Playing with Other People's Money

One of my goals on PokerStars is to never make a deposit. So far that's been going pretty well. After playing the Play Money games and doing well I jumped into some freerolls for some small cashes. I took the minor winnings from those and played some of the 10, 25 and 50 cent tournaments for some more small cashes. So far this is working for me and I've been able to play hundreds of games.

The freerolls can be crazy in the first few levels. It's best to just avoid playing hands in these levels unless you have a monster like AA, KK, or can get in cheap and in position with other Group I or II hands. It's not uncommon to see a couple of thousand people get knocked out during the first 30 minutes. Try not to be one of them. Bellow are some links to freeroll strategy articles that will cover more than I will here.

Freeroll Tournament Strategy
Freeroll Poker Tournament Strategy
Freerolls - Strategy and Tips

Get Staked!

Another way to play on someone else's dime is to find a good staking site. While I was playing a freeroll someone recommended I check out NeverBeg. NeverBeg is a great staking site where you can use your money to stake other players or get staked. A stake is basically one player giving another player money to play a game or a series of games. If the player wins, they will send the staker back a portion of the winnings and in most cases the initial stake amount (Stakeback). The percentage of winnings and stakeback requirement may vary. An example may be a $2.20 stake to run a $2.00 + 0.20 buy-in MTT with 50% staker's cut and Stake back required. Lets say the player wins $10.00. He will send the staker $6.10 and keep $3.90. 5% of the player's share will also need to be sent to NeverBeg as a service fee.

Rules are very important on NeverBeg. Before you do anything read the rules linked in the introductory private message you will be sent. Seriously. Read all of them and follow them.

If you're a new member it will be harder to get stakes. First thing you should do is check your stats at http://www.officialpokerrankings.com/ (OPR) and http://www.sharkscope.com (SS). OPR tracks games of 45 players or more while SS tracks SitNGo's of 180 players or less.

You should try and build up your stats either with your own bankroll or by playing freerolls to build a bank roll. There are also many stakes given out for new members that don't require good stats. Try and get some of these and hopefully do well. If you do well your chances of getting more stakes will improve.

If you are already a good player don't just assume you should get stakes. New players will have a hard time getting staked even if they have great stats. Remember, you're playing with other people's money and they don't just want to know you'll do well, they want to know you won't run off with their money. Try applying for some of the lower stakes for new players to show you take the site seriously and won't roll anyone. Don't let your ego get in the way of applying for smaller stakes. I had some new member play a 0.10 stake for me which he cashed in and then disappeared. That 0.10 stake wasn't a lot but it means he won't get staked on that site again.

Leave good rail threads. Most stakers request a rail thread. A rail thread is a thread which you will post some of your hands from the game in. This is fun for the staker because they get to see some of the action. It also proves that you played the game and weren't a complete idiot with their money. If you play a good game you may get staked again, even if you didn't cash. Don't do this half-assed.

Also, try putting out some of your own stakes as well. It shows you want to give and not just get. Let someone else spend 5 hours in a tournament and still get paid :)

There is also more to the forum than just the staking sections. The Strat forum has a lot of great members giving advice. Participate in more than just the staking forums either by giving or asking for strategy advice.

Don't lie, don't be a jerk, don't be an idiot, don't get discouraged if you don't get all the stakes you want, don't apply for stakes above your level or for games you can't play, don't apply to stakes unless you read all the rules for the stake and meet the requirements and most importantly Never Beg! :)