Poker Free Online Reviews The Most Popular Poker Game Free Downloads For PC and Macs

In this article we're reviewing poker free online games and asking to what extent are, or can such games be as training aids for real online poker play against real people for money.

To clarify, what we are reviewing are poker game downloads you play against the computer by yourself rather than the kind of free poker game downloads you can play at most poker online sites which feature free practice play games against other beginners or people testing out tactics.

Our review looks at the most popular title around, namely the Governor of poker games collection and the links are going to parts 1 and 2, suitable for both pc and mac downloads..

Truly free?
Each game is $6.99 however, you can try free before you buy as they give you a poker games free download complete edition test for Mac and PC, so there is nothing to lose.

So what are these games all about? This is my summary, this is the publisher description which is the marketing pitch.

Governor of Poker One
Governor of Poker, is a poker game unlike anything you're ever seen. Discover if you've got what it takes to go up against the Pro players of the old west? Do you dare join a cash game or tournament, dare you move ‘all in’.

How do you think you'll feel if you can totally clean out all the players, take all their money and even their houses, horses and land! Do you have what it takes to become the Governor of Poker and take over all of Texas?

But once you're done with Governor of Poker 1 you won't have had enough! Lucky for you there is Governor of Poker 2 Premium with lots and lots of extra’s!

Governor of Poker 2
This sequel features many changes. Towns and become cities and many new people have arrived. That's all very well but that's not good enough for you! Now there are loads more cities to conquer, more tournaments to play, interactive wallpaper, downloadable theme music and an extra Pro level of difficulty.

And the biggest challenge of all awaits. It's the most exciting adventure in the Wild West, fighting the ban on Poker!

In Governor of Poker 2 you can also learn how to play the best poker with the poker-tutorial. There are many new tournaments, multi table with up to 120 competitors spread taking place in 19 cities and 27 poker rooms and casinos. Also very popular is the bounty hunter game, where you win money prizes when you knock out marked opponents!

Organize your own tournaments, get loans at the bank. Travel by train, river casino boat or stage coach and play another game while travelling.

Get yourself customized hats for style and also to unlock new game locations. Look for opponent tells based on emotions like nervous, on fire, steamy and tilted. And to regain your Governor status beat the 9 most notorious poker players in the west!

Player feedback - Is Governor of poker any good?
The reviews we have found for Governor of poker 1 and 2 have been mixed. Seems Governor of poker games are love it or hate it - so get the free poker games downloads version first and try it and see what camp you're in!

A common theme is that it is more of a poker fun game as opposed to a real life poker training simulator. If what you are after is a real life poker training system then this is not quite it simply as there are not other people there and your computer is not an AI.

For real life practice you still need the sort of free download poker games practice games that you can find on sites like NoPayPOKER.com where the play and attitudes are all very real!

One area where the Governor of poker games can help even those who want real life simulation is with the processes of the different types of games and the terminology, so they are good for beginners as you can learn all about how poker works which can save you some blushes and maybe a few tart comments when you play against real people.

So you'll be fully familiar with position, the blinds, betting, raising, folding and so on and hopefully an idea on what hands to play and NOT to play. Governor can also be set to a very hard skill level (as well as easy) so maybe it can help you get ready to go up against some hardcore players!

But if what you want is a fun poker game, one that is also suitable for kids to play then the Governor of poker series is one you should look at. Go get the Governor poker games free download for pc or Mac today.

Free How To Play Poker For Beginners Lesson On How To Master The Most Important Skill In Poker

There's one skill, or maybe you could call it personality trait that sets successful poker players apart from the herd more than any other, be you a fun free poker online player or casino cash player the fact is that if you do not possess it you'll never do well, what is it then, simple - Patience.

Even the blind mouse finds the cheese sometimes, and no matter how unlucky you think you are, how many chips you have, or how many people are left in your tournament, the most important thing is that you are patient with yourself.

