It is much easier to setup an online poker game for your friends than to host one at your home. By playing online, you have no mess to clean up afterwards, and no food to provide, and less time invested in setting up the game and more time in playing the game. One site that offers players this option is Party Poker. Their software is very user. Free poker tourneys are yet another exciting type of poker tournament. The best part is they are 100% free to enter and players can win real cash in the process. Players can easily get started – no money down – and build a bankroll in double-quick time. Free poker tourneys also award tournament tickets and other prizes to top-place finishers. The Home of Free Satellite Poker Tournaments New players and highly skilled poker tournament pros who enjoy Texas Hold’em poker and its variants love the exciting free Satellite poker tournaments on Replay Poker!

Playing online poker from the privacy of your own home is something that all poker players love to do. It's a great way to learn, considering the number of hands you'll play compared to live poker, tremendous fun, and can even result in you winning some cash if you're a good player.

That said, sometimes there's nothing more fun than a home game with friends.

Good conversation (especially the brutal post-hand rubdowns), great food, a few drinks and the chance to play for bragging rights and a few bucks with your buddies just can't be beaten. But before you can host the ultimate home game there are several things you need to do. Luckily for you, the PokerStars Blog is on hand to walk you through it...
Get The Right Gear
Know When To Hold'em
In poker, it starts with the cards.

New players and highly skilled poker tournament pros who enjoy Texas Hold’em poker and its variants love the exciting and free poker tournaments on this site! From the very beginning of a player’s Replay Poker experience, increasing levels of Achievement badges are awarded to recognize skill levels, bankroll milestones and social interactions!

Not all decks are built the same, and while buying paper playing cards at the store might be the cheapest option, it's not the best one. These cards are easily bent and destroyed, and will end the game as fast as it started.

You don't have to push the boat out and play with the COPAG brand cards they use at PokerStars Live events; in fact, any brand of plastic playing cards will do, but plastic cards are a must for any successful home game.

If you can, get two decks of different colors. That way you can always have one deck shuffled and ready to go, which will speed up the game significantly. Plastic cards should last, even if it's an all-nighter or all-weekender.
Chip In
When thinking about poker chips, a dollar store or something similar might seem like the best option. The blue and red plastic chips they sell cheaply will work. However, these flimsy chips just don't feel right when you're mimicking a Phil Ivey staredown, hoping your friend folds the best hand to your epic bluff.

Casinos use clay or ceramic chips. Investing in a set can make all the difference and they are easy to find with a few simple clicks on your favorite online search engine. There are a ton of great chip sets available. You can get a custom set with your own picture or logo on them and PokerStars players can use StarsCoin to buy ceramic chips in the VIP Store.

A quality chip set might not loosen up the action, but it'll certainly give your home game a professional feel and will leave your friends nodding their heads with approval whilst thinking back to how great your poker night was.
Put Your Cards On The Table
If you don't have a huge place with its own man cave, a custom-built poker table with brass cup holders may not be a viable option. Don't fret, there are dozens of nifty portable poker tables or table tops on the market that you can use to transform your living room into a PokerStars Festival final table.

If an extra table takes up too much space, you can order up just the felt and drape it over your regular dining table, which will do the trick too. Playing on some sort of felt is the only way you'll be able to keep all the chips, cards and action on the table where they belong.
Rules of Engagement
Be The Bank
To avoid confusion, one person must be the bank, handling all the buy-ins for cash games or tournaments.

Double check all your math, hand out tournament chips or cash-value chips for cash only and make sure you're the only one who has access to the bank. No one is accusing anyone of trying to pull a fast one, but making one person responsible for the bank is the best way to ensure it's never short.
Cash Is King
Cash games are often the best choice. Playing cash allows you to set affordable blinds and buy-ins while also allowing players to sit in and out of the game as they see fit. The ability to reload also means no one has to sit on the sidelines and watch others play.

When you're playing no-limit hold'em, or other flop games, the key is to set blinds and buy-ins at a level players are comfortable with. Different stakes appeal to different crowds, but no one is ever comfortable losing a mortgage payment. Blinds and buy-ins should be set accordingly.

As long as your home game isn't filled with self-made multimillionaires and trust fund babies, set the blinds at $.50/$1. Allow players to buy-in for anywhere from 50-200 big blinds and reload when they go broke or close to it. At this level, even someone cursed with the worst luck imaginable won't lose more than they can afford.

