Free online poker - where to play?

Poker is one of the most popular and best-known card games in the world, as well as gambling in general. Probably a very large number of current players own careers started in online gambling with the legendary Zynga poker on Facebook. However, the latter is not as popular as it used to be, but it is still free online poker. But where else can you play free poker? Is it even possible to play with other people? And what is the level of the opponents? Let's take a look at the list of free poker platforms and see!
Free online poker - where to play?

There are more than a few platforms where you can try poker for free. Here are the most popular. However, it should also be noted that free poker is not necessarily only available on a gaming platform. Some poker platforms that have real-money gaming features may offer free play. So, for the purpose of listing the platforms where the following is available free poker online, we'll introduce you to better and lesser-known portals and apps.

The best poker rooms online:

Free Poker Online - the most popular portals to play

Zynga Poker

Free Online Poker - Zynga pokerYes, Zynga Poker is still "alive" and you can still log in to this portal and relive your memories and take a trip down nostalgia lane, if you have played before. The platform itself hasn't changed too much and still has a pretty good player base. Most of them come through Facebook, but it is no longer the biggest poker portal in the world as it was back in 2011. It now has a market share of around 5%, so it is an important, but no longer significant, name.

Now, it is still a platform that offers many bonuses, extra games and add-ons. Every time you log in, you'll get bonuses that you can collect and play at as many tables as possible, as often as possible.

It is difficult to talk too much about the strength of the players. There is a huge variety of players here. They are all very different, but overall the level of players is not too high. It's a good place to start learning how to play because you won't be risking real money.

PokerStars

PokerStars is currently the largest online poker platform in the world. It has both the largest number of players, the most competitive and broadest range of tournaments and the biggest prizes. Most PokerStars players play for real money. However, there are even two different ways to play for free on PokerStars.

The first way is with free Play Money chips. As many as 35,000 of these chips are given to every newly registered player. These chips can be used to play PokerStars for free. You don't have to worry about running out, as you can get up to 15,000 new chips for free every 4 hours. And if the shortage is very serious, then you can buy those chips for real money for a small amount. As a counterbalance, 1 million chips costs $4.99. So, with free chips, you can play online poker for free on PokerStars.

Another way you can play for free at PokerStars is by taking advantage of the discount codes they offer to get a bonus that gives you a certain amount of free play. With codes, you can get a 100% bonus on your first deposit (for a similar amount, you can play for free), or you can get $30 in free play, which means you can make free bets and enter tournaments for $30. Perhaps it would be best to practice with chips and then take advantage of the bonus?

888 Poker

This poker platform is one of the largest in the world, with a truly multi-million player audience. To play poker for free, you can join Free Online 888 Poker and play in the practice mode or participate in free tournaments.

What's more, there's a number of bonuses that will give you the chance to play for real money for free. It's possible to get up to a 100 percent deposit bonus on deposits up to $888, or get a bonus of $88 for free with no deposit required.

Free poker - is it worth playing?

Many may wonder whether poker is worth playing at all if it is not maximally gambling (admittedly, real money is much more stressful than chips), and where the level of the players is quite unpredictable.

Free poker online

The short answer is more yes than no, but it also depends on the situation. If a player is very experienced and has very good skills, he or she will probably not be able to take the game seriously, not for money, not among friends. This is because situations where there is no real excitement are difficult to get players motivated. Playing with friends may be emotional, but playing with strangers, let alone virtually, it will be really hard for a professional and experienced player to find motivation.

Beginners and amateurs should definitely avoid this type of poker. If they are just learning to play, they should put in as many hours as possible, with as little risk as possible. When learning things like outs Calculation, strength of combinations, limping, pot odds and other things, it's a good idea to try things out not where the stake is €100, but where a shot across the bow costs nothing.

Calculating pot odds and some practical tips

Anyone who is not yet a professional and doesn't consider themselves to be at that level of player may find it useful to try free poker more or less often. There you can try out new tactics and techniques, see how effective they are, and find the gaps in your game.

The best poker rooms online:Β 

Poker for free - when to switch to play for real money?

There are three things you should understand before you start playing poker for real money:

  1. Β  Β  It's no longer the same poker for freePlayed for fun, it is dominated by gambling and the desire to win at any cost;
  2. Β  Β  The level of the players varies greatly, with the strongest poker players and professionals gathering to play for real money;
  3. Β  Β  Having a pastime and planning to make a real living or poker as a profession are two different things.

Let's look at each point to get to the answer as to when you should start playing poker for money instead of for free.

  • First point - get used to the complexity

There's certainly nothing wrong with putting a small amount of money (e.g. €5 or €10) in your player's wallet that you're comfortable with, and trying to increase it in live poker games where the stakes are e.g. €0.05 to €0.1. You should be able to get a lot of experience at the cheapest poker tables and see how the level of play differs between the free and paid tables. If you are playing for the first time, there is probably a 99% chance that you will end the day with a loss. Of course, exceptions are possible, but they are very rare.

A "shoot around" with tougher players would certainly be good for everyone. First of all, you would need at least a starting capital of $30-50 to be even slightly competitive in $1 tournaments. As mentioned above, bonuses from PokerStars or 888Poker can help you gain experience.

