Online Poker » Best Poker Sites » Best No Deposit Poker Sites

One of the ways that many poker sites attempt to remain competitive in the online poker market is by allowing new poker players to try their site and software before investing any money by offering a no deposit bonus. The best no deposit poker sites offer a bonus to players and give them plenty of time to turn this free money into extra winnings. For the most part, a no deposit poker site rewards a player with a set amount of money as soon as they have registered for an account but before they have made their first real money deposit. As soon as you make the first deposit, any money that you won during the no deposit bonus period is yours to keep - added on to any welcome bonus for which you qualify at the poker room.

Why Poker Rooms Offer No Deposit Bonuses

One of the ways in which brick and mortar poker rooms attract players to their room is by offering special incentives to all players. For example, some offline poker rooms will allow players to receive free drinks and coupons for free food at the restaurant or concession booth. Of course, online poker rooms cannot offer these incentives so they choose to offer players with free money that they can use to test out their software and games. This no strings attached bonus offer gives players the peace of mind they need when trying out a new room and allows them to experience the average amount of players online during their preferred play schedule - an important consideration.

Another reason that poker rooms offer no deposit bonuses at their poker sites is to entice new players into making a first real money deposit. As players can keep any money that they win during the no deposit poker site bonus period, they will be much more likely to make the required first deposit in order to receive it. By being successful during this no deposit bonus period, players can also gauge how successful they will be during normal online poker play. With all of the options available to online poker players, finding a poker site that offers a no deposit bonus is an excellent way to test out a poker site before investing any money into it.

How Do No Deposit Poker Sites Work?

When you first register for an account at a no deposit poker site, you will be asked to verify if you would like to receive your free no deposit poker site bonus. Once you claim this bonus, you are given a certain amount of time to play real money poker with it - typically from 60 to 90 minutes. If you win any additional money during this time period, it is yours to keep. If you lose some of the no deposit bonus, you can still receive the remaining amount in the bonus fund once you make a real money deposit. Finally, you are not responsible for the bonus money if you lose the entire sum. If this is the case, your no deposit bonus period will end and you will be asked if you would like to make your first deposit, claim additional welcome bonus money and continue playing real money poker online.

No deposit poker sites bonuses work in the same way as other bonuses such as welcome bonus offers and reload bonuses. For example, you will need to go through a clearing period before the free no deposit bonus money is available for withdrawal. Normally, this clearing requirement will be no different than the clearing requirement that is set for other bonuses - based on the amount of rake that you contribute to the pot during each hand or based on a set wagering requirement (15 to 40 times your deposit and bonus amount).

No deposit poker sites do differ on how they determine the exact amount of money that is subject to the clearing requirement. For example, some poker sites will consider your first deposit as the active amount that unlocked the bonus (thus including the deposit amount in the clearing requirements). Other no deposit poker sites will consider on the no deposit bonus alone and ask you only to clear that amount before it is available for withdrawal as real money.

Different Types of No Deposit Poker Sites Bonuses

There are three different types of no deposit poker sites bonuses for which you can qualify - depending on the poker site itself and how they handle their bonus structure. The type of no deposit poker site bonus will determine the exact requirements and process for receiving your no deposit poker site bonus.

Instant bonuses are credited to your online poker account immediately after you register. Some poker sites will ask that you verify your identity prior to receiving the no deposit bonus. For instance, some poker sites may require that you enter a valid credit card number or fax a copy of your driver's license. This is too protect your identity, verify that you are not attempting to receive more than one no deposit bonus and protecting you against fraud - when someone else attempts to open a poker account and claim free money in your name.

Free bankroll no deposit bonuses are provided to players by third party companies as a way to promote a poker site. For example, a company might offer to provide you with some free money that you can use just like real money at the poker site. This type of no deposit poker bonus is not offered by a poker site but is, rather, part of a promotional program that you can take advantage of.

The final type of no deposit bonus at poker sites is the play money poker bonus. This no deposit bonus allows you to use play chips to buy into a real money poker tournament. Should you finish the tournament in a money position, this is rewarded to you as real money rather than the play chips that you used to buy into the tournament in the first place. Just like the other no deposit bonuses, you will need to meet the wagering requirements of the no deposit bonus before being allowed to process a withdrawal.