Online poker sites are growing in number across America. As more people turn to their smartphones and laptops to play cards, the sites are finding that they have to do something to attract market share. To meet that need, many of them are offering a no deposit bonus.
Generally speaking, poker sites use no deposit bonuses to entice new players to try the site. The only thing that you have to offer in return is the time it takes to create a new account.
At present, legal online poker is available in five states. You can play poker online in New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Of the five, it is possible to claim a poker no deposit bonus in New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Delaware’s three sites are heavily regulated and offer the same welcome bonus, and it does not involve free money.
If you are new to playing poker online, you can use the free money to play cash games, tournaments and sit and go tournaments. Read on for all the details about how to capitalize on no deposit bonuses at poker sites in legal states.
With all this talk of bonus codes, you might be wondering where and how they work. After all, it does no good to have a bonus code if you don’t know what to do with it.
Well, no matter which real money poker site you choose above, you will enter any codes you have into a special box on the site’s registration page. The box will be labeled as the space for bonus or promotional codes.
If you’re having trouble locating it, there’s a trick that you can use. The bonus code box is typically the only box on the page marked as optional (other than Address Line 2). So, if you look for the word “optional” in parentheses, it might make the space easier to find.
As a reminder, here are all the no deposit bonus codes you need:
You might be wondering if you have to enter the code exactly as it appears and/or whether the code is case-sensitive. In short, it is absolutely critical that you enter the code exactly as it appears. Missing even a single capitalization might put your redemption of the bonus at risk, so take care to enter the code correctly and accurately.
Assuming all goes well, your new account will be credited with the free instant bonus. You will see them waiting for you when you finish registering, and you can begin playing right away.
However, withdrawing them instantly is not always so easy. In some cases, you must first navigate the playthrough requirement.
| Rank | Poker Site | No Deposit Bonus | Deposit Bonus | Play Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | WSOP.com | $10 Free | 100% up to $1,000 | Play Now |
| 2. | PokerStars | None | 100% up to $600 or play 1 hand, get $50 free play | Play Now |
| 3. | BetMGM Poker | $25 Free | 100% to $1,000 | Play Now |
| 4. | 888 Poker | $20 Free | 100% up to $1,500 | Play Now |
| 5. | Party Poker | $25 Free | 100% up to $1,000 | Play Now |
| 6. | Borgata Poker | $20 Free | 100% up to $600 | Play Now |
| Rank | Poker Site | No Deposit Bonus | Deposit Bonus | Play Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | PokerStars PA | Play 1 hand, get $50 in Free Play | 100% up to $600 | Play Now |
| 2. | BetMGM Poker | $25 | 100% up to $600 | Play Now |
| 3. | Borgata Poker | $25 | 100% up to $600 | Play Now |
| 4. | WSOP Poker | $10 | 100% up to $1,000 | Play Now! |
| 5. | Party Poker | TBA | TBA | Expected in 2021 |
| 6. | Hollywood Casino | TBA | TBA | Date Unknown |
| 7. | Rivers Philadelphia | TBA | TBA | Date Unknown |
| 8. | Parx Casino | TBA | TBA | Date Unknown |
| Rank | US Poker Site | Free | Purchase | Play Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Global Poker | $20 Gold Coin Package | $40 GC with $20 Purchase | Play Now |
As we mentioned, there are four states with legal online poker in the US right now (New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Delaware). Launch is imminent in one more state: West Virginia. Online poker in Michigan arrived in January 2021.
Of the four states with legal online poker, three have sites that offer no deposit bonuses to new players. Here is a handy list of those sites, along with details about the bonuses and the locations where you can play.
Available in: New Jersey and Nevada
WSOP.com is the online arm of the most famous tournament series in all of poker, the World Series of Poker. Players can compete within and across state lines with one another, thanks to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association.
WSOP offers $10 free to players who sign up for the site through our secure link. Use our WSOP promo code when you register to activate your bonus.
