Our top recommendation if you're looking for a solitaire-style game is Pogo's Solitaire Poker. It's simple, fast and fun - and an excellent way to run through hundreds of hands per hour while waiting for action on your shared home game or at the .
Best Real Money Gambling Apps 2023 - Phone/Tablet CasinosIf you want a more traditional video poker experience, try JackpotCity's selection of single-play and multi-strike video poker variations. New players can also get up to $1600 free to build a bankroll while they work on their game.
If you're looking for a free online poker game that most closely resembles a cash game, I recommend playing Play Money on one of the major poker clients like or . If you haven't played on one of these clients before it's a good way to get comfortable with the software before jumping into real-money cash games or tournaments.
Finally, if you just want to play a quick 5-10 minute game to kill time, give our super simple a try. You vs. the bot. On earth. No high-stakes here.
Now let's look at your options in more detail...
Best Free Online Poker Game
1. Pogos Solitaire Poker
Solitaire Poker
Pogos Solitaire Poker is exactly what it sounds like - a poker version of the classic card game most PC users grow up playing in Windows. If you spent any amount of time on the early web you'll also be familiar with the Pogo version which has kept many people entertained over the years.
In short: Solitaire Poker is a poker-themed spin on classic Solitaire where you build stacks of cards from low to high or at least alternate colors. Every time you move a card from the tableau to a stack or move a group of cards to do so, you are dealt one card in a virtual poker game in the corner of the screen.
barstool casino pa promo codeFive card Stud, Omaha and Straight (also known as Seven-card Draw) are available. Once you’ve been dealing yourself five-card hands thousands of times you’ll have hundreds of thousands of hand experience. That kind of volume will help you pick-up on patterns and develop your sense of probability.
Because the bulk of your attention is focused on playing a game of Solitaire, you don’t need to worry about losing all your concentration when you get a hand like a couple Aces and Kings. Because, well, you're not really going to play that hand.
Yes you could spin-off a few bucks on your Ali-Imperial Coplope Nogueira nuts but you'd be far better off focusing on your Solitaire.
An extra benefit? Playing Solitaire Poker is less repetitive than actually playing Poker because each time you lay out a new set of cards the board is different. And because you're only partially paying attention to the corners, your ego isn't constantly being stroked/mashed by a lucky flop.
If that wasn't enough, you can also earn coins playing Solitaire Poker that can be used to enter cash bonus freerolls. Even if you don't consider Full Tilt a "free" option you can at least keep your account alive with coin-generated traffic.
Fun Casino Review 2023 - Approved Site for UK Players2. JackpotCity Video Poker
Video Poker
While Video Poker isn't precisely Poker, it is the closest thing to a poker game you can play on a slot machine. If you've never played Poker before it's a great way to get comfortable with ranking hands, making decisions and developing your own pace and routine at the virtual table.
The version of Video Poker you're probably most familiar with plays 9 or 52 card draw poker (aka "full pay") where you wager a single credit and attempt to make the best 5-card hand possible. If you think you have a good hand you hold cards and draw from the remaining cards in your credit.
Most video poker machines in casinos payout the following:
Games With the Best Payout Rates in a Casino- A pair of Jacks or better 1 to 1
- A pair of Kings or Better 4 to 1
- A pair of Aces 8 to 1
- Two Pairs 16 to 1
- Straight 25 to 1
- Flush 30 to 1
- Full House 40 to 1
- Four of a Kind 50 to 1
- Straight Flush 75 to 1
- Royal Flush 250 to 1 to 4,000 to 1+
If you've never played Poker before learning the rank of hands at a jackpot poker machine is a good place to start. It's also a much easier than having to outguess other players at a Texas Dolly table.
At some video poker machines you can maximize your return by playing multiple credits. The most famous variant, known as "9/5" video poker, pays 60 to 1 for hitting a "Full House" and 120 to 1 for hitting a "Royal Flush." JackpotCity currently offers several single-play and multi-strike video poker variations:
- Jacks or Better (1 Hand)
- Jacks or Better (4 Hands)
- Tens or Better (1 Hand)
- Tens or Better (4 Hands)
- Bonus Poker (1 Hand)
- Bonus Poker (4 Hands)
- Double Double Bonus (1 Hand)
- Double Double Bonus (4 Hands)
- Multi-Strike (1 Hand)
- Multi-Strike (4 Hands)
If you've never played Multi-strike before it's worth trying as it introduces a unique dynamic to Video Poker that gives you a second chance even after you fold.
In a nutshell: After you make your initial decision to hold or fold certain cards you have the opportunity to gamble the value of your hand for a chance to double it, double-double it or even hit a Royal Flush.
To give you an idea of how lucrative that can be, JackpotCity's Multi-stake game pays out 2,000x for a Royal Flush during normal play and 4,000x if you hit the Big Gamble. If you max-out at both stages you're looking at an eye-popping 16,000x payout or $32,000 if you wager just $2.
Both JackpotCity gaming variants are pretty loose too so you should be able to get plenty of practice trigger massive hands. To up the ante JackpotCity also runs a weekly Multi-Stake Challenge where you can win cash and rewards for achieving various milestones.
