.
The opportunities which exist to build a poker bankroll from scratch may end in disappointment for the majority of these players, but for some, the introduction to the game through no deposit poker leads to a lifetime of success – or at worst, a decent living!
Selecting which form of no deposit poker is best for you will depend on the time you have available, your commitment to playing poker for free and your existing skill level. Without all three factors, it is rare that anybody ever evolves from the play money tables with a substantial poker bankroll – but you never know!
No Deposit Poker Freeroll Tournaments
Most online poker sites offer freeroll tournaments to all members, irrespective of whether they have made a real money deposit or not. Some of this will be just $10.00 giveaways, others cumulate in tournament finals with prize pools of thousands of dollars. The most valuable events get fully subscribed pretty quickly, so you need to be quick on your toes even to just get a seat.
Many of these poker sites however give players who have funds in their account an advantage by adding a re-buy and add-on element to the game. This also helps to increase the prize fund and make the tournaments more lucrative for the regular cash players – an incentive, maybe, for those who are trying to establish a no deposit poker bankroll to invest a little cash of their own.
No Deposit Poker Schools
There are several online poker schools which offer to fund player´s initial steps in the world of no deposit poker, and these are well worth considering if you have the time to study the coursework, practice your game and pass the “end of term” exam. There is no catch to enrolling in one these schools. They want you to make it big on their preferred sites because they will have already signed you up as a “refer-a-friend” and be claiming rakeback and bonuses from their/your initial deposit.
You may find however that some schools will select the sites on which you have to play to receive your no deposit poker bankroll, and possibly these will not correspond with the sites you are familiar with. Although the shape or color of the table on the screen should make no difference to how you play the cards which are dealt to you, it may take a little time to adjust – during which time you could bust out your no deposit poker bankroll if you are not careful.
No Deposit Poker Affiliates
There are also several poker web sites which follow the lead of the poker schools and offer to fund an account on your behalf just by signing up through their affiliate links. Although strict terms and conditions may apply (ie – you have to forgo any first depositors bonus) and their funding of your no deposit poker account is unlikely to be as generous as a poker school, it is another way of building a poker bankroll from nothing.
One of the reasons that many players fail at creating a no deposit poker bankroll is that there is no sensation of loss if you have not physically lost any of your own money. Without that fear to encourage you to play poker with caution, you may find that any no deposit poker bankroll you do build gets eaten away in loose play and unnecessary gambles. Only if you can remain focused and committed to achieving your goal of building a bankroll from scratch will you succeed.