When it comes to playing poker on the internet, most people get their first taste by taking part in play-money games. Not putting any real money at risk, play-money or play-for-fun games are a great way to familiarize oneself with the virtual poker experience. Play-money games are also a good training ground for green poker players learning to play for the first time - whether on the internet or in a land-based poker room.

There does, however, come a time when new poker players especially need to move out of the "safety" of play-money poker in order to learn the game for its full value. In other words, when players gamble with play-money they tend to take risks they normally would not take if real money was on the line. This is why some players advise to stay away from play-money games at all costs.

Yet, for players who just want a taste of internet poker, play-money games are at least good for that, not to mention fun and entertaining. Most players will agree they are a great way to test out a poker rooms software platform for free - before opening a real money account.

If you are still looking for a way to play some poker without putting up any money at risk, consider taking part in freeroll tournaments. These are poker tournaments that do not charge any entry fees, yet still award guaranteed jackpot winnings to top finishers. In our next tip, we will go into more detail about freerolls, citing both the pros and cons of these popular poker tournaments.