Struggling Pompey almost snatched an unlikely victory over in-form Bolton but the point gained came as a welcome relief for manager Alan Ball.
Ball has been under pressure after his team had lost nine of their previous 13 fixtures.
Lee Bradbury and Steve Claridge each hit the woodwork for Portsmouth as Bolton struggled to cope in the first half.
But Bolton had opportunities of their own and three times they failed to take advantage of openings which left them which just goalkeeper Aaron Flahavan to beat.
Gareth Farrelly and Ricardo Gardner were both denied when through in the first five minutes by the goalkeeper.
Then Bo Hansen drilled another shot against the goalkeeper's legs when he was through in the 63rd minute.
Flahavan was beaten in the 40th minute by a header from Mark Fish but Fitzroy Simpson was on the line to prevent a goal.