Freeroll Tournaments

The online Poker industry utilises what is known as a freeroll - a special no buy-in tournament - as a way of handing out free Poker money. Freeroll Poker tournaments do not cost anything to enter but do offer real money winners for participating players.

As is the case with most online Poker rooms, only real money players, i.e. those who have made a deposit, are able to participate in Freeroll tournaments. Selected Poker rooms, however, do occasionally host Freerolls for fun mode players. This is a great opportunity to hone your skills and find online Poker software that best suits you.

Top Poker Rooms for Freerolls:

Poker Room

Max Bouns

Match Bouns

Ranking

Download

William Hill Poker	$600	100%
Winner Poker	$500	100%
Mansion Poker	$500	100%
Titan Poker	$200	50%
888 Poker	$400	100%
Cool Hand Poker	$350	100%
Noble Poker	$500	100%
Lucky Ace Poker	$400	100%
BetWay Poker	$400	100%
BetFair Poker	$400	100%

What is a freeroll?

A freeroll is a poker tournament that players can participate in for free, with no buy-in or fees required to be paid by the player.

What are the different types of freerolls?

Most poker rooms offer three different kinds of freerolls. You always need to check out their website to see the offers. Below you will find the three most common types of Freeroll tournaments; each one has its own entrance criteria:

Open Cash Freerolls

If you have a registered account on William Hill you can play in the cash-pot freerolls.

Restricted Freeroll Qualifiers

These are freerolls from which you can win entry into other tournaments. To enter these you must have fulfilled a requirement such as earning enough player points during a given period.

Restricted Cash Freerolls

In these tournaments the prize is cash. To win the cash just finish in the prize pool. However, you may need to collect a certain number of player points in order to claim your cash.

What sort of prizes can be won in a freeroll?

Each poker room determines their own prizes for freerolls, however there are some typical prizes, which are to be found at every poker room:

Satellite entry

If the freeroll pays an entry to another online tournament, a ticket should be issued to you and will be in your poker account, under tournament tickets. You then use this ticket to buy-in to the next tournament.

Cash

For freerolls that awards cash, the amount you won (according to which place in the tournament you finished) will automatically be deposited into your poker room account. Most poker sites send you an email confirming your win and notifying you that your winnings have been deposited. Sometimes the prize can be a gift, such as a laptop, video cam or Play Station.

Prize Package to offline (land based) event

Many freerolls award a prize package to an offline land based tournament such as the World Series of Poker. After you win, you will be contacted by the poker room via email with complete details of how to claim your prize. Be sure to check your email and respond promptly or your prize may be forfeited.

What are some of the requirements/rules to play in a freeroll?

To enter a freeroll there are often requirements that needs to be fulfilled before you can join. Below we have listed the most usual requirements:

Points requirements

Most poker sites require that players earn a specified number of player points to qualify to play in their freeroll. Player points are earned when a player plays hands in real money cash games and tournaments. Points are accumulated for every raked hand played, or for every dollar paid in tournament fees. Therefore, the more hands or tournaments a player participates in – the more points they earn.

Rake requirements

Some poker sites may require that a player generate a set amount of rake to qualify for a freeroll. The Rake defined as the percentage of the pot that is taken by the poker site to cover their business costs.

Qualification periods

Every freeroll will have a specific time period for qualification and you can only qualify within that particular time frame. If you cannot register for a freeroll, it may mean that the qualification period has already ended and you failed to meet the requirements within the allotted time frame.

Registration period

Players who have met all the requirements but are still unable to register may be trying to sign-up to early (before registration begins) or too late (after registration has closed). Registration can open a month, a week, a day or an hour before the tournament start time, again depending on the poker room. Be sure you understand when the registration period is, so you won't be shut out of the freeroll.