Poker Freerolls: Your Gateway to Free Poker Tournament Action

Poker freerolls are one of the most important event types for anyone new to playing online poker. Essentially, these are free poker tournaments with guaranteed prize pools attached. Yes, you heard correctly: a free-to-enter poker tournament that pays out real money.

It’s an ideal concept for poker novices to learn the ropes in a risk-free environment. It can also be a haven for intermediates looking to build their poker bankroll.

This guide will explore the nuts and bolts of poker freerolls, the benefits of playing them, and the potential pitfalls. We’ll also discuss how to approach a poker freeroll from a strategic perspective since its game dynamics tend to differ greatly from real-money tournaments.

What are Poker Freerolls? Understanding the Basics

Our freeroll definition is a free-to-play poker tournament in which players can win real money or other prizes of real money value. Unlike most conventional online Texas Hold’em poker tournaments with set buy-ins, freerolls give players a shot at winning without risking their own money upfront.

There are different types of freerolls offered by the leading online poker rooms. These include:

• Open Freerolls
  An open freeroll is a free-to-play poker tournament open to players of all experience and bankroll levels. 
• Restricted Freerolls
  A restricted freeroll is a free-to-play poker tournament that’s exclusive to certain groups of players. This may be new customers, long-standing customers or members of a specific poker community. 
• Private Freerolls
  A private freeroll is considered an invitation-only free-to-play event. It is normally hosted by online poker rooms for long-serving ambassadors and affiliates. Since these freerolls are more of a “thank you” from the poker rooms to their most loyal ambassadors and affiliates, they tend to have a more laid-back poker tournament structure. 
• Satellite Freerolls
  A satellite freeroll is a free-to-play poker tournament in which the winner (and maybe others on the final table) secures a ticket to enter a higher-value real-money tournament with a much bigger prize pool.

The Benefits of Playing Freeroll Poker Tournaments

There are several freeroll benefits for both novice and experienced online poker players. The number-one advantage is their risk-free nature. It gives players the headspace to focus on their poker strategy without worrying about losing buy-ins or failing to cash.

For anyone lacking the confidence to play multi-table online poker tournaments, freerolls are a great form of poker practice. You can master the intricacies of the game and improve your decision-making.

Freerolls also offer abundant opportunities for bankroll building. This can be handy for intermediate and other serious poker players who may be keen to grow their bankroll to take shots at higher levels or rebuild a bankroll after losing a percentage of their bankroll after a bad run.

Some freerolls also give you a risk-free opportunity to play for entry into bigger, more lucrative tournaments. If you don’t want to buy directly into these high-stakes events, you may be able to save yourself some money by qualifying via freerolls.

Finding the Best Poker Freerolls: Where to Play

Locating the best freeroll sites is your first mission if you like the sound of free-to-play poker tournaments with guaranteed real-money prize pools. PokerStars remains the oldest and most established online poker room in the world. It is renowned for its daily freerolls and additional freerolls for those who enrol in the PokerStars’ Poker School. PokerStars also runs exclusive freerolls tied into the European Poker Tour (EPT). These events give winners tickets to enter future EPT Main Events.

In addition, 888poker is another of the leading online poker rooms for freerolls. In terms of frequency, they tend to offer a bigger choice of freeroll events than PokerStars, with four types of freerolls hosted daily. Two of them are ring-fenced for “VIP” players, and another “Depositors” freeroll gives players entry, providing they’ve deposited once into their 888poker account in the week before the event.

Other popular online poker sites renowned for freerolls include PartyPoker, BetOnline and America’s Cardroom.

Freeroll Tournament Structures: What to Expect

If you’re thinking of playing a freeroll poker tournament, you’ll no doubt be curious about the likely freeroll structure of said tournament. This includes everything from guaranteed prize pools and starting stacks to blind levels and more.

When it comes to prize pools, don’t get your hopes up too much. You’ll be lucky to find an online poker room that offers more than a few hundred dollars upfront for its daily freerolls. When that’s split among all players who cash in the event, the winning player may receive 25% to 30% of the prize pool distribution. For instance, in a daily freeroll with a $300 prize pool, the winner may claim up to $90 in winnings.

Poker freeroll tournament blinds will usually start from 25/50 chips and move incrementally upwards. Blind levels are generally between eight and ten minutes per level. Anything lower than eight-minute blind levels will usually be marketed as a “turbo” freeroll.

Strategies for Success in Poker Freerolls

A winning freeroll strategy differs greatly from cash game and standard multi-table tournament strategies for all the reasons we’ve suggested. The number-one reason is the sheer unpredictability of the field of players entering into a freeroll.

We’ve put together some freeroll poker tournament tips to digest and incorporate into a successful freeroll gameplan:

• Steer clear of aggressive opponents early on
  “Tight is right” is the number-one mantra in the early stages of freerolls. Some players will play aggressively in an attempt to double or even triple-up and build a big chip stack early on. Don’t get involved unnecessarily – unless you have a premium starting hand. 

