10+ sites that offer free poker & games with real money rewards

Here's a little secret about - most of it is pretty simple. And by "most" I mean like 95%.

When you boil it down, the vast majority of hands in any single poker session can be summed up very easily. You either have the best hand, or you don't. The later hands with lots of action and tricky plays comprise just a small fraction of each session. Even then half the time the players are just confusing themselves anyway.

Once you learn the rest is just variations on a few simple themes. A solid grounding in will take you farther than you might think. And the best part is, because most people don't bother to even learn this much, just understanding this stuff makes you better than most players.

So as a beginner your main enemy isn't going to be some fancy move you didn't know about. It will be your own impatience. You're going to get frustrated that you put in several hours and haven't made any real progress. This is where free poker for practice comes in.

Most poker sites offer play-money games but they really aren’t a good way to learn. For one thing there's no incentive. Who cares if you lose made-up money? Exactly. Instead of learning the goals you end up just developing meaningless habits from playing without thinking.

What you need are real games with real rewards for getting better. That’s what motivates us. When we know we can win something by doing well, we try harder.

Luckily there are some poker sites and apps which offer exactly this kind of environment. They give you real cash or tournament tickets for finishing high in their free games. So not only do you get the benefits of building skills without risk (less risk, at least), but you also stand to gain a quick profit as a reward.

Best Sites with Free Poker Games for Real Cash/Tickets

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How to Get Free Poker Lessons Online

There are a lot of ways to improve your game without spending a dime. Some of these options are geared towards complete beginners while others are more for intermediate players looking to polish their skills.

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One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is overestimating how much they've learned after reading a book or watching some videos. Poker is a skill game, yes, but it's mostly a read-based game at the lower levels. Just knowing what to do doesn't necessarily mean you're actually capable of doing it at the table. It takes time to develop those reads and instincts. And the best way to do that is to get some reps in.

So ideally you want to find free poker games where you can apply what you've learned without risking your own bankroll. There are a few different ways to go about it.

Free play-money games - Some sites offer free play money games that use virtual chips or tokens instead of actual cash. These are fine for some things but I don't recommend them for beginners as it doesn't teach you the importance of bankroll management and you can easily fall into bad habits.
Freeroll tournaments - Most poker sites host freeroll tournaments for new players or low-stakes players. These are free to enter and offer small cash prizes or tournament tickets. These are a good way to build your bankroll and get some tournament experience.
Free poker lessons with cash rewards - A newer trend in the industry is offering free lessons or games where you can win cash or tournament tickets just for playing. These are great for beginners as you have skin in the game and will force you to focus on making real improvements.

The last option is becoming increasingly popular these days, especially during the pandemic when more people are cooped up at home looking for something to do. So several sites and apps have created "learn to play poker" programs with free games and cash rewards.

The idea here is that you play a large number of free games and the top performers split a bonus pool at the end. Everyone who participates gets something for free, which helps keep retention on their site higher than normal.

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This works well for the players, too, because you can literally pay nothing out of pocket and still become a winning poker player. If that thought scares you, well, maybe you should stick to roulette or something.

Global Poker - Best Free Online Poker Game Site for US Players

If you live in the US, Canada or many other countries around the world, then Global Poker is your best bet for free poker online.

Chances are you’ve already seen their ads with poker ambassador Daniel Negreanu. Their unique “sweepstakes” model means they are legal in more jurisdictions than any other poker site and they've been growing rapidly since launching a few years back.

In fact, Global Poker has become one of the busiest sites during the pandemic as people are stuck indoors looking for something to do. And all their new players have created very soft games, which is music to a poker beginner’s ears.

On paper, Global Poker isn’t a “real money” site. But it functions the same way. They use a Virtual currency called Gold Coins as well as Sweeps Coins.

You get Gold Coins for free through daily logins awards and tournaments but the only way to get Sweeps Coins is by purchasing a initial ‘Gold Coin Package’. The good news is, you can currently get 2,000,00 Gold Coins for $20 and receive £40 SC as a bonus using our link below.

Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for prizes and paid out via mailed cheques or e-transfer / online payment. Which basically makes it real money. And which basically makes Global Poker real money poker.

Their software isn't quite up to par with the major international sites but it does run smoothly and the games are extremely fun. Lots of soft competition, theme-based skins and cool games like Jackpot SnGs make it an easy choice for our top pick. Here's a couple Global Poker promos to check out:

2,000,00 Gold Coins + $40 in SC Promo - New players who sign up through our link above and purchase the Gold Coin Package for $20 will get a 100% bonus on top, which is equivalent to another $40 in 'free sweep coins'. That's effectively 2,000,00 GC / $80 IC for $20. Not bad at all. • $\mathbf{1},$\mathbf{000},$\mathbf{000}$ Global Poker Championship - The top players in the Global Poker Gold Rush Championships will share a massive $1,000,000 prize pool with no less than 10 Platinum Passes to the PokerStars Carribbean Adventure up for grabs. • $\mathbf{300}$,$\mathbf{000}$ Weekly Gold Rush Freerolls – All Global Poker players can join those weekly $30k freeroll events to earn Sweeps Coins. No purchase needed! • Daily $10,000 Freerolls & Jackpots - In addition to the big monthly championships, GP offers daily $10k freerolls with Sweeps Coins and Jackpot SnGs where three players win $100, $50 and $25 - guaranteed. Bustlin' Texas hold'em and Omaha cash games and tournaments start at $0.01/$0.02 and never go much higher, which keeps the fish around for the taking.

