Playing free poker online is one of the easiest and increasingly popular ways to learn the game, especially Texas No-Limit Hold’Em. Virtually all online poker rooms will allow players to enter at no cost because they would love to have you as a real money player in the future. It’s less intimidating and much cheaper than going to a land-based poker room. And if you live in an area where you can’t drive to a poker room, playing on the internet becomes even more appealing. Combining the purchase of a couple of good Texas Hold’Em books with the 24/7 online availability of a place to practice and learn will allow anyone to increase their knowledge and skill in the game of poker.
When selecting a place to start playing at no cost, it is worth looking at the benefits that poker rooms offer the player. Some offer play money tournaments in addition to the regular table game, which can help you learn and practice your tournament strategies. If you’ve never played before, make sure they have tutorials for the different types of poker, a “How to Play Poker Games” section as well as a poker hand ranking. It’s also a good idea to check the system requirements so that when you download your software it works on your computer.
Also look for sign-up bonuses, real money account funding methods, player points programs, and the variety of real money tournaments offered so that you are familiar with them when you are ready to start playing for cash. Some poker rooms will offer extra real money sign-up incentives to their fun players just to make sure their customers keep playing with them. “Bad Beat Jackpots” are increasingly offered, (A bad hit occurs when a player has an excellent hand such as four 8’s that was hit by an even better hand, such as four Aces. The loser took a bad hit), but there are differences, so take the time to get to know them as well. They can range from a fixed amount of money for the person who gets the bad hit to others who have a progressive prize that can run into the tens of thousands.
For those who join a poker room and get to the point where they want to play for real money, there are additional opportunities to play cashless. And these can be profitable. They are “Freeroll Tournaments” and “Player Point Programs”. Freeroll tournaments are free entries to poker tournaments that cost nothing to enter. These pay cash or other prizes to the player depending on how well they did during the tournament. You can enter a freeroll when available or you can receive an invitation from the online poker room. Player point programs are points awarded by the poker room based on your time at the tables.
There are still other ways that will allow a person to play for free. When you play for fun at an online poker room, referring a player for real money can generate real cash for you to play with. And today charities, companies or corporations offer online poker tournaments for promotional purposes. These are advertised randomly, so keep your eyes and ears open. Lastly, consider signing up for free online surveys and focus groups that pay cash for participation. Simply search the internet for online surveys or focus groups to get started. A person will not get rich or quit their job with what they contribute, but the money can fund the entry fees for various low-cost online poker tournaments.
