In an ideal world, you'd sit down at a poker table with an infinite amount of time and money. But we all have to eat, so as the saying goes, you have to make the bank roll do the mouth roll. That’s where free poker can help get you started. Or keep you going when the cards aren’t running your way.
Aside from playing free online poker games, like or video poker, one of the best ways to play free poker online is by entering a . If you’re not familiar with them already, here’s a quick primer on what they are, why they exist, and which sites offer the best poker freerolls online today.
What Are Poker Freerolls?
Simply put, a poker freeroll is a poker tournament that doesn't cost anything to enter but offers real-money prize pools. Yep. You read that right. You can actually win cash without spending a dime in these things. Although, as you might have guessed, they don't offer up the biggest prize pools in the world and the value of the free poker tourneys can very greatly. Still, even the worst freeroll poker games are at least providing you with free poker game experience, free poker strategy knowledge and -- if you're lucky -- some free cash to add to your online poker bankroll. Some even throw in a free pizza or two. (Kidding about the pizza.)
Freerolls are the best way for new online poker players to learn the ropes without having to risk their own money and they are also a good opportunity for more experienced grinders to earn a bit of extra pocket money without having to invest too much effort. When starting out it makes sense to spend a while playing free online poker games and working on your before even thinking about depositing your own hard earned cash into your online poker account.
Why Do Sites Offer Free Poker Tournaments?
Good question. While it may appear to be contradictory to offer free poker online tournaments that pay real cash, there are several reasons why poker sites continue to run these events, including:
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New player recruitment — Everyone knows that online poker rooms have to compete for players so offering free poker tournaments is one excellent way to introduce potential new players to their poker room software, its features and its game selection. If a new player has a good experience playing on a site because of an enjoyable special freeroll poker event, for example, they're more likely to return and/or deposit and play for real money.
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Cost to play is $0 — Likewise, when players see that they can play online poker that pays, even if they haven't made a deposit or opened an online poker bonus code, they're far more likely to spread the word to their poker-playing friends and families.
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Increase loyalty among existing players — Poker freerolls are also a good way for rooms to show their appreciation for their regular customers. Sites host special freeroll poker events and free poker online tournaments for their most loyal players as a "thank you" for choosing to play there. These can include reload bonus freerolls for players who have made a deposit, VIP freerolls for regular contributors to the rake, and more.
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Marketing / Cross-promotion opportunities — Finally, poker rooms often partner up with other entities – such as poker media sites, online poker communities, other gaming sites, etc. – to offer special freeroll poker events and free poker online tournaments as a form of marketing or cross-promotion. For example, here at , we partner with our skin on to offer our readers and community members access to exclusive freeroll poker tournaments that are not available elsewhere. These are a great way for rooms to pick up some free advertising / external links, and for the third party to provide value to their users. Win-win.
How are Poker Freeroll Passwords or Tickets Obtained?
There are generally three different ways to obtain entries or passwords to the best poker freerolls online.
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You may automatically qualify for a freeroll simply by being a customer of the poker site in good standing. For instance, most poker rooms offer new-player freerolls open to all first-time depositors. Likewise, many rooms offer regular freeroll poker games for their most loyal customers, such as monthly or annual birthday freerolls, VIP / loyalty program freerolls based on frequent play, etc. You can also earn tickets through loyalty programs or through online poker bonuses.
You Found It
Many poker freerolls are openly advertised and easy to find via the tournament listings or lobby of the poker site. These can range from new-depositor freerolls all the way up to special promoted events. Most avid online poker players will take a gander at the tournament schedule for any given day or week and circle any interesting or potentially profitable touraments, both free and buy-in.
Someone Else Gave It To You
This is where it pays to hang out at poker forums, especially those devoted strictly to news and discussion about Skin poker sites. For instance, here at PokerListings, our sister site devoted to PokerStars-affiliated skins, regularly offers free ticket giveaways for various PokerStars free poker tournaments, twitter promos, and more. Likewise, you can often pick up freeroll tickets on poker forums as users trade them back and forth or sell them super cheap (e.g. A user with 100 tickets may place them up for sale at $5 each, for instance, rather than bother with cashing them out one at a time).
