We’ve all been there at some point. Whether you’re starting out and can’t fund your account yet, or you can’t refill the bankroll – sometimes a fresh start is needed.
And so, you turn to online poker, not wishing to gamble on blackjack or hopeless casino games.
Good choice – for two main reasons.
- Poker is a game of skill and a mind sport. You’ll be able to greatly add to your edge by improving your gameplay. That’s not possible in other casino games, where the margins are slim and the house holds the advantage.
- Online poker offers a few different ways to go from no money to a small bankroll. You don’t always need to have money to make money.
Choose from any of these options to start building a small bankroll.
Choose a Site with a No-Deposit Bonus
There are only a few places that offer rewards with deposits. Of course, that makes sense. Most poker sites want you to load funds to your bankroll before they get generous.
888poker and KKPoker both offer no-deposit bonuses, with different upsides.
On 888poker, players in certain locations can grab up to $88 without opening the cashier. Some places might get less and you can check your own reward by visiting 888’s site. It's not a full cash reward up front, but you’ll get a certain amount of tickets each day. Part of the bonus will sit in your account as “Pending”. This means that you’ll unlock the rest once you play real money games.
KKPoker has a smaller no-deposit bonus of $30 in rewards, plus we’ll be throwing $100 freerolls on Sundays for GipsyTeam members. The no-deposit bonus unlocks bit by bit, through simple tasks.
Enter Daily Freerolls on Multiple Sites
Some of the largest freerolls are about $400, except for exceptional ones. Sometimes you’ll see $1,000 guarantees, or larger, but those are usually for first-time depositors.
Remember that the first stages of freerolls feel volatile and chips fly, so hang on until the middle and late stages. The longer you last, the more regular and stable the player pool will act. You can look through this schedule for freerolls or freebuy tournaments. Both will be free to enter, but the freebuy tournament will offer you a chance to rejoin if you bust – at a price.
Partypoker has consistent prize pools and hourly starts, meaning 24 different events each day (named Round the Clock events in the lobby).
The prize pools range from $20-$400 and in total, there is $1,250 to compete for every day. Most sites have freerolls, but not as often as this. Partypoker is definitely a top choice since you’ll have so many chances each day to win.
There’s nothing wrong with spreading out a bit and playing on other sites. Enter some info, download an app, and you can compete in a fresh spread of freerolls.
Stay Bonus Hunting and Watch Updates
Aside from referring friends (one of ACR Poker’s promotions), there aren’t many ways to bring cash to a cashless bankroll.
The options we listed here, like no-deposit bonuses and freerolls, are the most viable.
Some sites have less-effective ways options, for example, the daily wheel spins on PokerStars and 888poker. However, neither are very reliable or lucrative ways to build a bankroll. The rewards will be freeroll tickets, small Spin & Go tickets, or similar. It is a much more effective use of your time to enter a wide spread of freerolls.
Bonus hunting maximizes deposits, but you'll need $10-$20 to collect any rewards. If building a bankroll from $0 doesn't appeal, wait until a deposit doesn't hurt your personal finances. Don't take loans from friends, sell possessions, or over-extend yourself to start playing poker. Being in a hole is a good way to cloud your judgement, which will only hurt your results. Take your time and never use money that you need for more important things.
When it's time, choose the most advantageous welcome bonuses.
Don’t Be Reckless With Your Bankroll
Bad bankroll management is a quick way to go back to $0 and erode your progress. Whether you are starting from scratch or want to make a small deposit to get started – be careful.
Don’t try to rise too quickly. Progressing through the stakes slowly will give you the most longevity. If you try to play at higher stakes before your bankroll is ready, you’re taking a high-variance approach, against more skilled opponents.
Too many new players do this.
If you build a bankroll from zero and get to $10 or $20, you should still be playing everything at the lowest stakes. $20 is far from you’re goal and there’s a lot of distance to cover. As a rule, your maximum stakes should be $0.01/$0.02 cash games and micro-stake MTTs, plus the freerolls (which you should continue playing).
Once you get into the triple digits, start training for the next stakes – don’t just make the jump based on your results at lower stakes. Brush up on your preflop skills and develop fundamentals, so that you don’t feel out of your depth. Plenty of the tools that regulars use have free trials.
By respecting your bankroll, you stand the best chance of progressing, instead of reloading.