Available in: New Jersey (and Delaware)
888 Poker is one-third of one of Europe’s mightiest names in gambling. Players in New Jersey can take advantage of the great peer-to-peer action onsite, along with the ability to switch back and forth between a fully integrated casino and sportsbook.
New Jersey players can also receive $20 for free when they register for a new account here. There’s no code to activate the 888 poker no deposit bonus. Simply follow our link to trigger the bonus.
Please note that this bonus is not open to Delaware players, despite the fact that 888 Poker is active in Delaware. Though 888 powers the poker software for all three sites in the state, the sites use their own branding and bonus structures.
Available in: New Jersey
Partypoker NJ is one of the most venerable names in poker and has a long history of service. In fact, party was one of the main sites to serve players during the original poker boom.
Party is more than happy to seed new player accounts generously, however. Players who use our partypoker bonus code will be receive $25 free to play onsite.
Available in: New Jersey
Borgata Poker is the online poker site associated with Atlantic City’s hottest casino property. Both the land-based venue and Borgata Poker Online are part of the MGM Resorts portfolio.
You can score some quick cash if you sign up using our Borgata bonus code. Borgata will stake you with $20 to use how you see fit.
Available in: New Jersey, Michigan
BetMGM Poker connects you with both the Borgata in New Jersey and all the great bastions of poker at MGM properties around the world. It is the sister site to Borgata Poker, and actually, it has a slightly better deal for new players.
Use our BetMGM Poker bonus code during signup and BetMGM will automatically credit $25 into your account.
Claiming a no deposit poker bonus is no big challenge. From start to finish, it is likely to take you less than 10 minutes, depending on your internet speed.
However, if you’re new to this kind of thing, you might feel a bit intimidated. Don’t worry — we’re here to help. Here is a step-by-step guide for how to claim your free money:
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is, regardless of whether it’s in poker or in life. There’s always a catch, and for online poker bonuses with no deposit required, the catch is the playthrough requirement.
The playthrough (or wagering) requirement is a mandate from the poker site that you play a certain amount of poker before you are able to withdraw your bonus funds as actual cash. In many cases, the money that you see in your account is site credit, not actual money.
The exact amount that you must play varies from site to site and bonus to bonus. However, sites tend to require that you pay a certain amount of rake to “release” the funds.
The amount of rake might be an absolute amount of dollars. Or, more likely, you will have to earn a certain number of points under the site’s loyalty program to satisfy the requirement.
Before you claim any bonus, it is essential that you read the terms and conditions for the bonus. If none are listed, don’t blast ahead and claim the offer. You need to know what you’re setting yourself up to do. You need to make sure you understand what the site is proposing.
For instance, it is not unusual for sites to try to pull a bit of a fast one on you. The playthrough requirement might cover both your deposit amount and the amount of the bonus money. That’s why it’s best to make sure you look carefully at the language in the terms and conditions.
Naturally, make sure you check out the playthrough requirement. Make sure that it’s a task that you can accomplish, want to accomplish and have the time to accomplish.
There are many ways to play poker online. A quick search on Facebook or Google will reveal scads of free poker sites where you can play against other people. You might be wondering what the difference is between the free money on those sites and the no deposit bonuses we’re describing.
The difference is like night and day. The chips that you acquire on sites like Zynga and PlayWPT bear little resemblance to the no deposit bonuses you can receive.
In those cases, players receive a quantity of playing money by virtue of their registration and can refill their accounts by logging into the app each day. There is no real-world value associated with this money, and it shows in the gameplay.
It is not uncommon to see at least one all-in on every single hand of play. Since the money doesn’t matter, people play as if they don’t care — because there’s no reason to play otherwise.
Free poker on a real money site is a far more serious affair. Even if you are playing with bonus money or a voucher, you have the opportunity to convert it into real-world money. So, even if the players around you didn’t have to pay for their opportunity to play, they are going to be much less cavalier about going all-in.
Now that you’ve received your no deposit bonus, you might not know what to do with it. As it turns out, the format of the bonus determines how you will redeem your free money at your chosen poker site.
