Playing online poker for free and playing real money poker games can be totally different experiences. After all, when you have your own money on the line the entire dynamic of the game changes.

When I play free poker I am much more relaxed. After all, in free poker games I usually have a much larger bankroll and I’m not stressed about losing money so I’m willing to play much more aggressively. However, as soon as I start playing poker with my own money, my whole attitude changes. I am much less likely to call or raise than in a free game, where I could easily go all-in and not care at all if I lose. After all, when you play for free all you have to do is refresh the page and your bankroll will refresh as well!

The reason that I bring this up is that many poker players make the mistake of taking too many liberties when they play free online poker games for practice. After all, if you play super aggressively in a free game it won’t help you improve your real money game if you like to play tight when you are playing on your own bankroll. Therefore, if you really want to improve your skills then you should play every free game as if you were playing with your real money.

When you are ready to start playing real money games it is important to choose a poker game with limits that meet your personal bankroll to avoid big losses.