Gambling Editor
Free poker is a fantastic way to get instant access to the game, learn the basic rules, and try out some hands in a safe environment. And you can start a new game in minutes, with no download required at some sites.
There are a couple of ways for you to access free online poker, which we’ll be comparing. Plus, we’ll walk you through how poker hands work, the key differences between free poker and other types of poker, and where you can play poker online for free.
How Does Free Poker Work?
Free poker allows you to play online without having to make a deposit. Instead, you’ll use something called play chips, which are completely free and have no monetary value.
You can play free poker games in two ways. The first is through an app like CoinPoker’s free poker game below:
The second is by downloading free poker software which, while offering real cash games, can also provide opportunities to play for free. CoinPoker’s offer below is a good example of this, as it gives you the chance to earn cashback once you generate rake. Even without this offer, you can still play practice games for free.
How to Play Free Poker Online
Here’s how to get started with your first game of free poker:
Pick a site
CoinPoker is a great starting point, as you can sign up with minimal details.Download the free software
Most poker sites require you to download the software to play properly.Create an account
As part of this process, you’ll choose a username, which can be seen by other players at the table.Click on ‘Practice Chips’
This will bring you to the play money area, where you can play free online poker games with fake money.Load up
Make sure you have some play chips in your account. At CoinPoker, you just click ‘Claim Chips’ to get more.Join a game
Pick a game, open the lobby,mm then click ‘Buy-In; to join.
Poker Rules for Beginners
If you’re totally new to free poker, you can enjoy dozens of free poker strategy guides to get you up to speed. But, if that seems like a lot to take in, let’s start by running through the basics.
Here’s how a typical poker hand works in a tournament:
Buy In
First off, you have to pay to enter the tournament. Even on a free poker network, you’ll pay a buy-in using play chips, which are free. The money is pooled together, and distributed to the top finishers. Normally, you need to finish in the top 10-20% of the field to win something.
Pre-Flop
In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two cards face-down. These are called hole cards, and are for your eyes only. There’s a round of betting where you can leave the hand (fold), try to see a flop (call), or force other players to pay more to stay in it (raise). You can learn more about these terms in our poker glossary.
The Flop
Three cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table, and these are known as the flop. These are called community cards, as all remaining players can use them to improve their hands. There’s another round of betting, where players can fold, bet/raise, or just skip their go (check).
The Turn
A fourth community card is dealt face-up, followed by another round of betting. Again, players can check, bet/raise, or fold.
The River
A fifth and final community card is dealt face-up. By this stage each player has seven cards to choose from: two hole cards and five community cards, to make the best possible five-card hand. A final round of betting takes place.
Showdown
If two or more players remain in the hand after river betting concludes, it’s time for showdown. This is when all players flip their hole cards over to reveal who has the best hand. The winner takes all of the chips in the pot, and a new hand is dealt.
Free Poker Games Ranked
The most common version of free poker is Texas Hold’em, or just Hold’em. It’s not only the most popular type of poker in the world, but also the easiest to learn.
You can play free Texas Hold’em poker online without a download at browser-based sites, and you’re usually launched right into a hand. It’s your best option because it’s straightforward, widely accessible, and translates well when it’s time for you to move up to real-money games.
Of course, you have other options. Here’s how we rank the best free poker game types:
- Hold’em. The all-time classic, and the only free poker game you can find with ease at most sites. Easy to learn and there’s a mountain of useful info available, from poker etiquette for beginners to how to play pocket pairs.
- Omaha. Similar to Hold’em, but you get four hole cards instead of two. And you need to use precisely two hole cards and three community cards. A bit more confusing for beginners than Hold’em.
- Stud. A totally different option, with no community cards and a seven-card hand consisting of both face-up and face-down cards. It’s hard to find real-money Stud, so it’s not the most practical entry point when you’re playing free poker.
- Short Deck. A relatively new option, Short Deck (also known as 6+ Hold’em) is a turbo-charged version of Hold’em with 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s removed from the deck. Players tend to bet aggressively in Short Deck and you need a really deep understanding of hand rankings, so it’s not a good option when you’re new to free poker.
Free Poker vs Freeroll Poker
Neither free poker nor freeroll require a cash entry fee, but they’re two different things. Free online poker with no download has a lower barrier to entry, rarely has upper limits on the number of entrants, and can be accessed straight from your browser with no faff.
On the other hand, poker freerolls usually have real cash prizes (or entry to another real-money event) but require you to download poker software and get signed up. Sometimes, this means sending over your I.D. before you can get started.
Here’s a comparison of free poker and freerolls:
| Free Poker | Poker Freerolls | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 24/7 free poker with instant access | Multiple freerolls per day on established sites |
| Formats | Hold’em | Hold’em, Omaha |
| Prizepools | Play chips only | Cash, tournament tickets, merchandise |
| Platforms | Available through browser on desktop and mobile | Software download required |
| Best for | Learning the rules of poker | A bridge towards real-money games |
Play Money Explained
Play money is a way for you to play free poker without using any money. Play chips, which are also known as practice chips, fun chips, and free chips, have no real-world value. You can think of it like Monopoly money.