It's easy to do at times, you get a succession of rubbish cards, your stack shrinks, you get desperate and do crazy things like call with J5 off-suit and similar nearly zero chance hands. I can tell you I've been there many times, and it has been the death of me many more times than it has helped.

A key to success through patience is not to be patient just pre-flop, it must be all hand. Let me show an example, You draw a K (c) Q (d), and you call with 2 other people in the hand. The flop shows K(h) A(h) 8(h). This is obviously a very dangerous hand, and many times I would just fold this off the bat.

But if you're in that desperate or drained state of mind after a series of bad cards you may well get false confidence, and this will get you beat 85% of the time even though there are only 2 others in the hand.

Patience is one of the many obvious traits important to poker success. But even more so is that you are consistent with your patience! Now and again it is easy to get carried away by the moment and then you can lose all the fruits of your otherwise patient play in a moment of madness! To build this consistency try to make rules on what you are willing to call pre-flop and what you won't.

Obviously free online poker is a much different game than live, as online is much more fast-paced and live is more in-depth and slower. Despite many complaints from my peers, I like to milk out every second of my time limit for each decision. I recommend this to any competitive and casual online poker players, because it may be the difference between a bad beat and a great fold.

Many times in online free poker play you will run into, what we call "Donks". Most of the time they will have a much larger chip stack, and will win hands using brawn and bluffing. It?s important not give into his bullying, and play it slow. If you get a good flop, let him make the mistake. The classical check-raise works well, but if you move too early, your chance will be lost to cash in. "Donks" can be a great source of chips, if you be patient and play it out right.

We will all get bad beats, it's unavoidable. It happens to the best of us, and there's nothing we can do about it. What we can do, though, is play smart, take your time, and, again, be patient.

This is all very important no matter what sort of poker you play and how experienced you are, which neatly brings us to the final point. Experience. You can read all the articles, books and magazines and watch all the TV and take online courses and classes but nothing can replace or shortcut true experience, so get out there and play poker online for free if you're new to it all, build your skills and understanding and work hard to develop that crucial patience habit.

And what better place to learn patience than to play poker free at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you don't have the fear of losing money like you do at on money sites or live tables yet you can still win real cash.

Plus the NoPayPOKER blog at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com/articles contains a huge pro written free poker games training series, with lessons from basic at how to play poker for beginners courses to masters level. Complete the intermediate level course at least and you will find yourself in the top 10% of online poker players worldwide.

Free Online Poker Guide To How To Beat The Different Player Types

This article gives you some key free poker online tips that I have found build winning foundations. We'll look at different player styles and how to counter them and the importance of table position and how to play each position.

Types of Players

Call Stations
These players likes to see a flop doesn't bet or raise he only calls or checks until the river that is why they are labelled as Call Station. You can extract money on this player as long as you play your normal game but be careful not too bluff at this player because it won't work. Also known as Loose-Passive.

The Rock.
The rock is a simple, careful player who does not want to play any more hands than necessary and so only plays strong hands.

This player can easily be bluffed. This players favorite action is folding or calling if he has a premium hand. If your bluff is called then respect him because he isn't lying about it. The risk is also known as Tight-Passive.

The Maniacs.
These players are the ones who bet and raise all the time and love to bluff a lot. They will often go all in pre-flop without hesitation. This is a common free poker online player. Only call a maniac if you have a premium hand. Don't bluff them as they'll counter you right back with no hesitation. Maniacs are also called as Loose-Aggressive.

The Solid Player.
The better players you will find, can be regarded as pro players in the context of the free poker online site or game you are in. They know the game very well and have a load of tricks up their sleeves. They know when to fold and when to go all in if sense a bluff. They don't play on luck or for fun, they play strategically and understand probability. The Solid player is also called a Tight-Aggressive.

Position
Position is often the key to getting the most of poker. If you don't know how to play by position then you are playing poker blindly. An QK might look nice to call however its really not too good if you are the first to act and the other players are awaiting your action.