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Best Ontario Casino Apps - Top ON Mobile Casinos (2023)Are There Different Types of Poker Freerolls?
Yes. While all poker freerolls allow you to play free poker games that pay, there are differences in the skill level of opponents, prize pools, frequency and more that are worth noting. Let’s take a look below at the types of freerolls you'll encounter when playing free poker online:
Exclusive vs Non-Exclusive
The most exclusive freerolls are those that are only open to invitational players, usually VIPs, special promotional winners, or players from a specific location (such as a university campus). Next come freerolls that are limited to players who have qualified or registered in advance. All others are considered non-exclusive (also known as “open”).
New-Depositor Freerolls
Also called these are one of the best ways for newbies to get acclimated to a new online poker room and its software. Not only are these free poker games online that pay real money, but they also typically offer greater than normal prizes (both in numbers of players and monetary value) to make the new player experience as exciting and rewarding as possible. Many take the form of new-player series with several freerolls over the course of weeks or months.
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Exclusive Poker Freerolls
These are open only to a specific group of players, such as those who have made it to a certain level in the room’s loyalty program, high-volume players, VIPs, employees, affiliates, etc. They are typically low-key tournaments with smaller fields and prize pools, though sometimes a poker site will partner with another company to offer an exclusive freeroll with larger prizes for brand promotion purposes.
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Reentry Freerolls
In a , if you bust out you can reenter, usually an unlimited number of times. This obviously increases the number of hands you can accumulate and thus your chances of winning. However, it’s not always a bad move as if you lose your entire stack early, there’s no reason not to reenter and start fresh with the same set of skills and card deities on your side. Just remember that each reentry costs a ticket, so you may want to limit yourself to just a few.
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Rebuy Freerolls
In a , you have the option to purchase additional stacks of chips after you lose your initial one. Unlike reentry tournaments, however, once you rebuy you don’t get the chance to go back and reuse the chips you already accumulated. Another big difference between rebuy and reentry is that in the former case, you're paying actual money for the privilege of coming back to life. Thus you can very quickly go from playing a free poker tournament that pays cash to dropping $30+ worth of rebuy attempts. Think carefully before you rebuy.
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Last Longer Freerolls
In this unique variation of a freeroll, participants are not competing solely on their individual performance in a single poker tournament. Instead, each entrant’s finish position in the tourney determines how many points (sometimes called “fake chips”) they earn based on the order of elimination. Those who last longest of all wins the most points in the last longer freeroll and the rest of the field is ordered according to when they hit the rail. Second to last earnes zero points. There might also be a bubble freeroll on top where the last four players to bust all fight for the highest points tally. Other entrants can follow the action via live-reporting style updates.
Last longer freerolls are a fun way to – either individually or against friends, colleagues or social media pals – from regular freeroll poker games or major online poker series such as PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), the and more.
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Are There Any Downsides to Playing Freerolls?
The main disadvantage is that the prize pools and payouts are quite small, unless you manage to win one of the bigger new-player or promotion-related freerolls. Moreover, the competition tends to be tougher than you might expect due to the factors outlined below under "Tips for Beating Poker Freerolls."
That said, playing in as many free poker games online that pay as possible is an excellent way to learn , sharpen your skills, work on your , and gain confidence playing in more valuable events. Indeed, many professional and successful amateur online poker players got their start by playing nothing but freerolls for months – or even years – before they felt ready to risk real money in the poker room cash games or smaller tournaments.
Another minor negative aspect of playing freerolls is that the soft-playing culture among some players can be taken too far. While it’s commendable to not report blatant rule breakers to the poker room (although you should always do the right thing and ), it’s definitely not OK to turn a blind eye to obvious collusion, multi-accounting, ghosting or other cheating activity just because the perpetrator(s) may reduce their odds of winning a free poker online tournament.
Tips for Becoming a Freeroll Pro
If you plan to treat every poker freeroll like a , well, good luck with that. First off, relaxing, enjoying the hand your handed and having fun is a big reason people play freerolls instead of . That said, there are certainly times when you'll be dealt premium cards and be in a prime position to take down the whole shebang. You'll want to be prepared for those moments by familiarizing yourself with the nuances of playing free online poker games and poker tournaments in general. Here are some tips for becoming a better freeroll player.
