Play online poker for free at PartyPoker

They say that the best things in life are free, which is true when discussing online poker. It does not matter if you are a rank amateur, recreational player, or seasoned professional, it is sometimes nice to play online poker without having to worry about the money aspect of the game. Playing poker for free allows you to learn the ropes of a new game or format and test new strategies at your own pace, all while never risking a cent of your bankroll.

In this section we will cover:

How to play poker for free at PartyPoker

You have two choices when it comes to playing online poker for free at PartyPoker: our real money freerolls or heading to our play money games; we will cover the latter in the first instance.

Open the PartyPoker software, and look at the bottom-left corner of the client. You will notice a grey button labelled "Real Money." Give that button a click, and select "Play Money." You will see that the lobbies look familiar, but now everything is displayed in terms of play money chips, which have no monetary value!

There are cash games, fastforward cash games, Sit & Go tournaments, and multi-table tournaments waiting for you too. The rules are the exact same as their real money counterparts, except you use play money to play with and receive play money when you win.

Play no-limit Texas Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha cash games for free

Our play money games are the only way to play No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and fastforward cash games for free. Switch the PartyPoker software to play money as described above, then find your favourite cash games to grind using play money.

Enjoy the thrill of tournament poker with no financial outlay

Our play money tournaments are available around the clock with buy-ins from 5.50 chips to 530 chips. The blind structures of these tournaments are incredible, despite being free-to-play, which means they give you ample opportunities to experience what it is like to play in a prestigious real-money tournament without any of your bankroll on the line.

On the real money side of PartyPoker, you will also find some free-to-play tournaments known as freerolls. Although our freerolls cost nothing to enter, they are only available to PartyPoker players that have made at least one deposit into their accounts. This is because our freerolls award real money prizes.

Most of our freeroll tournaments stem from the many promotions we run throughout the year. Certain promotions have daily, weekly, and monthly freerolls, sometimes with up to $5,000 worth of tournament tickets or Party Dollars in their prize pool.

What are PartyPoker centrolls?

As the name suggests, centrolls are tournaments that only cost a single cent to play! Usually, centrolls are satellite tournaments that feed into larger buy-in satellites, giving PartyPoker players a chance to turn one cent into an entry to a massive online poker event or even a package to a live poker tour! Imagine turning $0.01 into a shot at the big time. PartyPoker makes that happen.

Why do people play free poker games?

Poker players play free cash games and tournaments for various reasons; everyone is different, which is the beauty of poker. Some players do not have the bankroll to play for real money, or they may lack the confidence to put their money at risk in a game of cards. Others love the social aspect of poker and just want to play with their friends or like-minded people.

Above everything else, playing poker should be fun, and people do not need to have money on the line to enjoy themselves at PartyPoker.

What strategy adjustments should you make for freeroll tournaments?

Although the rules of a No-Limit Hold'em tournament costing $55 to enter are the same as one that is free to join, there are some adjustments you should consider when playing in freerolls.

First, regardless of the prizes offered, the play at the start of a freeroll tournament tends to be fast and loose, with frequent all-in bets; they can be something of a free-for-all! Many freeroll players adopt a "go big or go home" strategy where they are willing to risk their stack early into proceedings as they attempt to build a big stack. They will raise all-in or call all-in bets with bizarre holdings, hoping that Lady Luck is shining down on them. Sometimes they get lucky, but most of the time, they don't! They play like this because they have nothing financially invested and see it like they have nothing to lose.

Do not be surprised if half of the entrants have been eliminated before the end of the first couple of blind levels. However, once the initial craziness dies down, freeroll tournaments feel and play like a low-stakes real money game. This is particularly true when the tournament approaches the bubble stage, where the prizes are awarded. Players that were so trigger-happy with their chips before can now see some fruit for their labours and begin to tighten their starting hand requirements, and often play overly tight, which makes them an easy target to push from pots.

A few general rules and sweeping statements to bear in mind when playing free tournaments include:

• Play is extremely loose-aggressive during the early stages.
• Players tend to call you down with any piece of the board, which means you should bluff less, if at all.
• Do not be afraid to play your big hands strongly. You could consider open-shoving with pocket aces in the early stages because someone will call you with total rubbish!
• Freerolls start to feel like a real money tournament once the initial madness calms down.
• Playing styles usually become overly tight near and on the bubble.
• A tight-aggressive strategy is the best way to approach PartyPoker freerolls.
• Don't become disheartened if you lose; learn something from your game, use it to improve your knowledge, and you haven't really lost!

Freeroll Tournaments FAQ

Q: Can you play online poker for free at PartyPoker?

A: Yes, you can! PartyPoker has a variety of cash games, fastforward cash games, Sit & Go, and multi-table tournaments available to enjoy using play money. There are also freeroll tournaments available in the real money client that award cash prizes or tournament tickets.

Q: Are there any restrictions to playing PartyPoker freerolls?

A: Some freerolls are restricted based on the country you registered your account from. For example, we may run a promotion that includes a freeroll tournament for players in the United Kingdom that is only open to UK residents. These instances will be clearly marked in the tournament's lobby. In addition, to receive real money prizes and tickets from freerolls, you must be confirmed as a real money player, which means having made at least one deposit into your account since opening it.

Q: Can I win real money prizes from PartyPoker Free-to-Play tournaments?

A: Yes, you can! Our freerolls either award cash, Party Dollars, or tournament tickets. The prize pools of our freerolls vary depending on the promotions running at the time.

Q: How can I play poker for free at PartyPoker?

A: You have two choices. You can either change the client to play money by clicking the "Real Money" tab in the bottom-left of the software. This reveals all of the play money games. Alternatively, you can select the "Freerolls" filter under "Category" in the "Tourneys" tab in the real money client and find free poker tournaments there.