Early Position.
This position refers to the first player to act prior to the flop. This position follows the blinds.

There 2 early positions in a table of 10 players. In this position you are at a great disadvantage to other players due to not enough information on the table. It's always best to be tight in this position and raise with only good hands such as AA, KK, QQ, AK and fold anything else. Why? Because you lack information on the other players and calling a lot of hands would risk you putting all your chips to the pot. Always raise.

Middle Position.
There are 3 middle positions in a 10 player table. In middle position you will have some knowledge on the other players.

It's always best to play at least semi loose but still be mindful as there are still other players waiting in line. Hands that can be played in this position are 88 to AA and suited connector cards like 89 diamonds. Make sure you know when you are beat at the flop and fold your hand. Re-raise only if you think you have the best hand.

Late Position.
Usually this position is the most advantageous. Why? Because you have maximum information on the other players. It is possible to play many cards in this position if the pot hasn't been raised.

Call with unsuited or suited connectors, suited cards, small pairs like 22, 33, 44 and practically any card so long as you know what the other players are like. This is when bluffs will tend to be successful.

For a great free poker lesson on playable cards and position see the D M Vadnais series, "Building Your Bankroll" also on NoPayPOKER, it's brilliant.

Unsure how to apply these skills? Don't lose money learning, practice and learn first on micro or free poker online sites such as...NoPayPOKER!

And what better place to play poker online for free that at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you don't have the fear of losing money like you do at on money sites or live tables yet you can still win real cash.

Learn How To Play Poker Guide To Poker Card, Pocket And Hand Name Nicknames

In this poker online free learn to play poker free guide you will learn to interpret lots of the weird words and phrases used in poker to name the different cards hand combos. At the end you will not be completely lost when playing poker and words such as Route 66, Jackass and Union Oil (to mention just some) are being quoted!!

First lets look at individual card names. Then the ranked order of 'pocket cards' (what you get dealt at the start of a poker game).

Here we’ll define pocket pairs and the better meaning playable) unpaired starting hands. Finally you’ll learn some of more popular and famous hands.

The 13 cards used in poker are often nicknamed. They are also commonly referred to by a letter or their number.

- Ace - Bullet, Rocket (A)
- King - Cowboy, Monarch (K)
- Queen - Lady, Dame, Dyke (Q)
- Jack - Knave, Hook, Fishhook, (J)
- 10 - Dime (T)
- 9 - Niner (9)
- 8 - Snowman, Fat Lady, Ocho (8)
- 7 - Hockey Stick (7)
- 6 - Boot (6)
- 5 - Spot (5)Jesse James
- 4 - Sailboat, Sharp Top, Four spot (4)
- 3 - Trey, Crab (3)
- 2 - Deuce, Duck (2)

Now when a poker game starts you're given 2 cards known as pocket cards.

About once every 16 times you will get a pair of the same, known as a pocket pair.

In order of relative strength or potential they are:

- AA - Pocket Rockets, Rockets, Bullets, or American Airlines
- KK - Cowboys, King Kong, Gorillas, Kangaroos, Monarchs, or Krispy Kreme
- QQ - Ladies, Hookers, or Siegfried & Roy
- JJ - Fishhooks, Hooks, Jokers, or Jay Birds
- TT - Dimes or Tension
- 99 - Gretzky, Popeye's, or Phil Hellmuth
- 88 - Snowmen, Fat Ladies, Dog Balls, or Race Tracks
- 77 - HockeySticks, SunsetStrip, or Mullets
- 66 - Route 66, Kicks, or Cherries
- 55 - Presto, Speed Limit, or Nickels
- 44 - Magnum, Sail Boats, or Middle Age
- 33 - Crabs or Treys
- 22 - Ducks, Pocket Swans, or Deuces.

You'll always at least want to go onto the flop with pocket pairs but of course once every 16 isn't often.

Unpaired pockets are what you will get 15 out of 16 or 93% of the time so you will be playing with them more often than not, not all unpaired combinations are worth playing, these ones though, in order of potential, are considered playable.