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Play More - The more freerolls you play, the more you'll understand the flow of the game, the tendencies of your opponents and how to tweak your own and to maximize success. As a free poker online game, there is literally no risk and plenty of rewards to playing as many as you can handle.
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Observe Etiquette - Even though it's a free poker tournament, try to stick to basic table etiquette such as waiting until hands are finished before talking, not making rude comments, asking questions of other players when necessary and generally trying to keep the atmosphere light and fun. (Unless, of course, you're serious-as-a-heart-attack competitors who will do whatever it takes to win. In that case, feel free to ignore this advice.)
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Don't Get Angry - Soft-playing is one thing but soft-playing to a fault is counterproductive for everyone involved. If someone accidentally or purposely improperly plays their hand (such as going all-in when they have the nuts but forget to announce it), most folks agree that you're obligated to point it out to them. However, if everyone at the table routinely fails to follow proper poker etiquette, take note and mentally adjust for it, don't get upset enough to start breaking the rules yourself.
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Watch Your Emotions - This ties into etiquette and anger control. Try to remain calm and detached during the tournament, even if your chip stack is dwindling. Panic moves are almost never a good idea and will cause you to bust out more often than not.
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Study Starting Hands - Before the tournament starts, take a minute to decide on your minimum starting hand for raising/re-raising (meaning you'll always call or fold), your minimum calling hand (when you're not going to raise but want to play if the pot is cheap) and possibly your "watch" hand, meaning if the betting is cheap and you have this hand or better you'll start paying attention and deciding whether to play.
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Pay Attention to Your Opponents - Take note of which hands players are actually playing on tight and which hands they're calling or raising on. Are the aggressive ones taking risks with trash hands and getting lucky or do they really know something you don't? Which players immediately throw away any hand that doesn't have an A in it? Who seems to be tilting?
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Use Your Position - Hopefully the freeroll will be played using a full poker table with seating positions that affect the information other players have provided about their hands. Pay attention to who's acting before and after you and adjust your strategy accordingly. Generally, late position is best as you have the benefit of seeing what players in one or two positions ahead of you choose to do.
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Save Your Big Hands - Unless it's clear the other players are playing extremely loose and aggressive, saving your big hands for later rounds when there will likely be less opponents left in the game and fewer chips in play overall. This advice applies to Texas Hold'em but may vary slightly depending on the free poker games you're playing.
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Be Aware of Bubbling - If your poker freeroll pays 10 players and there are nine other contestants still in the game aside from you, . Most people play too cautiously when they're close to busting anyway so consider trapping (calling when you have a weaker hand but one that could beat the opponent in front of you) or attempting an comeback if you're in a position to do so. Sometimes taking a risk is worthwhile since you have nothing to lose.
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Judge a Freeroll Payout Structure Carefully - Don't necessarily go for the largest freeroll with the most entrants and furious pace. Slower, smaller events may offer more opportunities to outsmart your opponents and have more favorable payout structures. Here's a rough guideline for what percentage of prizemen earning spots my make sensethat: pulls around 20%; Super Small around 30%; Small around 40%; Medium around 50%; and Large around 60%. However, your strategy may differ.
Now that you've had our free poker strategy lesson, it's time to hit the tables! Check out the best poker freerolls listed below.
Best Poker Freerolls Online Today
Looking for the best online poker freerolls? Want to know which sites consistently offer the most lucrative free poker online tournaments? We've compiled a list of the five best below and thrown in a half dozen more top picks for you to check out. Always keep an eye on our online poker bonus code page for the latest and greatest offers.
888Poker
$300,000 | Per Month
By far the biggest freeroll provider online, 888Poker hosts hundreds of daily and weekly Texas Hold’em and Omaha freerolls, giving away thousands of dollars of cash prizes and millions of points each month. In fact, there’s so much free credit awarded based on points that many 888Poker freerolls have much smaller prize pools relatively speaking.
