Texas Holdem Poker Lessons: Playing Free Poker Online

Poker aficionados tend to sneer at free online poker where you get to play with fake money only. They have a point: When poker is played just for fun, it often degenerates into a loose and boring game of chance with everyone calling and raising to the end. Yet free poker sites are not worthless. With the right approach, a novice player can turn them into a valuable practicing tool.

In this Texas Holdem Poker Lesson, we will show you how to take advantage of these free online sites.

Money

As a poker novice, you want to play the game as realistically as possible. Look for opponents who are scared of losing their chips. Do this by joining tables where players have chips by the hundreds only and fewer than yours. Say you have $1,000 worth of buy-in. Go to a table where players' chips are 200, 450, 900, etc. You will then be playing against cautious folks who need to protect their chips. This produces better playing quality.

Rules

Familiarize yourself with Holdem rules through playing for fun. There is nothing like doing the actual thing as opposed to just reading about it. If there is an option to receive dealer messages explaining the game, turn it on. Read it so you will know the status of every move and what the rulings are.

Practice

Develop good playing habits while in a free poker room. Apply what you learn from books and tutorials and see how they work. Play Limit Holdem since the money is easier to manage. Give yourself confidence in your playing skills by building a bankroll. Sure, it's only play money. But the discipline and experience you gain will reward you in real play later on.

Observation

Learn to read the table and other players. As the community cards are dealt, try to guess what will come next. Watch your opponents and see if you can tell what hands they have. Learn to recognize player profiles and adjust your game accordingly. If there is a showdown, see who was bluffing and who was not, who played a good hand and who was a reckless fool.

Attitude

Even in free Texas Holdem Poker, it sucks when you fold only to see open cards that could have given you a full house. By practicing in free sites, you can get used to moments like this. Cultivate the right attitude and stay calm always. Above all, enjoy the game.

These tips should help you make the most out of free poker online. However, free poker is just for practice. It can never take the place of the real thing. In due course, you will tire of the inferior quality of the free stuff. When that happens, it is time for you to graduate to real poker played with real money.

This concludes the Texas Holdem Poker Lesson on free gaming.