- AK - Big Slick or Walking back to Houston
- AQ - Little Slick, Big Chick, or Doyle Brunson
- AJ - Blackjack, Ajax, or Jackass
- AT - Bookend or Johnny Moss
- A5 - High Five
- A4 - Topped Four
- A3 - Ashtray or Baskin and Robbins
- A2 - Hunting Season or Acey-Deucy
- KQ - Marriage (if suited) or Mixed Marriage (if not suited)
- KJ - Kojak, King John, or Tucson Monster
- KT - Kate or Katie
- QJ - Maverick or Oedipus
- QT - Quentin Tarantino
- JT - Days of Old
- T9 - Paint Plus Connector
- 98 - Oldsmobile
- 87 - RPM
- 76 - Union Oil
- 65 - Medicare
- 54 - Jesse James or Colt.

There are loads of names for larger hand combinations and finishing hands, here are a few of the better known ones.

- KKK - Alabama Night Riders or Three Wise Men
- TTT - Thirty Miles of Bad Road
- 222 - Huey, Dewey and Louie.
- AA88Q - Dead Man's Hand
- AKQJT - Broadway
- A5432 - Wheel
- 3 of a Kind - Set (if you possess a pocket pair matched by a 'community card')
- 3 of a kind - Trips (if one is in your pocket and two are 'board cards')
- Full House - Boat or All The In-Laws
- 4 of a Kind - Quads or Quad Set.

I hope this was a fun and useful article, if you are at the stage of learning the card names then I suggest when you play you play poker online free where you can learn without fear of loss.

For a boatload more learn to play poker free poker online free tips and to put theory into practice and action and to play poker online free go join (free) the http://www.NoPayPOKER.com poker online free games site. There you can not only learn how to play poker for free you can play online free poker with no risk of losing money yet win real cash.

How To Play Poker For Beginners Help With How To Play A Poker Hand

In the second part of my learn how to play poker for beginners free online poker course we're moving on from the basic game structure outlined in part one.

Where part 1 simply outlined how the game works, in this part you'll learn exactly what you do action by action in a real hand and at the end will be able to go play.

To begin, the action starts as the blind bets are laid by the Small and Big Blinds (SB and BB). Now the cards get into action. If "Blinds" means nothing to you hop on back to part 1 for an explanation.

From the Dealer Button (DB) going clockwise rounf the table each player gets 2 cards, face down, handed out one at a time (so the DB goes round the table twice). These are also called Pocket Cards or hole cards.

Now it is time for the betting to begin, that is after all, I imagine why you want to play poker! That is why I'm sure you now find yourself seated at a free online poker tournament table isn't it? Isn't that betting and winning buzz thing the reason why you've joined a free online poker site?

Of course it is, the game of poker is all about winning money! Nothing more, nothing less (with the possible exception of social interaction in the chat lobby or the table's chat box).

At this stage in the hand (holding 2 pocket cards), each player is betting on what hand they feel their pocket cards may lead to.

The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the Big Blind (BB).

This player has the UTG (Under The Gun) position. He's given the UTG label primarily because the Small Blind and Big Blind players were forced to put up bets prior to receiving any cards.

Thus, both the SB and BB are already engaged in the hand; albeit not voluntarily, at least not yet; they'll have to wait until the betting comes around to them.

And, for this round of betting, each player has three choices:

1) To fold. You do this if you think you have rubbish cards, also called "rags" cards. By folding in this first round you won't lose anything but nor can you play the rest of the hand.

2) To raise. Usually when they think that they hold really good pocket cards.

3) Or you can call to match the Big Blind bet. You may do this if you think your cards have at least a bit of potential.

A 4th option you may have heard of, checking, often available in subsequent betting rounds, isn't a choice at this stage.