When you’re at the tables, free poker looks just like real-money poker. Don’t worry – as long as you haven’t made a deposit and accidentally clicked on the wrong game, it doesn’t make any difference how many play chips you lose. They have no monetary value, and therefore no consequence.
If you do run out of play chips, you can simply reload., If you’re playing at CoinPoker, you need to go to the ‘Practice Chips’ tab and click on ‘Claim Chips’. Most free poker networks limit how often you can top up. It might be once every 30 minutes, once an hour, or once per day, depending on the site.
At the end of a cash game hand or tournament, play money chips are distributed to the winner. If you’re playing on a site like CoinPoker, you’ll keep these play chips and can use them to join bigger events in the future. If you play free Texas Hold’em poker online without a download, it’ll likely be a one-off session and your chip count will be reset next time you visit.
Free Poker vs Real Money Poker Comparison
There are some pretty major differences between free poker and real-money games, with the most glaring one being that you can win (and lose) cash when you’re playing real-money poker.
Most players move away from free poker fairly quickly, as it’s definitely the more limited option. But both of them have their uses.
Here’s how free poker compares to real-money poker:
| Free Poker | Cash Games | |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic | Patchy, with some games taking a long time to start | Consistently 4,000+ players at top sites |
| Top Prize | Play money only with no real value | Some tournaments offer $1M+ to winners |
| Formats | No Limit Hold’em | Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Short Deck, MTTs, Sit & Gos |
| Difficulty | Extremely easy | Medium to hard |
| Best for | Beginners | Confident players |
Tips on Moving from Free Poker to Real Money
Making the jump from playing poker online for free into real cash games and MTTs is significant, with much stiffer competition and more varied formats.
The lowest possible cash game stakes you can play at are $0.01/$0.02. That means the small blind is $0.01 and the big blind is $0.02. Despite these minimal stakes, the quality of your opponent will be much higher than it was when playing free online poker games with fake money.
We touched on freerolls earlier in our guide to free poker, and these are a great connecting block between the two. You’ll notice a step up in quality and can win real cash prizes, but they’re not quite as tough as standard tournaments.
While games are tougher for real money, they also come with a ton of perks. You’ll find way more tournaments and ring games, with many sites having 4,000+ players at any given time – and some breaching 10,000+.
There are more game types and formats, meaning you can tailor your choices to the version of poker that you prefer. And, of course, you can actually win real money. In the biggest tournaments, we’re talking seven-figure wins.
If you think you’re ready to move from free poker to real-money games, follow these tips:
Try cash games and MTTs. There are two main versions of poker, and both are very different. Cash games are good for shorter sessions and serious grinders, while MTTs are more beginner-friendly and make it easy to play to a fixed budget.- Budget carefully. Speaking of budgets, bankroll management is key to long-term success in poker. If you play cash games, you’ll want at least 20-30 buy-ins in case things go wrong. If you’re in tournaments, you need 100+ buy-ins.
- Study the language. Poker players don’t use all the jargon you’ll see in poker glossaries, but there are some terms which are standard in the game. Check, fold, bet, raise, flop, turn and river are a good starting point.
- And study everything else. You can learn Hold’em quickly, but you can never stop improving. Use beginner-friendly poker tools like a Texas Hold’em odds calculator and review your own hands to find weaknesses. This is how you can really push forward and become a much better player.
Try cash games and MTTs. There are two main versions of poker, and both are very different. Cash games are good for shorter sessions and serious grinders, while MTTs are more beginner-friendly and make it easy to play to a fixed budget.Play Online Poker with Friends
You can play poker with friends at many of the best free poker sites. In most cases, this requires you to download software, create an account and sign in.
You might be able to play free online poker with no download and get your friends to jump in the same game, but browser-based poker games tend to make this more difficult. When you have the proper software downloaded, you’ll see a list of all players at the table in the games lobby. This makes it easy to find your pals.
The only way to play online poker with friends is to manually arrange to play at a certain time and in a certain game, as there are 24/7 free poker games running. There may be a queue for popular cash games, in which case your friend will need to join a waiting list. This is common when a group of friends all try to squeeze into one table which is open to anyone.
The other way to play poker with friends is to set up a private table. It’s free to do this at selected sites, but each player must pay a real-money buy-in. There’s no site where you can host your own private game and play free poker.
How to Make the Most of Free Poker
Free poker games aren’t for everyone, but they’re perfect for certain types of players. If you’re a beginner and you’re looking to get the maximum from your time playing poker online for free, follow these tips:
- Nail the basics. There’s no better way to get familiar with the fundamentals of the game than by playing free online poker. You’ll quickly learn about betting, hand rankings and the order of play just by being at the table.
- Try something new. If you want to experiment with new strategies, free poker is a risk-free platform to get funky. Even if it completely flops, you haven’t lost any money.
- Treat this as step one. There’s nothing wrong with playing free poker, and it shows self-awareness for new players to start here. It’s a fantastic beginning point on your journey to real-money poker games.