If your friends have a little more in the way of disposable income, you can up the blinds to $1/$2 or any level affordable to them, but capping the buy-in at 100 or 200 big blinds should keep things friendly. Unless someone hits a one-outer, of course...
Tournament Poker Glory
Tournaments offer the best opportunity for glory and bragging rights among friends. They also give players the chance to play at higher blinds with moderate buy-in levels.

The only issue is players who bust early need to wait for a winner before getting back in. To avoid lengthy wait times, follow a turbo structure. The speed of play will ensure you can host a handful of tournaments over the course of a night without anyone being forced to sit out too long.

Set the buy-in at an affordable amount with the idea that each player is going to jump into four or five tournaments before the night is through. Since you'll likely have six to 10 players, think of each tournament like a Turbo Sit & Go you may have played on PokerStars.

That means giving players 1,500 in chips. Traditionally, blinds begin at 10/20, but you can make things easy and speed them up by starting at 25/50. You won't see as many hands per level as you would online, so instead of five-minute blind levels, try 10. Increase the blinds according to the structure found on PokerStars and these tournaments should go no more than 10 to 15 levels. If they're moving too slowly, skip a few levels. Just make sure everybody knows about it and agrees this in advance.
Poker is Poker
It's the Cadillac of poker, but no-limit Texas hold'em isn't the only poker game on the planet. Most people know how to play hold'em, and even if they don't, it's easy to learn, making it the top choice for a home game.

However, there are dozens of poker variants you can spread just to spice things up. Hosting a Dealer's Choice game can be fun. Simply add a second button to the table that moves with every orbit. The player it lands on chooses the game and can give a quick lesson to those who haven't played it. If anyone is having trouble, just refer them to PokerStars' How To Play pages online, where the rules of a dozen different poker variants are explained in detail.
The Devil Is In The Details
You've got the right gear and the right game. You've invited the fishiest of your friends and you're ready to play. Now you've got to make sure the horses are fed and watered.

Having great food and drinks can turn your home game into a truly enjoyable evening, which, outside of fleecing your buddies out of their cash and earning their acclaim, is the real point of all this.
Cheers To You
A good selection of craft beer is a start, but poker and whiskey have gone hand-in-hand since the dawn of time. A bottle or two will add a little old-school authenticity to the game. On the flip side, plenty of drinking water is also required and the availability of great coffee can help turn an early night into a marathon session.

It's All About Pizza
When it comes to food, pizza has always been the top choice for home games. However, there is a downside to this. Add in the usual potato chips and snacks and midway through, the poker chips and cards will end up as greasy as the bags and boxes!

Steak and lobster may not fit in your budget, nor are they that easy to carve into at a poker table, but there are plenty of options for food you don't eat with your hands that will keep the game clean. A selection of pastas and salads served with the proper utensils will do the trick.

Of course, when you run out of food, or give in to the overwhelming demand for pizza, just remember to have plenty of napkins on hand.
Good People, Good Fun, Good Game
When you've got the right gear, food and drink, a home game can be a great night out, or in. Invite men and women who tell great stories, love good banter and see the game as an opportunity to bond with one another, instead of a chance to make money. Win or lose, you'll be a home game hero, and all who come are sure to leave asking when you'll be hosting again.

Freerolls, poker sites and your bankroll: there are few sweeter equations in the poker world than this. While it’s true that in life you don’t ever get something for nothing, you’ll find when you play poker online, freerolls are there to ensure that this isn’t necessarily the case.

Of course, there are certain restrictions when it comes to online poker freerolls, but these are, at best, minimal. In fact, in order to take part in any of the free poker tournaments at our top US sites, you basically need to create an account and play at least one real money hand.

Great! All this sounds fantastic, but what exactly are free poker tourneys? In a nutshell, a poker freeroll is a tournament that doesn’t cost anything to enter. Unlike MTTs that charge an entry fee plus rake, these no-cost poker events allow you to test your skills and compete for cash prizes for free. In general, at the best US poker sites, freerolls will run throughout the day and offer prizepools worth anywhere from $100 to $10,000.

How Poker Sites, Freerolls and You All Fit Together

If no-cost tourneys basically give you a chance to win money for nothing, then why do US poker sites host them? Although it may seem counterintuitive, poker site freerolls actually make good business sense for all parties. For poker rooms, free tournaments are a way of rewarding players, stimulating action and nurturing loyalty. By giving novice players a chance to build a bankroll from nothing, the best US operators are more able to retain valuable customers.