Once the betting comes round to the SB (Small Blind) if this player wants to fold then they lose their blind chips, if they have terrible pockets then this may well be the best thing to do. Or, as SB you can Call the BB by putting in the difference between the SB and BB amounts. Or, this player can call whatever raise has been made, or this player can initiate a raise; or even a re-raise, aa a beginner keep it simple and either just Call the BB or fold, watch and learn othrs to see the raise, new raise and reraise in action.

Next it is the turn of the BB (Big Blind). If there has been no raise then the BB can Check (do nothing and let the play pass by), or Call, Raise or Re-raise.

About Raises
In a No Limit Texas holdem tournament the amount a player can use to raise is limited only by the chips they hold (limit games as the name suggests have a limit) If his stack of chips is 1,500, he's allowed to raise by any amount up to and including the 1,500 (all of his chips).

Should he opt to make a 1,500 chip bet, it would be called an All-In bet. Any time a player raises with all their chips it is called Moving All-in.

And, of paramount importance, especially since you are at the how to play poker for beginners level of the game, make certain that YOUR use of an All-In bet is kept to a minimum.

Please try not to become yet another free online poker 'chip-flinger' (someone who tosses chips around without regard to the quality of their cards).

When the opening round of betting is completed it's time to see 'The Flop'. Things will now start to get really interesting!

The Flop is the set of three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table by the Dealer.

1) Each player can use these community cards' to build their hand. Be sure you read up on what card hands beat what so you have an idea of what you can build!

2) Again, as here-to-fore mentioned, the middle of the table where these cards are dealt is commonly known as 'The Board'.

3) With 'The Flop' exposed, it's time for another round of betting. And, the betting that will occur is based on the 5 cards now available to each player, i.e., 2 Pocket cards and 3 Board' cards.

The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the Dealer Button, regardless of whether the Dealer is still active in the hand or not.

The player to the left of the Dealer Button will keep the initial betting action for the rest of the hand. Later, you'll come to learn that this is the worst position to be in at the table.

Apart from that, the betting process is the same as it was in 'pre-flop' betting. However, keep in mind, all of the players who have been dealt 'Pocket' cards may not be currently playing the hand as they could have folded during the opening round of betting.

So, whichever remaining player is 'to the immediate left' of the Dealer Button (DB), it is that person who is the first player to act; throughout the hand providing he doesn't fold.

He is able to check or bet.

A) If he checks, he's simply passing the choices of checking or betting to the player who sits to his left.

B) If he doesn't check, and decides to bet, then those who follow will have 3 choices:

1) They can fold

2) They can call

3) Or they can raise. But, since a bet was made, those who follow do not have the option of 'checking'.

When the round of betting has finished, it's time for another card to be dealt face up on The Board.

This fourth card is called The Turn card, or 4th Street, and, again, the card can be employed by all of the remaining players (those players who have not folded). It's another 'community card'.

Thus, each remaining player now has use of 6 cards, 4 Board cards, and 2 Pocket cards. There are 4 cards on The Board, one additional card to come.

It is now time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt: The River, or 5th Street.

And, given that all the cards have now been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can see what their finest five card hand is. Therefore, it's now time for the final round of betting. And, once the betting ends, the hand is over.

It's time to see who wins.

Each player who has remained in the hand shows their cards, starting with the last person to initiate a bet. At a cash or free online poker site the software will handle the process of showing the cards.

The winner is decided via use of the universal poker hand rankings. You'll find that in subsequent chapter; entitled 'What Beats What'.

If a player wins a pot because every other player has folded, he can decide whether to show his cards or not.

Most people don't, and it's almost always advised by me never to show your cards. If you're not required to do so; keep 'em guessing!

Yet, when you reach an 'advanced level' of play, you'll get an entirely different perspective from me. You see, there are occasions when 'deceitful strategies' are going to be added to your acquired set of playing skills. And, a part of the 'deceitful strategies' will have you showing your cards. Not now though.

