888poker No Deposit Bonus: $8 Free in Tickets

What you get

The bonus is worth $8 in total and is paid entirely in tournament tickets: forty tickets with a $0.10 buy-in and four with a $1 buy-in. There is no cash part, so the value only turns into real money if you cash in a tournament.

The offer is for brand-new players only: one per person, household, computer or mobile device, and you must be 18 or older. It is available on the 888poker.com versions only; the UK site and other local sites have their own welcome offers.

How to claim it, step by step

Register a new account in the desktop client, the mobile app or the browser version. Then confirm your email through the link the room sends, or verify the phone number you entered by SMS. Verification is what activates the offer.

Claim the bonus within 14 days of registration; after that it expires. The first batch, worth $2 (ten $0.10 tickets and one $1 ticket), arrives as soon as you claim. The second, also $2 with the same mix, follows three days later. The third, worth $4 (twenty $0.10 tickets and two $1 tickets), comes seven days after the claim.

Ticket rules

Each ticket works only in a tournament whose buy-in equals its value: a $0.10 ticket for a $0.10 event, a $1 ticket for a $1 event. Review sites note that the eligible events are mostly sub-satellites and satellites to bigger tournaments; the client shows where each ticket can be used.

The strictest rule is the 24-hour clock: a ticket not used within 24 hours of being credited expires. Tickets cannot be converted into cash, combined, transferred or used for rebuys and add-ons.

It also matters which offer you take first. The terms state that players who benefit from the $8 promotion are not eligible for any other first-deposit bonus, so read the welcome bonus terms as well before claiming. Conditions change, so check the current version on the 888poker promotions page.

How it compares

No-deposit offers have become rare. GGPoker’s closest equivalent is the Daily Freebie: one free ticket every 24 hours, for Spin & Gold on some days and Mystery Battle Royale on others, each valid for 24 hours. Over a week that gives more entries than 888poker’s schedule, but each one is a single shot.

PokerStars, WPT Global, ACR and CoinPoker build their newcomer programs around the first deposit instead: matched bonuses, ticket packages or cash released through rake. 888poker’s $8 is small, but it is a real chance to try the software and the tournament lobby without paying anything.

Who it suits

The bonus suits newcomers who want to get used to the client, the table layout and tournament structures before deciding whether to deposit. It also works for experienced players who simply want to test a new room without risk.

Because the tickets are small and expire quickly, a planned approach pays off: log in on the days the batches arrive and register for suitable events straight away.

Tips

Set reminders for the third and seventh day after claiming so no batch expires unused. Fields at the lowest buy-ins are large and variance is high, so do not judge your skills by a handful of tickets.

Treat the $8 as a free trial, not as a way to build a bankroll. If you later decide to deposit, start with an amount you can comfortably lose and set limits in your account from day one.