Playing Online Poker Freerolls

Poker is a game that can be a tad costly. That is, of course, unless you don’t play for actual money. There are many ways to play poker online without investing a penny. You can even win a little money or a ticket into a real money poker tournament. These are called online poker freerolls. You can find these on most online poker sites.

These are great tournaments, especially for inexperienced or casual poker players. Not everyone wants to spend their money on poker, but many do enjoy the game for the game’s sake. The tournaments are fun, stress-free and, best of all, a great way to gain some experience. Poker is a difficult game to master. In days gone by, players would spend quite a bit of money learning how to play. Now you don’t have to spend any money. You can learn how to play the game without dropping any cash into your online poker sites.

Online poker freerolls are just like regular poker tournaments, except there is no buy in. You sign up, receive a certain amount of chips, and play until either you’ve played all your chips or are the last player standing. There is a different type of strategy you’re going to want to use in these types of tournaments compared to regular, real money tournaments. Let’s take a look.

How to Play Online Poker Freerolls

Since free rolls don’t cost anything to enter, you may be tempted just to mess around and put down all your chips for the heck of it whenever you feel like it. Don’t do that! Money can actually be won. So, even though you don’t have to pay to enter, by just messing around, you may be missing out on some winnings.

Early on, the action is pretty loose and aggressive in these games. You won’t find many bluffing opportunities early on in tournaments because most of the players won’t be taking the game seriously. They’ll call off all their chips with weak hands because, as we just mentioned, it doesn’t cost anything to enter.

Play your own game

Let other players have the mindset that there is nothing to lose. There may be nothing to lose, but there may also be something to gain…money you can win! Instead of being a follower, play your own game. How exactly should you play a tournament in which most players will just be going all-in or calling all-in bets with anything early on?

First of all, you should play extremely tight in early position especially. So if you are one of the first players to act before the flop, unless you have a big hand such as A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, or A-K, it’s best just to fold. Don’t put chips in the pot with weak hands because some players behind you are likely to put in a big raise.

Your gameplan

The goal, in the early stages of the tournament, is to survive. Sure, it would be nice to double up quickly, but that isn’t necessary. Most freerolls have hundreds, maybe even thousands, of players. Try your best to survive and find opportunities later in the tournament to make a move. If you have a big hand early on, get all your chips in the pot and double up.

As the tournament progresses, you can expand the range of hands you play. You may even find opportunities to bluff. Those people that are just going all in every hand will have already busted out of the tournament. Once about half the field has been eliminated, most of the players will be taking it seriously.

At this point, you can start to play your regular game. Look for opportunities to bluff, and don’t bet too big when you have a big hand so that you don’t scare off an opponent that has a weaker hand. Always pay attention to how many players remain and how close you are to getting into the money. If you are getting close to the money bubble, you may need to lay down some strong hands so that you don’t risk busting out before you make some cash.

Why Play Free Rolls

There are so many reasons to play free poker tournaments. Poker is after all a fun game, and many people enjoy just playing casually. Even if you are used to playing in a casino for cash, a free roll tournament can be beneficial.

There isn’t an entrance fee so you won’t feel pressure to win. If you win, great. If you don’t, it didn’t cost you anything. You can just have fun and gain some experience playing poker. And that leads us to our next point.

The greatest benefit of playing online poker freerolls is to gain some free experience playing poker. You will learn tournament poker strategy for free. How can you beat that? Plus, the games are fun and exciting. You’d be surprised how many top poker pros actually got their start by playing in freeroll tournaments online.

Who Plays Free Rolls

Freeroll poker tournaments are highly popular. Casual poker players and beginners enjoy playing freerolls because they don’t cost a penny. Many people attempt to build up a bankroll from scratch simply by entering online poker freerolls.

It can be difficult to build up a bankroll large enough to fully fund a normal poker real money bankroll, but it’s not impossible. Many players have done it successfully. At the very least, winning money in freeroll tournaments will help you build your bankroll. Even if you just win £10 or £20 every now and again, it will add up.

Poker players of all ages play in freerolls. The games are highly entertaining to men, women, young adults, pensioners, and everyone in between. They provide a relaxed format with absolutely no pressure. There really isn’t a type of poker player that wouldn’t enjoy playing in freeroll tournaments.

Where to Play Free Rolls

There are many places to play freeroll tournaments. Pretty much every online poker site offers some type of freeroll. Before signing up, check to see what freerolls are offered. They may pay out winnings in cash or entry into a real money tournament. Each of the sites and all tournaments are different.

Some freerolls pay out well while others only award a small amount to the winner. Most online poker freerolls will have a lot of players, perhaps hundreds, if not thousands.

The Internet isn’t the only place you can play in a freeroll poker tournament. In cities such as Las Vegas where poker is extremely popular, many of the local casinos offer weekly freerolls. In these freerolls, you can’t just enter for free. You have to earn your way in by playing enough hours of poker in that casino each week. If you play for the required amount of hours, you will be entered into the weekly or monthly freeroll the casino has to offer. These freerolls are designed to reward loyal customers.

Play Money Games

Online poker freerolls aren’t the only ways to play poker for free online. Most poker sites also offer play money poker games. These games are similar to freerolls except you can’t win any money. They are simply in place to help people learn how to play poker. Even though you can’t win any money, they are still valuable.

Let’s say you’re new to poker and have never played in a casino or online. You don’t yet quite understand the basic strategies of poker. Play money games are offered around the clock online. That means you can hone your poker skills for free before jumping into real money games.

Why Enter Play Money Games

You might be thinking that free rolls are more enticing than play money games since you can win actual money. You have a point. However, freerolls aren’t offered throughout the day. There are only so many freerolls offered each day. Play money games are available pretty much all the time.

The point of playing in play money poker games is to gain some experience. Since games run around the clock, you’ll have ample opportunity to play poker without investing a thing. That’s a great advantage that players didn’t have before online poker sites were created.

When to Play Real Money Poker Games

You are probably going to want to start playing poker for money at some stage. The game is fun, regardless, but it’s far more exciting when you have money on the line. However, you shouldn’t jump into real money games until you’re ready. That could be a day after beginning to play freerolls and play money poker games. Or, it could be much longer.

Treat the money that you spend on poker games as money you would spend on any other form of leisure activity. Decide how much you want to pay and don’t go over that amount. Poker is a form of entertainment, have fun with it! Don’t play poker for money until you’re comfortable with your game. Play freerolls and play money games for a bit to learn your strategies. Good luck!