Summing up How To Play Poker For Beginners Free Online Poker Rules Part 2

In part 1 you learned the bare bones of poker, the structure and concepts of the game. Now that you've read part 2 you ought to now understand the actual mechanics of a hand of poker. In part 3 we will move on to more poker words and terminology, all those crazy card and hand nicknames will be unveiled! But so long as you've understood the first 2 parts you can now go and start to play poker. It's a very good idea though to firstly read and print off a sheet on what card hands beat what! Then you'll get a feel for how to build your hand in the game stages and be able to think about whether to fold, call, raise or check.

At this point I strongly urge you not to try and play on sites where real money is involved, you are likely to lose all or nearly all of it 99% certain!

Be patient (incidentally that is a key poker skill you have to master) and start out on one of the excellent free poker sites you'll find online. Later when you're more skilled there is plenty of time for you to win lots of money and the time spent playing free online poker will pave the way for this.

Nick runs marketing for leading free poker site NoPayPOKER.com. www.NoPayPOKER.com is USA legal and uses faux currency which makes it totally risk free and so is the perfect place to how to play poker for beginners as well as practice your game if you are more experienced or want a break from the stress of money sites!

Free Online Poker Guide To Basic Poker Rules

In this learn how to play poker for beginners lesson you'll learn the basic rules and processes of poker. While poker looks complex when you're new to it it's actually not so bad at all once you know it and will become second nature after a short time. So, let's begin by looking at free online poker freeroll tournaments which is the sort of game you should start with as a poker beginner.

free online poker freeroll tournaments vary from 20 to hundreds of players. A good point with these game is that most of the other players you'll find on them are no more than average and many are beginners too.

So, to start, you login to your free online poker site and go join a game. As mentioned each of these tournaments will have multiple tables. You can divide the number of players by 10, and you'll know how many tables are a part of the tournament. You round up to eliminate the decimal point, if any; e.g., 68 players divided by 10, equals 6.8, rounded up, means there are 7 tables in the tournament.

Now the online poker software of the site you play at will seat you at a randomly selected table and seat. There are loads of games running daily round the clock on good free online poker sites so don't worry about your success (or lack of!) initially, there are always more games to enter.

Who Wins and How?
Basically the winner of each hand is the one with the best combination of cards.

The outline of the game process is this:
You are seated and the game begins. The software selects the "Dealer Button" (DB) and the "Blind" players make their blind bets (don't worry this is covered below!)

The games first action is to give 2 cards to each player that only the player can see, these are called pocket cards. Next there is a round of blind betting, it's called blind as there is no way to guess or infer what cards other players have, no more than 3 raises to the first blind bet are allowed which is a rule that remains so in future rounds.

After the first round of betting is done the dealer lays 3 cards on the table for all to see. These are known as community or board cards and can be used in conjunction with pocket cards by all players.

At this point, another round of betting occurs.

Then the Dealer will add another card to the community cards; there are now 4 cards that can be used by all of the players who remain in the hand.

This is followed by another round of betting.
Last, the Dealer will add a 5th card to the community cards. Again followed by another round of betting.

Now lets look at this in more detail:
Your 2 face down cards are known as "Pocket Cards". They are dealt from left to right, 1 at a time round the table. You only see your own pocket cards.

The Dealer then exposes 3 "community cards" to all players on the table. This stage is known as "The Flop".

When he exposes the 4th "community card", it's known as "The Turn" (or, 4th Street).

And, when he exposes the 5th "community card", it's known as "The River" (or, 5th Street).

All 3 to 5 "community cards" that are exposed on the poker table at any one time are known as "The Board".

Every player who is participating in the hand through the process of betting (if you "folded", you're no longer in the hand), attempts to make the best possible five-card hand.

They can use any 5 of the 7 cards that are available to them; one, both, or none of their pocket cards, together with 3, 4, or 5 of the "community cards".
The player with the best 5 card hand wins all of the money that has been bet (The Pot).

The "Dealer Button" is involved in every hand to be played. One of the game's participants gets the Dealer Button (DB); the selection of the player who first receives the DB is done by the free online poker software.