Some no deposit bonuses come in the form of bonus dollars or money. In those situations, you can use the money to buy into games just like any other type of cash. You just won’t be able to withdraw the money until you hit your playthrough requirement.
Other no deposit bonuses might offer free bets for specific games or tournaments. In those situations, your only option(s) will be to buy into the games/tournaments as stated on the promotion. There will be no way to cash out, sell or transfer your bonus.
Though you paid nothing for these vouchers, you should not take them for granted. A deep run might be just what your bankroll needed, and the only thing you’re losing is time.
There are many types of bonuses that you may encounter on poker sites. All of them seem to have different names, too, so you might be wondering what the difference is between a no deposit bonus and a welcome bonus.
A poker no deposit bonus is exactly what it purports to be. You are able to claim the bonus without having to advance or use your own money on the site.
Typically to take advantage of a no deposit bonus, the only thing you have to surrender is your time and personal information. You must go through the entire registration process, but after you do so, you’ll see the bonus waiting in your account.
A welcome bonus is merely an umbrella term for the bonus or bonuses that a site offers to new customers. They can be any type of bonus, although no deposit bonuses are common choices for welcoming a player to the game.
However, sites may also choose to welcome players with other types of bonuses. One common welcome bonus is a deposit match bonus, where the site matches 100% of a player’s first deposit up to a certain amount.
Another common welcome bonus is an offer of freeroll tickets. These vouchers allow players to register for a real money tournament without having to pay, and players keep any winnings they manage to secure.
So, calling an offer a “welcome” bonus means only that it is reserved for new players to the site. You’ll have to read closer to determine what type of bonus it is and what you must do to claim it.
As mentioned earlier, one kind of welcome bonus that you might receive from a poker site is one or more tickets to freeroll tournaments on the site. These tournaments are free to enter and usually have a certain amount of money contributed to the prize pool by the site.
These tickets are usually separate from the actual no deposit bonus credits that you’re due to receive. Make sure you read the fine print on your welcome offer, but it’s quite common for sites to offer both at the same time.
New player freerolls are typically restricted to players who are new to the site. You usually cannot enter the tournament unless you qualify as a new account.
With that said, playing in a freeroll tournament is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a free shot at some actual dollars, so you should play your best game to try to get some of that up-for-grabs cash.
However, because it’s free to enter, many players do not take it terribly seriously and play in a rather cavalier manner. Expect to see frequent all-ins and high-risk play during a freeroll. As a consequence, you should also expect that the luck factor for this kind of tournament is higher than in other events.
The bottom line, though, is that the only thing you’re surrendering to play is your time. If you have the time to take advantage of a freeroll ticket, you should do so.
Yes! After you register with the site, you will find the money waiting in your account. It is yours to use on the site however you wish.
It depends on the format of the bonus. If you receive a no deposit bonus of cash or bonus dollars, then you should be able to play whatever game you’d like on the site.
However, if the bonus is in the form of a ticket, then there will be specific games that you’ll be able to play. Most tickets that you receive as a bonus will be vouchers for tournaments of a particular buy-in. In that case, you’ll only be able to play in tournaments at that level, and each ticket will buy you into a single tournament. It is not possible to combine ticket values to play a bigger tournament.
Absolutely. In some cases, a site’s welcome offer might consist of both types of bonus. There’s no reason why you should ignore a no deposit bonus opportunity, but whether you want to claim the match bonus option is up to you.
It depends on the terms and conditions of the bonus. Most no deposit bonuses require that you earn a certain amount of loyalty points (based upon the rake you pay) before the bonus becomes eligible for withdrawal.
Yes. In fact, it is vital that you earn them if you want to gain the ability to release the bonus as withdrawable cash.
For all of their promotion as free money, no deposit bonuses are not exactly that. In fact, the catch is that for most no deposit bonuses you encounter, you are going to have to put that money at risk before you can put it into your pocket.
There is always a chance that you’ll end up without a single cent of your bonus. On the other hand, most sites would never offer bonuses if there was no chance of getting the money back, so consider it the cost of doing business.
Plus, just because you might lose your bonus money doesn’t mean that you will.