Everything About Free Online Poker Tournaments (2024)

Free online poker tournaments – also known as ‘freerolls’ – are online poker events where you compete against other players and win prizes, without spending a penny to enter. Learn all you need to know in our below guide!


Top 2 Casinos Offering Poker Freeroll Tournaments

Vbet Logo

1.

350% Up To €4,500 (approx. ₹4,01,000) First Deposit Bonus
Rakeback loyalty programme of up to 40%
Play poker on the go via app
20+ payment methods available
Khelo365 logo

2.

Get 200% bonus of up to Rs. ₹4,00,000
Fantastic poker tournaments and promotions
Start playing immediately after sign-up
GoPaisa accepted on all deposit methods
Play now

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We’ll now take a closer look at these three casinos listed above.

VBET

Founded in 2017, and powered by BetConstruct, VBET’s casino section primarily focuses on slots, although its poker product has been slowly gaining pace in terms of growth and popularity.

VBET’s poker events have minimal entry fees ranging from €0.2 (₹17) to €60 (₹5.2k). Buy-ins for exceptional events might even reach €250 (₹22k).

The NLH progressive knockout structure used for VBET Poker events allows for unlimited re-entries.

In addition, VBET is also an official partner of the RPT (Russian Poker Tour), launching satellite tournaments.

Khelo365

Khelo365 is owned by K365 Web Assets Pvt. Ltd which is licensed by Government of Nagaland and iTech Labs of Australia.

The popularity of Khelo365 among Indian online poker players has only grown since they became the first legal platform in India to enter the world of online poker. It offers some great poker campaigns and promotions, such as 14+ Lakhs.


How To Play Poker Tournaments Online for Free in India

A picture showing some poker chips on a poker table
(Image | © Pxfuel | License)

Search for a poker room that offers no-limit freerolls. Almost every website offers it in some capacity. Here is how to get started without making a deposit:

  1. Go to the site of your chosen casino.
  2. Log in or sign up for an account.
  3. Look for a freeroll poker game in the site’s tournament section. You can limit your view to simply those that are free to enter.
  4. Enter to being playing!


What Are Poker Freeroll Tournaments?

A poker freeroll is a poker tournament that has no entry fees. You sign up, play, and—if you score among the top competitors— you win something.

Freerolls are regarded by beginners as the best poker learning environment (you play for free, have a chance to win, and reduce your risk factor too).

Experts see these events as value-packed because freerolls provide the opportunity to win seats to more expensive events for free.

Freeroll poker tournaments are popular among those who want to learn how to play poker without having to pay any money. While the cash prizes in these events may be more on the modest side, they contribute to valuable experience and skill development.

Join VBET


Types of Freerolls

  • Exclusive Freerolls
    An exclusive freeroll is a tournament that is exclusively open to a select group of players that match the criteria established by the poker site hosting the event. The majority of special freerolls are ‘password-protected’ occasions, meaning that only participants with the correct password may sign up and participate.
  • Weekly Freerolls
    Every week at the same time, these free poker tournaments are held as part of a casino’s tournament schedule. Prizes can include actual cash, tickets to the competition, and more.
  • New Players Freerolls
    Newly enrolled players at a casino website can participate in these freeroll competitions. These are often only accessible during the first week of your membership. These are great ways for beginners to start playing or to try things out for the first time.
  • Satellite Freerolls
    Satellite freerolls – also known as feeder events – allows participants to compete for tickets to larger, real-money tournaments.

Strategies To Increase Winning Chances in Poker Online Tournaments

Poker is a skill-based game, allowing you to evaluate your likelihood of success at various stages. To give your chances of winning a boost, consider these straightforward tips below:

  1. Start slow
    We can say that a poker tournament is similar to a marathon, as it is a good idea to play cautiously in the initial stage of the competition. Due to their aggressive playing style, many players lose their chips at the beginning of the game.
    Take the time to observe and study your opponents during the early phases of the game. If you notice aggressive play, slow down. Begin steadily, but avoid being overly cautious.
  2. Be patient
    Early games of a tournament are difficult to win. Most players start squandering their winnings because they tend to rush in the middle of the game. Carefully assess your hand before making a call, as the stack amounts on the table will vary.
    Protecting chip stacks on the table goes hand in hand with this tactic. If you have a weak hand, you shouldn’t take too many chances unless you are completely certain of your board position. Every round will present one or two openings, so be patient and wait for the right opportunities.
  3. Be aggressive at the right time
    While a constant aggressive approach is not recommended, a certain level of aggression is required. Otherwise, if you don’t exhibit any aggressive moves at all, you might not end up with enough chips to survive the game’s later stages. Knowing when to push the table is advantageous.