If you are playing at a live game such as in a casino then the DB is a round disc, normally with a D printed on it. If you're playing paid or free online poker a symbol on the screen shows which player is the DB.

And, the position of the Dealer Button on the poker table is important since the 2 players to the left of the DB are forced to place the blind bets.

The DB is the best position to have and blind the worst, no something to worry about now, the NoPayPOKER.com intermediate level article series Building A Bankroll goes into great depth on this subject. Additionally, at the end of every hand, the Dealer Button (DB) moves one position to the left; thus, everyone acts as the "virtual dealer" in an Internet game, and, everyone is forced to place "blind" bets.

Blind Bets? What are they?
This is how the game starts.
The player to the immediate left of the Dealer Button (DB) is compelled to put up the Small Blind (SB).
The player to the immediate left of the Small Blind (SB) is compelled to put up the Big Blind (BB).
These "blind bets" are placed in the pot, in front of the dealer. This essentially kickstarts the betting, and, it"s all done before anyone has gotten any cards!

This, for the lack of any other rational reason, means that the winner of the hand that's about to be played, will, at a minimum, collect the small amount of money that has been "forced" into the pot by the blind bets.

In a multi-table freeroll, or any No Limit free online poker tournament game, the size of the Small Blind (SB) and the size of the Big Blind (BB) are very low at the start of the game. And, every player in the game begins the game with the same amount of free online poker faux-money; or, for practical purposes, poker chips.

Usually, in 15 minute intervals, the size of the "blinds" increase.
As an example, if the beginning "blinds" were $10 (SB) and $20 (BB), within 15 minutes the "blinds" would change to $20 (SB) and $40 (BB).

And, thereafter, as the game progresses, the "blinds" continue to go up every 15 minutes.

In the end, at the final table in a tournament (the last remaining 10 players), the "blinds" could easily reach the point of being $2,000 (SB) and $4,000 (BB).

Now don't be alarmed, the dollar amounts tied to the Small Blinds (SB) and Big Blinds (BB) in the preceding paragraph, during all freeroll games played on free online poker sites are "fictional" amounts of money. It's not real money. It's merely a "tournament representation" of money; it's free online poker faux-money, they're poker chips, not real dollars.

This is one reason why it is a very good idea to learn to play poker as a beginner on free poker sites, it can get very expensive very quickly if you start on a real money site!

Winning and Money
The good news with a poker tournament is that the 1st place player doesn't take all the money. Yes, the absolute winner does get a lions share but other players do get a cut too. How many players and how much is determined by the number of players who enter and the size of the pot. You an find out this information before the game starts.

As the game progresses players are knocked out and tables amalgamate. At some point only those who will share the money are left. If you are still in at this stage then you are now "in the money" or "in the bubble" as it is also commonly called.

When just 10 players are left you will be on the "Final Table", typically to win any decent amount you need to be here even in very large poker tournament though places lower than this can often at least pay back your cost of joining the game if it is a buy in game.

Right at the end with just 2 players left you will be "head to head"...but that is a story for another day!

Summing up How To Play Poker For Beginners Part 1
In this stage we looked at basic game processes. In part 2 we'll get into more detail on the stages described and look at what you actually physically do and consider some essential basic free online poker strategy.

Nick runs marketing for leading free online poker site NoPayPOKER.com. NoPayPOKER.com uses a faux currency called FreeD which means the poker is 100% risk free, this makes it the perfect place to learn how to play poker for beginners, plus if you're more experienced it's a great place to practice, oh and the the fact that the FreeD can be cashed in for real Dollars is a nice tounch too!

The Free Online Poker Tournaments How To Read Set Hands Method

Regardless of if you just play free online poker at nopaypoker.com or play for the highest stakes imaginaable a Set is one of the most unreadable hands in Texas Hold'em. It consists of a pocket pair and one of the Board cards with the same rank as the pocket pair.