Poker for free - Poker appsThen it is worth investing in poker app. What is a poker app? It's the kind of thing that you may not use in cash games, but your opponents will... Poker software is a computer tool that helps you gather information, analyse your poker game, and make the best decisions almost anywhere. If, even after about 100-200 hours of trying, you are struggling to find your niche and at least balance ant 0you should either rethink your strategy, change the programme you are using or opt for individual training. Giving up poker is definitely not worth it. Maybe you are simply paired with strong opponents, or maybe you just have one weakness that is not difficult to overcome and that will make things shine in a new light?

However, it is the case that within a few hundred hours of playing, you should, in everyday terms, be catching up with what is going on and how to play.

  • Second point - find a place where the players are at your level or weaker

Let's say you've been playing poker for 4 months and you're doing pretty well. You decide to put some €2,000 in your account and play where the stakes are €20/40. That amount of money will probably melt away very quickly. Why? Well, because €20-40 is a pretty big bet, where people who play poker properly are already making a living from poker. Not only the pros, but also the strongest amateurs gather there. Are you sure you're going to make it Pull up to their level? Maybe not.

Therefore, the amount of the deposit should be increased very carefully. You can read reviews of poker rooms at Pokeriomokykla. There, we describe which rooms you can find weaker players in, to play to your strengths. You should not be ashamed of this. After all, you play to win, right?

  • Third point - realistic earnings expectations

There are many mathematical calculations on this topic. Looking at those players who try to play as optimally as possible (usually using poker software) while keeping their win percentage constant (win rate) in the long term, it is possible to calculate the probabilities of earnings. We will present the calculation of earnings at three levels:

  1. Β  Β  Normally 1h/dayΒ 
  2. Β  Β  Many - 3h/day
  3. Β  Β  Working hours - 6h/day

To calculate the potential earnings, you would need to play the same bet size tables on a regular basis. On average, higher level players can already play at 3-4 tables generating 6 Big Blind/hour winnings. This is a fairly moderate and quite realistic scenario.

Poker earningsUp to €80/month with 2€NL

  • Β  Β  Β  Usually €14/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  A lot - 38-42€/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  In work mode - <80€/month

Up to €400/month with 10€NL

  • Β  Β  Β  Usually €70/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  A lot - <€200/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  In work mode - <€400/month

Up to €2,100/month with 50€NL

  • Β  Β  Β  Usually €360/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  A lot - €1,080/month.
  • Β  Β  Β  In work mode - <€2 100/month

Please note that these scenario calculations are preliminary and may vary considerably depending on how you fare. In addition, while the numbers may look attractive, the risks are enormous and it is never possible to predict the longer term. A lot also depends on how fatigue is managed, what the % rakeback is and other important factors.

So you can see that in order to earn a good salary from poker alone, you not only need to have a big budget, but you also need to be able to tolerate a high level of risk.Β Β 

The best poker rooms online:

How can I improve faster playing free poker?

Now, let's focus on how you should train and what you should focus on to improve your skills as a free poker player. Unlike in cash games, you don't need to pay so much attention to detail right away. This is not the case if you are planning to switch to cash in the long term. However, if you want to enjoy the game right now, which is poker for free and just have fun, follow these tips:

  • Β  Β  Β  Don't bluff too much - even one unsuccessful bluff can cost you a lot of money. A properly executed bluff is probably one of the most difficult manoeuvres in the whole game, so amateur bluffs are very easy to get the hang of.
  • Β  Β  Β  Don't waste money, but don't be too passive either - being too open and adventurous is a risk. Computer programs can help you find the best solutions and the optimal balance between aggressive and safe play, but you can also increase your chances a little yourself. As a general rule, it is advisable not to bet larger amounts if you are two cards short of a straight or flush, or just because you suspect that your opponent is bluffing. Rather, you should make a serious bet when you are confident that your hand is very strong.
free poker for online players
  • Β  Β  Β  Know when to walk away - you don't need to have great insight into the probabilities, you just need to know when you have a high chance and when you have a very low chance. A combination such as a single pair can pose a very significant risk. In order to know when it is the right time to retreat, you need to pay close attention to how the other players behave. If a passive player suddenly starts to increase his bets, it is not good news. If you doubt the strength of your hand, it is better to withdraw. Especially on lower stakes tables (or where there is no risk of real money), other players don't bluff as much, so one pair of cards is often worth foldmore than check or call.
  • Β  Β  Β  Don't play when you're not in the mood - in poker, psychology may not be the whole of the 100% results, but it has a very serious impact. Being hungry, sleep-deprived or in a bad mood will make you more distracted, reducing your analytical acumen. If you only play when you feel good, you will definitely get better results.

Summary

So, we've looked at what is free online poker. We've shared a few platforms where you can play poker absolutely free. In order to poker for free to have fun and perform at your best, you should remember to follow the tips we have outlined in this article. Well, if you decide to move away from using rebates or playing with virtual chips to real money, don't hesitate to take advantage of rebates and bonus offers!Β