If you're already familiar with the game you might want to check out JackpotCity's Twist on Traditional Video Poker as well.
Best Slots to Play with a No Deposit Bonus – The Emporium Casino Blog3. Play Money Poker
Play Money Poker
If you're looking for a free online poker game that most closely resembles a cash game I recommend playing Play Money on one of the major poker clients like , , or.
If you've never installed poker software before NoLimit is probably your best bet as it's the most popular and user-friendly. You can or for Mac and get up to speed in no time.
Once you've installed the client of your choice create a Play Money account and take a seat at any cash game table. Start small. There are thousands of beginners playing nothing but $.01/$.02 Play Money games so those tables are always populated within seconds.
One of the biggest mistakes beginner-beginners make is quickly moving up through the stakes to give themselves "more of a challenge." While it's true you will face stronger opposition at higher levels there are significantly more fish at the lower levels.
It takes a lot of courage to lose nonexistent chips so beginners tend to be much looser with their Play Money. From a strategic standpoint it's infinitely more beneficial to learn proper preflop hand selection and postflop execution against weak, aggressive opponents than tight, aggressive regs.
After you've had some time at the $.01/$.02 tables you can gradually move up through the stakes, testing the water with $1/$2, $2/$4 or $5/$10 chips. Chances are you still won't lose much sleep over losing virtual dollars but, on the bright side, winning them won't give you false confidence either.
Play Money is also the perfect way to get comfortable with a particular piece of poker software before you inject real money into the system. While all the major clients are very similar there can be some subtle differences in the way hands are played out or pop-ups are displayed.
You may also want to try out some third party tools like and before dropping down on them for real.
how does online slots work4. Kevins Pokers Super Cool Rocket Poker!
Kevin's Pokers Super Cool Rocket Poker!
Kevin's Pokers used to be our top pick for a simple two-person heads-up showdown. Unfortunately it looks like the game is no longer playable although we’ll leave it on the list in case it comes back to life.
If you agree or disagree please let us know in the comments section below!
Kevin's Pokers is a simple two-player heads-up game pitting you against the site's namesake. Each player starts with 100 big blinds and the goal is simply to win it all.
There is no chat box or customization features but Kevin does talk a bit of smack when you're losing and has a few different avatars. Not sure why that matters but it seems important to Kevin. Don't let him bother you.
Kevin knows the basics of six-max poker but he's far from a pro so you'll have lots of opportunities to put into practice everything you've learned on our strategy pages.
5. Poker Night 2
Poker Night 2
TellTale Games' Poker Night 2 isn't free but it is extremely cheap ($4.99) and absolutely fantastic. In fact it's one of the best values in PC gaming right now.
Not only do you get Max, CL0PK, GLaDOS and a new guy named Archimedes who play a variety of cash games and SNGs with you but you also unlock characters and modes in TellTale's excellent games.
Each of the four characters has a unique playing style so you can spend hours figuring out their tendencies and learning which hands are good to shove on Max versus GLADOS.
It should go without saying but Poker Night 2 is a great way to get some marginal tier tournament experience versus relatively solid competition.
Best Slot Machine Sites in the UK (2023)What Makes a Good Free Online Poker Game?
As you can see from the list above our definition of a free online poker game is pretty broad. Some of the games on the list have very little in common with traditional poker while others are incredibly realistic.
That's intentional because everyone is looking to improve a different part of their game. Here's a quick guide to what you should look for in a free poker game based on what you want to achieve:
- Learning Hand Rankings: Solitaire Poker, JackpotCity's Jacks-or-Better.
- Getting Comfortable with Software: Play Money on any major poker client.
- Basic Strategy, Pre and Post-Flop: Solitaire Poker, JackpotCity's Bonus Poker or Double Double Bonus.
- Advanced Strategy (Mid to Late Position): Play Money on any major poker client.
- Reading Opponents: Poker Night 2, Kevin's Pokers.
- Practicing Under Pressure: Kevin's Pokers, Poker Night 2.
- Volume: Pogo's Solitaire Poker, Jackpot City's Multi-stake, Poker Night 2.
More Free Online Poker Options
If you're looking for more free online poker games we've got you covered:
Casinos Within an Hour of Hartford, CT – Best CT Casinos- PokerListings' Complete List of Free Poker Sites
- Our review of - A very slick free poker app for smart phones
- Our review of - Another great smart phone poker app
- Our review of Zynga Poker - The world's most popular free poker game, with 37 million active users on Facebook alone, created by gaming company Origin. It's a very social game with tons of extras but also quite removed from real poker. Still, it's fun and a great way to kill time and maybe get the bug if you've never played poker before.
- Our review of Envy Poker - A free, instant-play poker client that uses a currency called "Funtiles." Can be reset to factory settings and used for private tournaments among a group. Decent graphical client with all functions of a real poker client (stats, straddles, rabbit hunting, etc.). Offers occasional free ring games using real player pictures. Based in Canada.
