Online Poker » Best Poker Sites » Best Freeroll Poker Sites

A freeroll poker tournament is an event on a poker site in which players can compete without actually wagering any real money. There are several different types of freeroll tournaments on poker sites. A play money freeroll allows players to buy in using play chips but have a chance of converting these chips into real money. Normally, these tournaments only pay out to the sole winner of the tournament. Another type of tournament provides a cash prize package to several top finishers in the freeroll tournament.

Finally, other freeroll tournaments will only allow certain players to participate. For example, the best freeroll poker sites often offer freeroll tournaments just for new players at their site. This adds an incentive for signing up at the poker site as well as limiting the playing field to a select amount of player - improving the odds for every participating player to win the tournament. The best freeroll poker sites offer these types of tournaments to their members throughout the day as a way to compete, even if you do not have any real money with which to play.

Best Freeroll Poker Sites - Sportsbook Poker

Sportsbook Poker is one of the best freeroll poker sites as they offer hundreds of freeroll tournaments and qualifiers culminating in the $100,000 freeroll tournament every month where the runners up split $25,000 in cash and the tournament winner receives a $75,000 cash prize. This monthly freeroll tournament runs for 10 months out of the year - totaling a freeroll prize package of $1 million.

Best Freeroll Poker Sites - Full Tilt Poker

Most of the freeroll tournaments at Full Tilt Poker are multi table tournaments. While most of the best freeroll poker sites focus mainly on freeroll tournaments catering to Texas Holdem players, Full Tilt Poker offers these tournaments for all game varieties like Omaha and Stud. New players at Full Tilt Poker also receive a ticket to participate in the $12,000 freeroll tournament just for new players - held each month.

Best Freeroll Poker Sites - Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker specializes in small freeroll tournaments to give participating players a better chance at finishing in a money position. Freerolls are available in both Limit and No Limit games (primarily Texas Holdem). Freeroll tournament play at Absolute Poker is normally characterized as being very loose and consisting of a great deal of beginning players.

What is a Freeroll?

Before the development of freeroll poker tournaments, a freeroll in poker had an entirely different meaning. In a poker game, there is often a situation where two players have the exact same valued hands and achieve the same relative hands on the flop. For example, two players might have an Ace, 10 in Texas Holdem and straight comes on the board. This means that one player has at least a chance to split the pot - a freeroll. However, one player might have Ace, 10 suited which has the potential to form a flush after the river card. This player still cannot do any worse than split the pot but does have a chance to take the entire pot. This player is referred to as being on the freeroll because they cannot lose.

Freeroll poker tournaments are excellent opportunities for beginning or new poker players to hone their skills in a tournament environment without having to risk any real money. For a new poker player, immediately wagering half of their bankroll on a poker tournament can be a detrimental activity. While other poker tournaments use prize packages funded by the fee portion of each player's buy in, freeroll poker tournaments are, in effect, donations by the poker site. These freeroll tournaments are sometimes closed to many poker players and are only available by invitation only. For example, the best freeroll poker sites may offer several freeroll tournaments for players that are loyal to their site or are in a certain position in their VIP program.

Freeroll Poker Site Tournament Strategy

Freeroll tournament strategy at the best freeroll poker sites does not differ that much from strategy in any other large tournament. When you first begin playing, there are several things of which you should be aware. First, there will be a great deal of players attempting to quickly double their chip stack in an effort to gain a strong advantage over other players later in the tournament. However, you must remain tight while players battle it out. You may not have as much of a chip advantage over other players as you would like at first. You will, however, be able to watch the more aggressive players fall as sharks take them down. Try only playing the top 8 best hands during the first hour or so of the tournament. You will likely be playing at full tables where the blinds will only reach you twice every 9 hands.

After the first hour or two, the play field will begin to shrink and you can start playing with a little more aggression. However, your primary goal is still to take advantage of opportunities while staying tight to conserve your stack size. Do not pay attention to how your position or stack size relates to the rest of the players in the tournament. Learn to play smart poker and never think a hand cannot be beaten until the river comes. Many players will never fold a pair of Aces - even if the flop is dangerous. During the early portion of a freeroll tournament, there were be a great deal of players playing fast and loose with their chips as the end is far away and the tournament was free. Avoid this temptation and play like your entire bankroll is on the line.