How to start playing poker for real money without a deposit - freerolls, rakeback and secrets of earning

A freeroll is a free tournament or ticket to a real money game that allows you to start earning money in poker without any investment. It's the perfect start for beginners and a way for experienced players to increase their bankroll.

• 1999–2003: Paradise Poker was the first room to introduce freerolls with prizes of up to $50. They used free tournaments to attract new players. Prizes were modest ($10–$50) as well as tickets to paid tournaments.
• The TV show "Poker After Dark" raffled off freerolls among viewers, increasing its audience in the 2000s.
• 2003–2006: The poker boom, triggered by Chris Moneymaker's success at the 2003 WSOP (he won the main event after winning an online qualifier for $39), made freerolls a mass phenomenon.
• PokerStars and PartyPoker started hosting regular freerolls with large prizes. For example, PokerStars offered tournaments with prize pools of up to $1,000.
• 2004–2010: PokerStrategy gave beginners $50 for training. This helped thousands of players start playing online poker for money.
• 2004: Full Tilt Poker used freerolls to promote its ecosystem.
• In 2010, PokerStars freerolls awarded $1,000,000 with 200,000 players participating, which is a record as of 2025.

Over time, the prizes also evolved:

➕ Tickets to the WSOP (World Series of Poker)

➕ Entry into tournaments with buy-ins of $100+

➕ Guaranteed prize pools of $10,000+

Interesting fact: Tom Dwan, a poker legend, started his career with freerolls and turned an initial $50 into millions! 🚀

✔️ Secret to success: Pro Daniel Negreanu advises playing freerolls aggressively — many beginners are too passive.

PokerStrategy (founded in 2004), one of the largest poker affiliates, provided players with the opportunity to receive a starting capital of $50 to play poker in their game balance (those famous $50 from PokerStrategy).

This bonus was available as part of their training and support program for new players.

To receive the bonus, one had to complete basic training and pass an "exam" — the player had to answer 20 questions on the material covered.  60 minutes were allotted for this, and it was allowed to use the site materials.

❕The affiliate expected that the basic training would allow players not just to lose $50, but to start building their bankroll.

At the same time, the player remained with PokerStrategy for a long time and generated thousands of dollars in rake, more than compensating for the gifted $50.

This freeroll model worked until the online poker rooms became too strong. And a player with the most basic level of training had practically no chance of developing their success.

1.     Regulatory restrictions:

⁕ KYC (Know Your Customer): Requires verification for participation in freerolls (for example, in GGPoker).

⁕ Licenses: The European Union and the USA have tightened the rules for poker rooms. Modern poker rooms (especially in Europe and the USA) are obliged to comply with strict anti-money laundering (AML) laws and responsible gaming rules.

⁕ Giving away money "for nothing" has become risky: regulators see this as a potential tool for attracting problem gamblers.

2.     Economic reasons:

⁕ Bonus hunters: up to 70% of players registered only for the "freebies," without making deposits. This created a whole caste of players who look for freerolls in all poker rooms and clubs but never make deposits. Therefore, poker operators prefer to give "gifts" to players who have already made deposits and are ready to improve their game.

⁕ Well-known rooms, like PPPoker, focus on players with deposits.

⁕ High competition: In the 2000s, there were few poker rooms, and they fought for the audience. Today the market is oversaturated, and advertising budgets have shifted to other channels.

3.     Combating bots:

⁕ Detection technologies: Modern systems (for example, PokerStars' Bot Detection) easily identify bots and players with multiple accounts. Mass freerolls have become a breeding ground for fraudsters, which forces rooms to reduce their number.

⁕ In2022, GGPoker closed its freeroll series due to a wave of multi-accounting from Asian regions.

❕The industry began to mature, shifting its focus from "giving money away" to quality traffic and long-term monetization.

But the chances of winning without investing still exist – you need to look for niche platforms and keep an eye on promotions!

Tip: Look for niche platforms, such as CC Poker, where you can receive bonuses through a referral program.

·      Large rooms (GGPoker, 888poker) hold daily freerolls with prize pools of $50-$1000.

·      Many freerolls have become a "stepping stone" to major events. For example, you can win a ticket to a tournament with a $10,000 buy-in through a chain of freerolls.

❕Information about available freerolls can be obtained from your affiliate, as well as on the websites of poker rooms.

Large affiliates often give their players welcome tournament tickets for their first deposit or to players who have previously made deposits to help renew their activity.

Some free tournaments are password-protected.

But this doesn't mean they are impossible to access. Often, these passwords can be found on the Poker Room's website or obtained from your affiliate.

Passwords are set to filter out some of the audience and prevent the tournament from attracting thousands of participants. Passwords encourage players to subscribe to newsletters, join communities, or register through affiliate links.

Examples of password-protected freerolls

●      888poker: Weekly password-protected freerolls for subscribers to their Telegram channel.

●      PokerStars "Club Freerolls": Tournaments are available only to members of poker clubs (the password is provided by the club administrator).

●      PokerStrategy Freerolls: Exclusive freerolls for registered users with passwords available in their personal accounts.

Example: In GG Club there is a weekly freeroll with a prize pool of 1000. The winner receives a ticket to a tournament with a buy-in of 1000.

1.     "Tournaments" Section:

PartyPoker: "Promotions" → "Freerolls".

PokerStars: "Events" → "Club Freerolls".

888poker: "Tournaments" → "Password Freerolls".

2.     Use passwords from the agent:

Subscribe to the CC-POKER Telegram channel for access to exclusive tournaments

Get passwords through the CC Poker affiliate.

3.     Mobile apps:

In GG Club and PPPoker it's convenient to play from your phone. Open the "Tournaments" tab → "Free".

4.     Use filters:

Most rooms allow you to sort tournaments by parameters:

●      Buy-in: Set the filter to "$0" or "Freeroll".

●      Name: Enter "freeroll" (Eng.) or "фриролл" (Rus.) in the search.

●      Start Time: Select "Today" or "Starting Soon".

1.     Televised poker: Shows like "Poker After Dark" and "High Stakes Poker" in the mid-2000s included freerolls for viewers, boosting their popularity.

2.     Famous players: Many professionals (e.g., Tom Dwan) started their careers with freerolls, turning free tournaments into million-dollar bankrolls.

3.     Freerolls have become an integral part of poker culture, combining marketing, training, and excitement. From the modest tournaments of the 1990s to the thousands of guarantees today - they remain a "social elevator" for beginners and a source of opportunity for everyone.