I’ve been playing online poker for years now, but I still play free poker games on a regular basis. There are a lot of players that think that once you switch to real money poker games you can never go back, but there are a lot of very good reasons for playing poker for free, even after you start rolling with the high rollers.

One of the main reasons I play free poker games is to brush up on my poker skills when I’m in a bankroll rut. We all go through ups and downs when it comes to spare cash – especially when the bills roll around. If you stop playing cold turkey when you don’t have the money then your poker skills will suffer. Playing for free prevents that from happening.

Playing poker for free also gives me the opportunity to try out new poker games and variations that I haven’t played before, without risking my poker bankroll. I usually stick to Hold’em, so if I want to try out other games free poker gives me a great opportunity to do that.

Finally, a free game can be a great way to get into the groove just before you sit down at a real money table. I like to play a few games of free Texas Hold’em to get ready for real money play. If I am off my game then I find out before I lose money on it. So don’t throw free poker to the wayside, it’s got a lot of great perks.