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Chico Poker - Top Free Online Poker App for Beginners

For those seeking free mobile poker app games, Chico Poker is about as good as it gets - especially for beginners and those just starting on their poker journey.

If you're looking for a full-featured, downloadable Android or iOS mobile poker app that just so happens to offer lots of free poker games online, Chico Poker is worth checking out. It was built for mobile from the ground up and offers plenty of games from micro stakes all the way up to the medium stakes range.

What sets Chico apart from the competition, however, is their free poker app games for both android and ios. Known as Chico Credits, these are essentially virtual poker chips that let you play for free and win prizes. The more Chico Credits you earn the better as top players on the leaderboard each week win larger prizes. Chico Poker credits are awarded for completing missions, inviting friends, being an active member of the community and participating in the various challenges and promotions throughout the year.

Chico Credits let you buy into real money poker games on a freeroll basis. If you do well enough you can turn a profit without risking any of your own money. Chico credits can also be used to enter into freeroll tournaments against other free players with real poker tickets up for grabs. The more tickets you win the more games you can enter for free and potentially turn into more tickets or cold hard cash.

Earning Chico Credits also encourages you to try more games and learn new ones since you have nothing to lose. If you're interested in brushing up on , Chico Poker is one of the best places to do it. Check out their website below to learn more.

Learn Poker Free on Real Money Tables (Yes, Really)

If you've ever sat down at a NL$10 SNG table you've probably noticed how chaotic things can get. At the lower levels players are often making decisions based more on gut feelings than actual poker strategy.

Some of these players are simply beginners who haven't had a chance to learn yet. Others have played for years and just never bothered.

And this creates a ton of opportunity for someone who knows the fundamentals of the game. Even if you don't plan to play these super-low stakes, it's still a good idea to understand how they work. Because all the same mistakes you'll see your weak-ass opponents making at NL$10 will be there at NL$100. Only the sizes of the pots will be different.

So fire up your lowest-limit tables and keep an eye out for these telltale signs of a beginner:

Overplaying all kinds of trash: Even though you and I would fold pocket deuce-treys, some beginners will call raises with it before the flop and then again on the flop - even if he misses! These players are typically chasing a pair or hoping to hit a straight or flush draw. The key here is to just get out of the way pre-flop. If you're against another beginner chances are you'll be headed for a showdown soon enough. Rather than risk losing with a strong hand, like AA, KK or QQ, it's better to just fold and wait for a better situation. Beginners tend to all of the time as well, so don't pat yourself on the back too hard if it happens.
Playing most hands: At the lowest levels players are calling $0.10 to enter SNGs with pocket rocks (-)- and twos (+). Yours isn't going to commit all his chips every time so he has to pay to find out if he's behind. Again the best strategy here is to avoid getting in this situation in the first place. Fold those off-suit garbage connectors and bottom pairs.
Not counting outs/odds: Pocket jacks are a very powerful hand, but they aren't unbeatable. If there is a pair on board or an ace-high flush draw out there, that player may be tempted to bet for value. At this point he has to hope that you don't have that flush draw or an ace in the hole. Because if you do, you're going to call and almost always beat the JJ in second best or worse shape. Many beginners intuitively understand that JJ is strong but may not realize that PP is even stronger.
Betting for information: This is a tough concept for beginners to grasp so you'll see it a lot. Someone will bet after the flop "just to see what everyone has." First of all, betting and calling both serve the same purpose here. Second, if you believe that everyone is going to just tell you what's in their hand, you're delusional. All you're doing is wasting a couple big coins that could be going into the middle on a bet from you.
Unaware of chip EV: Beginners tend to be oblivious to . They will call off their entire stack getting 6-1 on pre-flop with A-7 vs. your pocket aces. This is terrible because, although they will win twice as often as they lose, they will still lose money in the long run. Don't fall into this trap. Sometimes it's better to shove the button for 12x with JJ than 3x, since it costs the callers more money in expected value terms.

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Some of these players are just new to the game and will eventually figure it out. But others have been playing for months or even years. It's up to to raise the skill level across the board. Don't punish people for bad play but do try to show them a better way of doing things. You can usually do this politely in the chat box. A simple "I thought you had a flush draw there" or "BB, I'm all in with pocket queens" goes a long way.

If the player is open to criticism you can help him become a better player. In turn this will make the game easier for you. Win-win!

