If you’re beginning to play online poker more and more often but haven’t quite committed to playing in cash games, freeroll poker tournaments are a great way to get your feet wet without risking any minutes. Some online poker sites like UltimateBet and Full Tilt offer the occasional freeroll with a significant cash prize, but the vast majority of these events are for a small amount of cash for your bankroll. While it’s true that these aren’t huge dollar amounts up for grabs, it’s better to play a freeroll than something like Minesweeper, where there’s no money on the table and you’re not even developing better poker play!

Some people enter freeroll tournaments just to go nuts at the table; they’re not there to play seriously and they spend their time playing hands that they normally wouldn’t, go all-in on ridiculous cards in their hand, and otherwise just be aggressive as all hell before they flame out spectacularly. While it’s hard to say that this is good poker play, it does work for a to of players because they quickly accrue chips and are an early chip leader and they can then slide into regular tournament play. There’s also the reasoning that playing like this gets “the gamble” out of your system and you can focus on the game proper.

However, there’s a lot to be said for playing slowly and snugly at a freeroll, especially in the early stages. Don’t be afraid to fold and don’t be afraid to be aggressive when you are holding pocket rockets or KK. Fast and loose is great if you’re the winning player, but losing players can shore up their play and turn their game around without a spectacular flameout that leaves them shouting at the monitor. If you’re not quite there yet in your online poker play, being the losing player and trying to stay in the game for as long as possible can get you valuable practice time and you’re training yourself to become a better player by seeing your weak spots.

In the end, though, freeroll poker tournaments are just that: free poker events. Go in there and have some fun at the tables, chat with the others, and get to know the game better. Even pro players enjoy sitting at freerolls on occasion because in some ways, it is the purest form of the game. There’s not many risk-free opportunities in poker, but freeroll poker tournaments are among them. Use them to your advantage and work for the cash prize or better yourself and your game by losing awesomely.