3 Online Poker Pros who Never Deposited

There's an assumption by some online poker players that every future pro needs to make deposits, take their lumps, then make more deposits until they get good enough to win. Well, this may be the case for most pros, but there are a select few who've become famous and successful players without ever depositing! That said, here's a look at three accomplished pros who never had to spend a penny on their online poker bankroll.

1. Annette 'Annette_15' Obrestad

Perhaps the most-told story involving a famed player who didn't have to deposit is Annette Obrestad. The Norwegian began her online poker career at the age of 15, so it's good from a legal standpoint that she never actually deposited. Despite being so young, Obrestad quickly got good at the game and won some freerolls to boost her bankroll. From September 2006 to February 2007, she won over $700k from different online poker sites. Later in '07, she managed to win the 2007 WSOPE Main Event along with £1,000,000. To date, her combined online and live tournament winnings are worth over $6.8 million, making Obrestad one of the best players ever who started in freerolls.

2. Ben 'Sauce123' Sulsky

There are so many interesting aspects to Sulsky's poker origins that it's hard to find a starting point. We'll begin with how he went on a spring break trip to Mexico with his friends, where he poured himself into online poker while on the beach. After taking advantage of no-deposit bonuses that poker sites were offering, and learning lots of strategy during the trip, Sulsky quickly began building his bankroll to a respectable amount. Upon entering high stakes online cash games, 'Sauce123' skyrocketed his career PokerStars profits to over $4 million in less than a year. Today, Sulsky is one of the most-feared players in both online PLO and NLHE cash games.

3. Jason 'JCarver' Somerville

Like Obrestad, Somerville is another player who started out young and with freerolls too. At age 17, after watching a televised World Poker Tour event, the New York native began playing home games with friends before beginning his online poker career. It took Somerville just a few years before he was crushing online and live tournaments. 2011 saw Somerville win his first WSOP gold bracelet, and the success continues today since he has over $6 million in combined live and online tournaments earnings. What's more is that Somerville maintains a very strong Twitch following because players love his informative, yet entertaining broadcasting style.