19,200,000 results found. This is what my eyes beheld when I searched Google for ‘free online poker’. Online poker has become the newest craze in gaming today. Just think about it, you can sit at home in your underwear, not to worry about that bad hair day, and play poker for free. This is just one of the many reasons people have flocked to popular sites such as fulltiltpoker, partypoker & paradisepoker just to name a few. Others have a dream of sitting in at the final table at the World Series of Poker, playing against the pros, Chris Ferguson, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth Jr.
Whatever your desire may be, free online poker is the place to start. However, I don’t recommend that you jump in the first room that you surf across. There is some research involved. Read the poker room reviews, talk to friends or get involved in a discussion group. Word of mouth from experienced players is usually the best way to find a good room. The best online poker rooms let you download and start playing for free within a few minutes and there is no time limit.
You want to make sure that the site is player-friendly, easy to navigate from the lobby to the tables, to the cashier. You need to be able to maneuver with ease. You want to make sure tech support is readily available. Some of the more popular sites allow you to keep notes. This is important because you want to make a note of who is bluffing on a regular basis, who bets too loose, etc... Some players choose to play in rooms that are simple, free from unnecessary graphics and loud colors. Personally, I like these rooms. I also look for a room that has extra features to make my playing more enjoyable. Fulltiltpoker lets you choose avatars with different facial expressions. This is always fun. Players always seem to pick the avatars that either 1.) Reveal their true personality or 2.) The total opposite. I can usually tell which is which within a few hands.
For those who want to make a career out of online poker, have an advantage by playing for free. They can gain a lot of experience without investing their entire bankroll. Because it’s free, you can try different strategies, find your strengths, and overcome your weaknesses. The one thing to be cautious about is not to get in the habit of playing too loose. Who cares, it’s only play money, I can go back to the cashier and get another $1000 in chips right? Sure, but if you bet too loose in a real game, you’re sure to go broke fast.
One of your best chances to win a seat in The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is to play in a freeroll tournament. Chris Moneymaker won his seat in the 2003 series via Pokerstars online card room. He took the series by storm winning the no limit hold’em championship. He walked in with a total investment of $40 and walked out with $2,500,000. I say that’s worth giving it a shot!
Titan poker is offering a freeroll tournament in which the grand prize package is a free entry to one $1500 buy-in WSOP event in 2006 and $1000 spending money. Who wants to be the next Moneymaker?
Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivy, Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harmon, Howard Lederer and many more professional poker players have one thing in common; they all play at online poker rooms. Chris Ferguson was playing free online poker on IRC before all the popular online game rooms with sound, graphics, and player-friendly options ever existed. To me, this shows a true love for the game.