Originally Published: November 16, 2011, 02:30 AM

Texas Holdem for Free

Posted By Diego | Poker-Strategy News | November 16, 2011, 02:30 AM |

A guide to the major ways to play Texas Hold'em for free online.

Texas Hold'em poker isn’t like your typical casino game where the house knows that if you play for long enough they’ll get your money. That’s because in online texas hold em you don’t play against the house, you play against other players. Because of this the poker room makes money through the rake, a fixed percentage taken out of each pot. This goes a long way to explaining why there aren’t as many options for playing free online poker as there are for regular casino games.

Let’s think about a typical online casino no-deposit bonus of $20. You get your $20, you play some blackjack, maybe you win some, but eventually you lose before you reach the minimum withdrawal limit. You're playing against the dealer, so all the money goes back to the casino. And, if you decide to deposit more money, that’s all profit for the casino.

Now let’s consider the same example in a poker room. You get your $20 and you play online texas holdem at a 5-handed table until you're left with nothing. And let’s also assume that there is a fairly standard rake of 5%. That means 5% of the bets you put into the pot, or 5% of the $20, $1, goes to the poker room. The other $19 go to other players, some of whom may go on to lose it in the form of rake, but some of whom may eventually withdraw it. The point is, the poker room doesn’t get all of the money back, so offering new players money just to play is rarely a great business strategy.

However, there are still some free poker options open to the poker player who is either unwilling or unable to make a deposit in an online poker room. These include Free Play or Practice modes, Freerolls, and Small No Deposit Bonuses.

Free Play
Free play, also called Practice mode, is a feature of most poker rooms that allows players to use the full features of the poker room client without playing with real money. Unfortunately, because you don’t put in any real money, you can’t win any real money in practice mode. Free play modes are much more like the Texas Hold'em games you'll find on cell phones or online flash games. Free play provides a fun and stress free play environment, but lacks the incentive for competition that is intrinsic to poker at its finest.

Freerolls
Freerolls are a special type of online texas hold em tournament that allows players to participate without paying any real money. Some of these Freerolls are rewards for regular real money players and require a certain number of comps points to play, but others are open to anyone who makes an account at the poker room. Some poker rooms even allow players that do extremely well in Free Play to partake in a special freeroll tournament. Regardless of the entry requirements, most freerolls adhere to a common formula standard of most multi-table tournaments. A multi-table tournament, as opposed to a sit-n-go, is a tournament of over 10 players, often over 100, that has multiple table running the same blind structure and betting limits at the same time. Over a number of hours a final-table is determined, and then a winner. Tournaments of this size that are not freerolls often have much higher payouts, but you're playing for free, so you can't complain.

Small No Deposit Bonuses

Some online texas holdem rooms do offer small bonuses without requiring a deposit from players. These poker rooms often give out these bonuses to increase their player pool, so if you see an online poker room offering this kind of deal, it probably means they are either a new room or an older one that has fallen on hard times. The most common No Deposit Bonus you’ll see from a poker room is $10. However, most rooms will require you to earn at least $50 before you withdraw any cash, so you'll have your work cut out for you. These bonuses can be a nice way to play that offers a little more reward than Free Play, but if you want to make some real money you may want to deposit.

There are ways to make it into the real money world by never putting in a cent of your own, but its going to take time. You have to consider how long you’re willing to wait, how many freerolls you’re willing to play in, how many bonuses you’re willing to sign up for, and how much all that time is worth to you. Then you can decide if playing for free is right for you.

Embed A guide to the major ways to play Texas Hold'em for free online. <br><br> Texas Hold'em poker isn’t like your typical <a href="http://www.gamblingcity.net/casino-games/">casino game</a> where the house knows that if you play for long enough they’ll get your money. That’s because in online texas hold em you don’t play against the house, you play against other players. Because of this the poker room makes money through the rake, a fixed percentage taken out of each pot. This goes a long way to explaining why there aren’t as many options for playing free online poker as there are for regular casino games. <br><br> Let’s think about a typical online casino no-deposit bonus of $20. You get your $20, you play some blackjack, maybe you win some, but eventually you lose before you reach the minimum withdrawal limit. You're playing against the dealer, so all the money goes back to the casino. And, if you decide to deposit more money, that’s all profit for the casino. <br><br> Now let’s consider the same example in a poker room. You get your $20 and you play online texas holdem at a 5-handed table until you're left with nothing. And let’s also assume that there is a fairly standard rake of 5%. That means 5% of the bets you put into the pot, or 5% of the $20, $1, goes to the poker room. The other $19 go to other players, some of whom may go on to lose it in the form of rake, but some of whom may eventually withdraw it. The point is, the poker room doesn’t get all of the money back, so offering new players money just to play is rarely a great business strategy. <br><br> However, there are still some free poker options open to the poker player who is either unwilling or unable to make a deposit in an online poker room. These include Free Play or Practice modes, Freerolls, and Small No Deposit Bonuses. <br><br> Free Play<br> Free play, also called Practice mode, is a feature of most poker rooms that allows players to use the full features of the poker room client without playing with real money. Unfortunately, because you don’t put in any real money, you can’t win any real money in practice mode. Free play modes are much more like the Texas Hold'em games you'll find on cell phones or online flash games. Free play provides a fun and stress free play environment, but lacks the incentive for competition that is intrinsic to poker at its finest. <br><br> Freerolls<br> Freerolls are a special type of online texas hold em tournament that allows players to participate without paying any real money. Some of these Freerolls are rewards for regular real money players and require a certain number of comps points to play, but others are open to anyone who makes an account at the poker room. Some poker rooms even allow players that do extremely well in Free Play to partake in a special freeroll tournament. Regardless of the entry requirements, most freerolls adhere to a common formula standard of most multi-table tournaments. A multi-table tournament, as opposed to a sit-n-go, is a tournament of over 10 players, often over 100, that has multiple table running the same blind structure and betting limits at the same time. Over a number of hours a final-table is determined, and then a winner. Tournaments of this size that are not freerolls often have much higher payouts, but you're playing for free, so you can't complain. <br><br> Small No Deposit Bonuses <br><br> Some online texas holdem rooms do offer small bonuses without requiring a deposit from players. These poker rooms often give out these bonuses to increase their player pool, so if you see an online poker room offering this kind of deal, it probably means they are either a new room or an older one that has fallen on hard times. The most common No Deposit Bonus you’ll see from a poker room is $10. However, most rooms will require you to earn at least $50 before you withdraw any cash, so you'll have your work cut out for you. These bonuses can be a nice way to play that offers a little more reward than Free Play, but if you want to make some real money you may want to deposit. <br><br> There are ways to make it into the real money world by never putting in a cent of your own, but its going to take time. You have to consider how long you’re willing to wait, how many freerolls you’re willing to play in, how many bonuses you’re willing to sign up for, and how much all that time is worth to you. Then you can decide if playing for free is right for you. <br /><a href='http://www.poker-playing.org'>Poker</a> | <a href='http://www.poker-playing.org/Poker-Strategy/Texas-Holdem-for-Free'>Texas Holdem for Free</a>