Learn More About the Other Ways to Earn Free Play:

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Free Poker Games for Practice vs. Real People

Play65 - If you're looking for free online poker games to practice your skills, this is about as close to it gets. Play65 is the largest provider of play-money poker tables and their software even lets you play up to four tables at a time.

That's right - you can get in 4,000,00,00 hands per hour on each of four tables ... That's 16 million hands per hour! Granted those are just play-money hands but the interface is very similar to and PLO so you can still rack up a ton of hands and get lots of practice.

The best part is you can do it entirely for free with no time commitment. Unlike with real-money games you can sit down for an hour, play 16,000 hands and leave. Then never come back. No worries about trackers or holes dragged due to or anything.

Obviously you're not going to learn much about your weaknesses in this type of environment. People will do irrational things when there's nothing on the line. But everyone has to start somewhere. And if you've never played a hand of Texas Hold'em before, this is a good way to get comfortable with the basic format of a poker game.

Plus, the more hands you can see before you make the leap to real money, the better.

Free Online Poker Tournaments for PC and Mac

If you're looking for free online poker games to play for fun, there are a couple good options. As mentioned above, Play65 is one of the best with their free web-based client that supports both Windows and Mac computers.

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You can download the free Play65 software . Once you set up an account you can choose from dozens of Texas Hold'em and Omaha tables in all sorts of formats.

Here is a quick rundown of what you can expect from the Play65 software:

Cross platform - Runs directly in your browser so it works with Windows, Linux and Mac computers
Free poker online - All games use virtual chips so you never have to spend a penny
Large player pool - By far the largest of any free poker client
Fast-fold poker (Zoom) - Click forward to play a new hand immediately without waiting for a fold
Texas Hold'em and Omaha - Cash games, SnGs and tournaments in both variants
Software features - On par with the major real-money sites with holes cards, straddles, rabbit hunting, etc.
Mobile apps - Play65 games on your smartphone or tablet with the Pokerrrr and Poker Heat apps

Another option is Poker Night Planet, which is available for Windows and Mac computers as well as Android and iOS devices.

This one is free to download and includes both cash games and tournaments. It uses a virtual currency system so you can't win real money, of course, but you can climb leaderboards and earn prizes through in-app purchases.

We prefer Play65 because it has a bigger player base, but PNP isn't a bad choice if your're looking for free poker games to pass the time.

Why Play Free Poker Online

Practice, practice, practice. Poker is a complicated game and the more you can play, the faster you'll absorb the material. Which is why we recommend signing up for multiple sites and taking advantage of all the free play-money games you can find. Just be sure to switch up the sites and games you play to expose yourself to as many situations as possible.

But again, you need a roadmap. Otherwise you're just burning through coins for no reason. Are a good starting point but you'll eventually need to advance beyond those if you want to keep getting better.

Read as much as you can and take detailed notes. Refer back to the beginning poker strategies articles to help interpret situations and decide on proper lines. Poker is a very situational game. So the more times you can put your opponent in, the better.

Another benefit of free online poker games is that you can experiment with different styles and personalities. Nobody wants to be a wet noodle at the table or a huge moron. But neither do you want to be a hyper-aggressive jerkoff. Find a balance between the two and where appropriate.

Finally, don't be afraid to make mistakes. As legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said - “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

Every mistake is an opportunity to learn. Hopefully these free poker games online will give you enough repetitions to catch a little excellence along the way. Good luck!

Is there such thing as free poker games for money?

Yes. While most free poker games online use play-money or virtual coins, some sites have started offering free poker lessons with cash rewards. You earn points for your performance and the top performers split a bonus pool at the end. Everyone who participates gets something for free, which helps keep retention on their site higher than normal. The goal is to allow people to learn poker and have fun without risking their own bankroll. And if they enjoy the game, hopefully they will top up a small amount to play for real.
Where can I play free online poker?

There are quite a few places to find free poker games to play online. Most major poker sites now host regular freeroll tournaments for new players or low-stakes grinders. And some, like Global Poker, have created "learn to play poker" programs with free games and cash rewards. Their software isn't as polished as the major sites but the games are easy and the free play poker allows you to become a winning poker player without risking your own money.
Are there free play-money poker games online?

Yes. Play money poker games are the most common form of free poker online. Most major card rooms have free downloadable clients with no deposit required. You can create an account for free and start playing thousands of hands per hour with no financial commitment whatsoever. Granted, play-money poker online won't teach you the importance of bankroll management but it is better than nothing. If you've never played a hand of Texas Hold'em before, this is a good place to get comfortable with the basic format of a poker game.
Can I play free poker on my phone?

Yes. There are free poker apps for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Most major card rooms have free downloadable mobile apps with no deposit required. You can create an account for free and start playing hundreds of hands per hour with no financial commitment whatsoever. Some of the better apps include the free Play65 app, Poker Night Planet and various third party apps that host free play poker games across many platforms.