I almost didn”t want to write this particular post since people tend to get a bit touchy when it comes to vices, and a game like Poker is no different. Yet the reason I bring up Poker as an income source isn”t to encourage you to dump your life savings into a game that statistically speaking most players lose at. If you”re at all familiar with the , you know you”re probably barking up the wrong tree, anyway.
Instead, if you happen to enjoy playing Poker when the stakes are low and the play is fun, then it is possible to eek out some extra money each month and sock it away into your savings. There are subscription Poker sites out there that operate legally in the United States under “sweepstakes laws.” What this means for you is that you can play Poker for a cash prize or various items as long as the house doesn”t take their cut off the top (rake). As such, you can enter into a number of tournaments in a month and play for cash without paying for any sort of entry fee.
Now that the logistics are out of the way, here”s how you can get started as a player. While there are a number of sites out there, I play over at . Note that the link you see isn”t an affiliate link and I”m not compensated in anyway for the post, this is simply an exercise in fun.
Once you are signed up, you can enter a variety of qualifiers for cash prizes and/or login to receive a number of “points” each day which can be used to enter a few of the tournaments. If you have played poker at all before, note that in any free game the skill level will be very low, so expect some ridiculous calls and people throwing their chips away for seemingly no reason. The sites make their money by offering up ads during breaks and by offering a monthly subscription option that allows access to more tournaments as well as removing the ads during play.
Extra Disclaimer: I know I stated this before, but to reiterate, I”m not advocating . real money with online poker. What you see in this post is free, and so nothing is at risk except a few hours of fun. Enjoy!