Most freerolls are open to all 888Poker players although some are restricted to new players or SNAP players. Prizes can range from $2 to $125 in cash as well as tokens for various weekly and monthly 888-dollar tournaments that award millions in cold hard cash each month. There are also 888Poker $30k SnG freerolls, €5k Omaha freerolls, €10k Daily Freeroll Blasts and more. Newcomers can also enjoy up to $88 in free 888Poker bonus credits and access to up to $1,000 in reload instanter freerolls.
To search the tournament menu for “freeroll” or check the “Exclusive” or “New Player” tabs for special freerolls.
partypoker
$15,000 | Per Week
partypoker used to be among the top choices for the best poker freerolls online but for some reason scaled waaay back on offering free poker online tournaments. Thankfully they've slowly begun adding more and more every week with a total value of up to $15,000 every seven days.
Some require registration codes, which can be found on the social channels, while others are new depositor freerolls or open to all players. Keep an eye on their weekly and monthly leaderboards, too, where the top players in various games and formats can win anywhere from $100 to $1,000 in cold hard partypoker cash.
GGPoker
Run It Up Renato Akahoshi Freerolls | Running Now
In partnership with Brazilian poker icon Renato Akahoshi, GGPoker is running a series of Run It Up freerolls where you start with 100BB and have one hour to turn it into 200BB to qualify for the final freeroll on November 27th, where millions of dollars in GGCoins (gc) and Running Iron Merchandise Vouchers are up for grabs.
Final: Nov 27, 10:30 UTC
Natural8 (GGNetwork)
$150,000 | Per Month
Naturally, since GGPoker is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – around, there are loads of value-added free poker online tournaments thanks to million dollar prize pools and steep event buy-ins. Entering these major tournaments directly would, of course, require you to pony up dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of hours of playing every single day.
Or you could take advantage of the many GGPoker/Natural8 freerolls that offer direct seats or tickets to various runs and trials, including the and the Plus there are numerous daily and weekly free poker games online that pay cash and points, along with various leaderboard challenges. Keep an eye on our for the latest promos.
PokerStars
Varies | Very Regularly
Casino Secrets No One Is Supposed to Know - Tips & TricksPokerStars is one of those best poker freerolls online that doesn't actually have any true freerolls per se since their free tournaments all require tickets or spins, which players can earn through various means. These include new depositor snGs, VIP and loyalty program benefits, social media contests, special giveaways and more.
Tickets and spins can also be won in special Challenge tournaments that pop up daily and challenge you to complete simple missions, such as winning with ace-king, getting a same suit runner-runner straight or winning a race against a car with the same name as you. You typically have 24-48 hours to use your snG or Spin & Go tickets but they do provide a tiny bit of thrill for free.
Unibet
€500 | Per Week
Unibet has a decent stable of regular freerolls for both Hold’em and Omaha with guaranteed prizepools of up to €50 for hold’em players and €25 for Omaholics. Most are reload freerolls that require at least one deposit in the last six months and wager at least €25 in eligible games in the seven days leading up to the tourney.
There are also occasional freerolls offered by Unibet Poker in conjunction with poker streaming stars Alex Millar and Spraggy so follow them on Twitch and Twitter for alerts.
Karamba
€500 | Twice Per Day
We love the consistency of the with two worth a total of €25/$33 in prizes every eight hours. These are ticketing tournaments so if you bust out you can try again. Each has a capped field of 30 players so it's easy to get some decent experience and maybe even grab first place for a €10 live tournament satellite plus a €2 Karamba Casino Bonus.
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€500 | Every Sunday
For those who like their poker fast and furious, the ($2,100 guarantee) and the ($150 guarantee) are good options for both novices and semi-pros. Since they are full ring games (up to nine players) and ticketing games, you have a little more wiggle room for mistakes and you'll be playing for a Betfair Casino bonus (€8) and an iPoker freeroll satellite ticket worth entering the €500 (€25 Sundays) or $2,100 (€1,050 Mondays) for a sheer thrill.
William Hill
£500 | Weekly
William Hill may not have as many freerolls running as some other sites but they make up for it in variety with daily and weekly freerolls for Hold’em and Omaha players as well as speed poker ticketing freerolls. There are also random freeroll giveaways from time to time on social media so keep an eye out for those as well.