Regardless of whether you’re a newbie without a bankroll, or a seasoned grinder looking for a cash boost, these free poker tournaments are a great way to enhance your fortunes.

In fact, free tournaments come in all shapes and sizes. Although many are aimed solely at new customers with small bankrolls, many of the best poker sites offer freerolls to VIP players. Usually taking place at the end of the month, the size of the prizepool is often dependent on a player’s ranking. For example, a low level VIP may be rewarded with a monthly freeroll worth $1,000, while a top-ranking player will be given a ticket to play in a $10,000 tournament, all for free.

• U. S. Poker Site
• Compatibillity
• Editor Rating
• Deposit Bonus

• Very player friendly
• Generous cashback
• Great mobile play

The Advantages of Freerolls, Poker Sites and Your Bankroll

When it comes to freerolls, poker sites want you to take advantage of them. As we’ve mentioned, these tournaments actually make sense for all parties concerned, but what positives can you learn from US poker site freerolls other than making money?

Patience: It’s often the case in online poker freerolls that players are crazy. Because entry is free and, in general, the fields are large, players are willing to take risks. This usually takes the form of a constant barrage of all-ins during the early rounds. Because of this, the key to free tournament success is to be patient. Moreover, the key to poker success is to be patient. Thus, when you play online poker free tourneys, you should build up a healthy amount of patience that will improve your overall game.

Better MTT Skills: When it comes to the best US poker sites, freerolls provide a great way to hone your tournament strategy. Because they don’t cost anything to enter, you can practice the skills necessary in order to thrive in each stage of an MTT (early, middle and late). Moreover, because free tournaments often contain a plethora of American grinders, you’ll gain valuable experience when it comes to tackling both live and online tournaments.

Tricky Plays: Free poker games are a great way to practice new plays. After reading a piece of poker strategy you’ll often want to test it out on your opponents. Of course, in a real money game this can be costly. However, when you play online poker freerolls, this fear of losing money isn’t there. Therefore, if you want to advance your skills and become a trickier player, free tournaments provide the perfect testing ground.

Bankroll Management: In terms of poker sites, freerolls offer a great way for you to manage your bankroll. Across America, players are losing their bankrolls on a daily basis because they take too many risks. Fortunately, when it comes to freerolls, poker sites offer an in-built safeguard against financial ruin. By giving you the ability to play poker and win money for free, you can avoid spending more than you can afford, thus, going broke.

Don’t Lose Your Values When Playing Free Online Poker Tournaments

One of the biggest traps novice players fall into when it comes to US poker sites, freerolls and overall strategy is fancy play syndrome (FPS). The key to success in all American free poker tournaments is to play solid poker. Often described as A, B, C, this strategy basically asserts that you raise with your strong hands, fold your weak ones and, generally, don’t do anything too tricky because the players around you aren’t skilled enough to read your moves.

When it comes to playing poker online, a free tournament is a great training ground so you should always see them as a way to practice sound poker strategy. Although it may be tempting to join the all-in merchants, we suggest you avoid this and follow our simple tips to free tournament success:

• Only raise with the top 10% of hands (increase this to 15% when you’re on the button).

• Don’t bluff.

• If a player makes a re-raise and you don’t hold AA, KK, QQ, JJ, A-K or A-Qs, you should fold.

• Only limp into the pot of you have a small or medium pair and there have been two limpers before you.

• In the early stages, make sure you play extremely tight. Conversely, in the latter stages, you can be a lot looser.

• Be patient. US freerolls contain a lot of player so don’t despair if you don’t win one. There are multiple MTTs each day so play as many as possible.

• Don’t bluff!

The Best US Poker Sites: Freerolls and More

So now we’ve given you an overview of the business of poker sites, freerolls and everything in-between, it’s time to point you in the direction of our best recommended poker rooms. When it comes to our top US poker sites, freerolls form a major part of our review criteria. We only choose the operators with a large number of daily free tourneys for both new and established players. In fact, when you ante-up at any of our recommended platforms, you’ll find a slew of online poker freerolls offering five-figure prizes on a weekly basis. So, if you want to build a bankroll from nothing, make sure you take advantage of our latest freeroll offers.

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