Playing online poker and making money doing it requires patience, ability, and a certain amount of guts. There are only a handful of people out there who are truly possess the combination of these skill to make a living from the game, and therefore, most do it just for a bit of fun and relaxation. However the element of risk is clearly one of the attractive features of the game, and also one which conversely scares off many potential newcomers. So with that being said, we are happy to announce that for those of you who want to enjoy the game, but without the possibility of losing a large sum of your hard-earned cash, there are several alternatives out there. In this segment, we will cover what is known as free poker and all the different facets which it encompasses.

The Benefits of Free Poker

The most obvious benefit to playing online poker for free is the practice you get from it. Almost every poker room offers a free play option, once you have downloaded their software. Clearly, the advantages to this are multifold. You have the chance to take a closer look at the competition you may be up against, the type of game most suited to you needs as a player, and of course they help to familiarize you with the type of software you are using.

Different Types of Free Poker

Fake Money Play
Fake money play is exactly what it sounds like. The bets and raises are entirely symbolic as the players compete for little more than pride in this scenario. It’s a great way to learn the basics of playing poker on the online platform but you should also be wary that the game loses most of its realism if there is nothing on the line. Bluffs are meaningless as there is no underlying pressure which makes them effective. Generally speaking, winning hands are much stronger and the fold percentage is only a fraction of what it would be in a real cash game. For this reason, fake money play is a good introduction to the interface and playing style of a particular poker room but should not be used to improve your game and hone your skills.

Poker Freerolls Poker freerolls are perhaps the best way to enjoy all the fun of a real live poker game without the risk of losing any cash. They are also a great way to improve your game. The term ‘freeroll’ is used to describe a type of online poker tournament in which there is no entry fee, or at least a very nominal one, yet there is still the potential to win cash, prizes, or player points.

However it should be emphasized here that the term ‘free’ can also be seen as a tad misleading because the sites which offer free entry to one of these tournaments usually require some kind of payment, usually in the form of an initial deposit into an active account. Once an account is set up, access to freeroll competitions becomes increasingly possible. There are thousands of freeroll competitions taking place daily on a virtually all of the online poker rooms.

The prize pool in a freeroll tourney is usually comprised of money which comes from sponsorship fees, a house donation, broadcast rights, an admission fee for spectators, or any combination of these. There are some great offers out there and freerolls are a fantastic way to enjoy the thrills of tournament poker without having to drop a costly buy-in.