The Grand Ivy
£500 | Every Sunday
Hold’em and ticketing fans both have a great option at The Grand Ivy every weekend. Both have a £250 guaranteed prize pool as well as casino bonuses and tickets available for higher stakes tournaments. With a maximum of nine players per tournament and registration opening one hour beforehand, you have time to nap up a strong strategy and grab one of the 40 open seats.
CLOSING ON ALL OUR BEST ONLINE POKER FREEROLLS LISTS
There you have it, the top ten sites for playing freerolls. Clearly 888Poker is king in terms of volume and variety but there are lots of other places to find the best poker freerolls online. Remember to check back regularly with the page as we constantly update our rankings to reflect the latest offers and deals.
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Good news for those who like to play on the go: pretty much all of the best poker freerolls online are also available in their sites’ mobile apps with the same schedules, payouts and structures. Check out our reviews above for recommended app stores and learn more about the game play in our blog. Happy tapping!
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Are online poker freerolls really free?
Yes! There are absolutely genuine free poker online tournaments that pay out real cash prizes with no buy-in and no risk. They are commonly offered by online poker rooms and operators as a marketing tool to acquire and retain customers and by poker networks to boost traffic on their servers.
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Where can I play online poker freerolls?
Nearly every major online poker operator or network offers at least a few freeroll poker games online that pay cash throughout the year, with some of the best poker sites online offering hundreds of tournaments a day. See our list of the best poker freerolls online today for more info.
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Can I really win real money playing freeroll poker online?
You sure can! While it’s true that the free poker tournaments that pay don’t carry the same financial weight as their $10,000 buy-in counterparts, the principles of good poker play remain consistent regardless of the size of the pot. Winning a major tournament or series of smaller events is also a lot harder when you remove the million-dollar Main Event from the equation. Finally, yes, you can indeed use the proceeds for things like shopping sprees, mortgage payments and charitable donations.
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Are poker freerolls legal?
Yes. Assuming online poker is legal in your jurisdiction, there’s nothing in most sets of gambling regulations that would prevent or prohibit free poker online tournaments.
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How do I enter online poker freerolls?
It depends on the type of freeroll. If it requires registration, there will typically be a registration code you’ll need to enter. If it’s open to all players, you just need to find it within the client’s tournament lobby.
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What’s the catch with free poker tournament that pay?
There isn’t one but you should definitely read the terms and conditions associated with any special sign-up bonuses, reloads or other complementary offers linked to freerolls.
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How do rebuy freerolls work?
Rebuys or add-ons are optional purchases you can make in addition to registering for the tournament. Rebuys typically restore your stack to its original size after you bust out while adds-ons provide you with more starting chips. Rebuy and add-on periods usually last about 1-2x the length of the tournament. Rebuys and add-ons are common in free poker online touronds that pay due to the large number of registrants.
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What’s the difference between a ticketing and snapshot freeroll?
Players who register directly for a ticketing freeroll actually receive a ticket for the main tournament prior to the start of the freeroll. Everyone who registers gets a ticket and it doesn’t matter if you win, place, or show in the freeroll itself. Snapshot freerolls, on the other hand, take a snapshot of your chiplength at the exact moment (the snapshot) and everyone carries that amount of chips into the final tournament. With snapshots, it matters if you DST (go broke) in the freeroll as players with 0 chips get bumped down the leaderboard according to the amount of chips they had when they busted.
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Why are some poker freerolls invitation only?
Invitation-only freerolls are typically part of special promotions or loyalty rewards for select players. They may be tied into a deposit bonus, reload bonus or other offer where the freeroll represents a sort of prize or loyalty reward. It can also be used as a means to keep players honest and engaged as it provides an extra layer of exclusivity and motivation to participate.
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What’s the most I can win playing free poker online tournaments?
The true max win on a single tournament is capped by the tourney’s guaranteed prize pool. Anything you win beyond the Guarantee is 100% profit. Of course big scores can be had via SNG and Spin & Go freerolls if you manage to win three in a row (or five, etc). Winnings from tickets awarded via snapshots are dependent on the number of registrants and ticket value while ticketing tournaments have a fixed number of final seat(s) based on the freeroll itself.