For example, if you have 4-4 and the Community cards are 5-4-10-J-K, you have a Set of Fours. Sets are unreadable because most players are accustomed to reading (a) two different hole cards, (b) high cards or overpairs, (c) draws that complete the Board, or (d) cards anyway related to the Board cards.

Given that your hand reading habits usually are a combination of limiting possible hands to the given characteristics, how would you put someone on 5-5 or 4-4 when it is much easier for you to put him on A-K (for top pair, best kicker), A-Q (for a made Straight), or K-10 or 5-4 (for Two-Pair), or even A-A (a high pair)?

Or maybe you'll put him on one Five, say, 6-5. But on two Fours or Fives? This is why Sets are very potent in Boards which have no Straight or Flush potential.

However, suppose in a Flop of Q-7-2 with no Straight or Flush possibilities, you have 2-2. You check (hoping to trap him), the other player bets. You move all-in and he calls right away and reveals Q-Q. You thought your opponent had A-Q or K-Q. How is this possible? It's possible. Even in this spot you are more susceptible.

Since there are no Straight or Flush potentials your opponent will fold cards that didn't fit into the Board cards. If you read hands in line with the criteria above, you might put your opponent on A-Q, K-Q, or even Q-7 (can you go as far as 7-2?!). Here because you are the one who moved all-in, the outcome of the hand is not fully on your control; it's up to whether your opponent calls or not. But suppose the situation is reversed. The player with the Q-Q checks, you bet, then the response is a raise all-in. How would you react?

When you find yourself slammed in a situation like this (which usually occurs on the Flop) on a cash game, take it as it is. Pay him off. Some other time you will have the Q-Q, another player will have the 2-2, and you'll be paid off. But in a tournament, you have many givens to consider (and you might want to consider these even in an ordinary cash game).

Compare your stack sizes relative to each other. If the difference is great, expect one of you to put his chips in the middle.

A Set could be the best hand both of you can have to get a double-up. If you possess the smaller Set get eliminated, attribute it to bad luck. However, assuming both of you have stacks above chip average, and you are put to a choice costing you all or nearly all your chips. You have 2-2. You're not likely to be blinded out in a few hands.

You may want to reason out: I have a Set. He raised me enough to put me all-in, or almost. He might do it with Q-7, (and whether your opponent had Q-7 or not will depend on what happened preflop. If no raise occurred it might be with Q-7, and you can safely call. Whether your opponent had 7-7 or not can also come under similar scrutiny) or if there is a raise, it might be with A-Q.

Now, top pair, top kicker is a weak hand to risk an above-average stack. And there is no Straight and Flush incoming, so the all-in could be made only with an especially strong hand. It might also be with A-A or with K-K (most probably it is) but it might also be just with Q-Q. If I put him on those three hands, there is a 2/3 chance I'm right, but a 1/3 chance of wrong, and when I'm wrong I will be busted. So I'll fold.

If you possess the middle Set (Set of Sevens), the same analysis may also apply. But you will be a lot safer because there is only one Set to kill you instead of the two possible Sets a while ago. If you possess the Set of Queens, enjoy!

The above analysis is agonizing and painstaking, particularly when it all amounts to giving up one of the most valued hands in Hold'Em.

Concluding Reading Sets

It takes some time to learn how to read hands, it's not something the unthinking donk "chip flingers" seen on many www.NoPayPOKER.com tables even consider. Most players it seems can't or won't put the time in, they claim to play just for fun which misses out on the key fact that winning lots of money is a lot more fun!

I think it's crazy that so many people play with so little skill and almost revel in the fact! But this is also very good news for you as one of the few who is learning to play well. The reason why is that when you really learn how to play poker well you can go mercenary and hunt the "fun player donks" down in low stakes real money games as well as free online poker tournaments sites that pay out real money while you happily build your skills and bankroll!

To make this work first, play free poker sites to learn to play poker online free where you can learn while you lose but without losing real money, then once ready to can move up to low stakes and start to make some serious poker cash!