• Exploit players you deem to be loose and reckless
  If you discover loose-passive players at your table, these are the ones you should target, especially if you have a premium starting hand or the nuts on the flop, turn, or river.  

• Demonstrate more aggression closer to the bubble and the money
  As you inch closer to the “bubble” and making the money, some inexperienced players may tighten up. They may simply play too defensively in a bid to limp over the line into the money. This is one of the golden freeroll tactics – an opportunity for experienced players to show aggression, take down more pre-flop pots and build pressure. 

• Try to play in position throughout as much as possible
  Pay close attention to your table position. Try to play as many hands in late position as possible to act last, giving you maximum information on your opponents’ hands. 

• Keep a close eye on your chip stack
  Be mindful of your chip stack relative to the size of the blinds as they rise. Don’t let yourself get “blinded out”. If your stack falls below 10 big blinds, be prepared to make a move with any strong starting hand.

Managing Your Bankroll: From Freerolls to Real Money Games

Freerolls are a smart stepping stone to building your poker bankroll, especially as a complete novice. Begin by consistently entering as many freerolls as you can, racking up small but frequent winnings with zero risk. As your bankroll grows, your focus should immediately shift to adopting solid poker bankroll management.

A good rule of thumb is to never risk over 2%-5% of your bankroll on a single game or tournament. Think of it like a financial trader. They only risk a tiny fraction of their trading bank with every trade in the knowledge that, if they lose on this occasion, they have plenty more opportunities to win it back and more.

Once you’ve accrued enough freeroll winnings, you can start transitioning to real-money poker games. Begin with micro-stakes cash games or tournaments with the smallest buy-ins. Here, the competition is only slightly tougher, but the rewards can be much greater. As you work your way up the levels, ensure you have between 50-100 buy-ins for every level you play at.

The Pros and Cons of Poker Freerolls

Below, we’ll spell out the pros and cons of playing free-to-play poker events online with a freeroll poker tournament comparison:

Freeroll Advantages

• Zero financial risk
  You don’t pay a cent to compete in poker freerolls. 
• Access to cash prizes or rewards
  Despite not paying a cent, online poker rooms put up guaranteed prize pools for their freeroll tournaments. 
• An opportunity to refine your tournament poker strategy
  Freerolls give you the freedom to tinker and hone your tournament poker game and get exposure to players of various styles (from loose-passive to tight-aggressive). 
• Win free entry into bigger, high-stakes tournaments
  Some freerolls will give you a risk-free shot at gaining entry into a bigger event with a considerably larger prize pool. 
• Accessible to all players
  Most freerolls welcome players of all skill levels, creating a very diverse entry field that requires a specific strategy to negotiate the action.

Freeroll Disadvantages

• Prize pools are much smaller than paid-for tournaments
  Freeroll prize pools are, understandably, smaller than those where players must pay a buy-in to play. Freerolls are effectively loss leaders for online poker rooms to attract those new to poker. 

• Freerolls attract unpredictable play
  As freeroll entry fields are a mix of new and experienced players, it’s common to encounter chaotic play from some, especially in the early levels. A patient approach is needed in the opening levels. 

• Large field sizes can make freerolls time-consuming
  Freerolls tend to attract large fields, which can lead to tournaments taking several hours to complete for very small payouts.

Maximising Your Chances: Qualifying for Exclusive Freerolls

It’s possible to qualify for exclusive or high-value freerolls via loyalty programs, special poker promotions or by earning “frequent player points” by playing in the same online poker room. Many platforms offer VIP programs with loyalty rewards for regulars, including access to private freerolls with much bigger guaranteed prize pools.

Additionally, sites often run promotions where you can qualify for a high-value freeroll just by achieving basic on-site tasks. These tasks could be as simple as making your first real money deposit or playing a set number of cash game hands. Exclusive freerolls bring bigger and better winning opportunities.

Wrapping Up

These free-to-play poker tournaments are some of the best additions to online poker sites, especially for trade. They offer risk-free practice, an opportunity to win genuine money, and a chance to qualify for much bigger tournaments in the online poker circuit.

If you’re looking for more poker resources to improve your game and expand your knowledge of this classic card game, Betsquare is the number-one portal for online casino gaming in Australia. Be sure to check out the rest of our category of poker guides to help you put your best foot forward behind the felt.

Frequently Asked Questions About Poker Freerolls

Is it just real money I can win in poker freerolls?

No! In some freeroll tournaments, you can also play to win tickets to enter bigger poker tournaments with larger prize pots. These are known as “satellite freerolls” in the poker trade.

How often are freerolls available at online poker sites?

In most cases, online poker rooms will offer smaller daily freerolls and weekly and monthly freerolls. The latter ones tend to have the biggest guaranteed prize pools. As always, availability will vary from site to site, so check the schedules of your favoured platforms.

What should I expect in terms of competition in poker freerolls?

Freerolls in online poker sites attract a broad spectrum of players of various skill and experience levels. That’s why these tournaments can be hugely unpredictable, requiring you to bring your A-game to be patient and pick the right opportunities to bet, bluff and fold.