A picture showing a royal flush, with 3 dice and some poker chips in the background
(Image | © Pxfuel | License)


Free Online Poker Tournaments: Pros and Cons

Freeroll tournaments have certain advantages, but may not be your cup of tea. To help you figure out whether this is the case or not, we’ve listed the most notable advantages and disadvantages below:

Pros
  • No entry fee required
  • Excellent for beginners
  • Great way of learning poker strategy without risk
  • Chance to win rewards with no investment
Cons
  • Large number of newcomers might make things unpredictable
  • Small prize pools shared by numerous players
  • Few poker varieties to choose from
  • Best tournaments are invitation-only

Freeroll vs Cash Tournaments

You might believe there isn’t much of a difference between monetary and freeroll events because they both involve free poker — but that’s where the similarities end.

Play money games are free to play, but there is no way to win real money. You compete against other players who are putting their play money bank rolls at risk, and you can only win play money.

Play can be wild, especially in lower stakes money games. Players frequently go all in on every hand in order to develop a stack. Being patient is essential in these games.

Playmoney chips can be converted to real money on some sites, most notably PokerStars, but you need a fruitful amount of playmoney chips to actually establish a starting bankroll.

Playing freerolls is frequently a better starting point than attempting to build a bankroll in playmoney games. There are often players who go all-in regularly in the early stages of a freeroll event, just as there are in playmoney games.

However, once the prize money – real, actual money – is in sight, especially if the freeroll provides significant rewards, free poker events begin to play very much like tournaments with an entry fee.

This characteristic alone makes freerolls an ideal venue for honing your poker tournament skills.


Other Types of Poker Tournaments

Apart from the free online poker tournaments, there are other online poker tournaments too. We have explained them in brief:

  • Sit and Go Tournament
    Sit & Go poker tournaments are quick tournaments with a limited number of players that take place within an hour. In most tournaments, no more than 10-12 players are eliminated after losing their chips. Sit and Go games are popular at online casinos since they are played on a daily basis.
  • Heads-up Tournament
    One of the most popular types of poker tournaments, heads-up tournaments see two poker players competing at the table against each other. In other words, these competitions are one-on-one affairs. Winners of each table advance to the next one-on-one round until only one winner remains.
  • Freezeout Tournament
    Freezeouts are one of the most basic and widely played forms of poker tournaments. To participate in a freezeout tournament, players pay their buy-ins and are given chips to play with until they run out. As a result, when a player runs out of chips, he cannot repurchase them to continue playing. The World Series of Poker, the most prestigious tournament, is a prime example of a Freezeout.

Our Verdict

Free online poker tournaments are an excellent opportunity for new poker players to gain experience and earn real money without breaking the bank. They can help you learn fundamentals of poker, enhance your skills, and even generate substantial profits!

To get started, simply scroll up and choose one of the casinos we have recommended above to begin playing.

A last tip before you begin playing – make sure you have read up on the finer details in case there are any hidden surprises linked with any casino site.


Free Online Poker Tournaments FAQs

1. Are free online poker tournaments really for free?

Yes, freerolls do not require any entry fees from players in order to participate.

2. Why should I play poker freeroll tournaments?

Freerolls are sometimes a better place to start than cash tournaments. In the early stages of these events, players frequently go all in, just as they would in a cash game. It’s also an excellent place to hone your tournament skills.

3. Is it possible to win real money in poker online freeroll tournaments?

Indeed! Though the prizes are not that significant, yes, you win real money in these poker freerolls tournaments.

4. Is it possible to play poker freerolls on mobile?

Yes, if the casinos that you play these tournaments have an app or a mobile optimised browser then you can play on mobile.

5. Is online poker legal in India?

In states like Goa, Karnataka, Sikkim, Kerala, West Bengal and Nagaland, poker is legally established by the Indian gambling laws and regulations. You can even join poker rooms in these casinos to play tournaments.