Practising Poker on Free Games

The more you practise, the better your game will be. Luckily there are plenty of opportunities for practising poker on free games.

Practise means being less of a newbie

When it comes down to it, the name of the game is experience. In poker, a new and inexperienced player may often have a high degree of success – but only because they don't understand what they're really doing.

When a completely inexperienced player hits the tables, they can benefit from the way that a more pro player will fold in reaction to their shenanigans. And they might even think they're doing well. But this only lasts for a while. As soon as the more experienced players spot the true lack of understanding in the newbie player's actions, the run of “luck” will end very quickly and the newbie will be sent packing with a whole lot of bruises to nurse.

So what we're looking for here is ways to build up experience without it having to cost you tons of money – which it will end up doing if you naively log onto a poker room full of sharks and you don't fully understand the magnitude of how horrendously it's possible to fail.

If you go in green, and you play with cash, you will be taught spectacularly expensive lessons. Whether such schooling is worthwhile to you really depends on how fast and how well you learn.

Play poker for free

Luckily, many poker rooms offer free games where you can pick up some practise without bruising through your bank balance. This is a really excellent idea for several major reasons.

Firstly, and most obviously, because it will give you a chance to play more poker. The more poker you play in a competitive environment, the better your game is going to become.

Secondly, you will be playing against people you don't know, which is a distinct advantage because if, for example, you play in a regular poker game in your own home against the same group of friends and you happen to do ok by it, you run the risk of getting an inflated sense of your game – you might start thinking you're invincible when you're really not. Playing free games on poker sites will teach you this lesson with no real damage to your wallet.

Thirdly, the one of the most compelling reasons for practising poker on free games is that it exposes you to the environment of playing online. Do not for one second assume that because you're used to playing at the real green felt that you will therefore do well online. The game is completely different once you log on.

For starters, you have much less time to think about your actions – usually only around 30 seconds to act. When you play at home you're having drinks and laughing with friends – it could be ages before you have to make a call.

Next, you don't get to read other players' body language or behaviours, because you can only see their avatars. You have to base everything purely on what actions they take, not whether a vein has started to throb in their foreheads.

And it's by far better to get this schooling for free. When you're done practising poker on free games, you can move up.