How come you can’t get to a game?
Because most tournament type play and community-card games, like Holdem, require that software be installed into the computer. When there’s software that needs to be installed it’s never as easy as click and play; although, it’s not much more complicated. It just takes a little longer because you have to download the poker.

Poker Download Is Not Hard
It really is not hard to download poker. Every online poker room and casino will make it as easy as they can, in fact, they really can’t make it any easier, unless they sent a customer service representative to your house to do it for you, which would be a great example of quality control, but that’s wishful thinking.

Seriously, on the home page of every website you will see a huge banner or advert saying things like “Click Here To Download” or “Download Here.” These are not advertisements for some product called download. They are in fact links that will lead you to the download page so you can give the computer the software it needs to allow you to play in a secure casino with great graphics and sounds. All you have to do is move the mouse over the words, press a button and the computer will do the rest.
Sometimes, good poker rooms and online casinos will have huge pop-up banners that inform you that if you want to play, you must first download their software. These notices are impossible to miss because you can’t do anything else until you first deal with the glaring pop-up in your face. Once you get the download going, depending on the speed of your Internet connection and the size of their software, it can take anywhere from two to ten minutes to install the casino and from that point you are moments away from playing, that is if you’re already a member of the site where you want to play. If for some reason you have any questions with regards to downloading poker every reputable poker room and online casino has at their disposal a friendly and patient customer service team available to help around the clock.

One great way to play free poker is to set up your own tournament at home. Regular poker games played at home for free aren’t too much fun, since the chips have no real value, so losing or winning them doesn’t mean much. In a tournament however, there is a clear objective; to win all the chips. Give out a predetermined amount of chips to each player, and play until one person has them all. It’s free poker, but with a goal that tells you who won at the end. If you want, you can offer an inexpensive prize to the winner.

Another way to play free poker is online. Many online poker sites offer a play money section where you can play real poker games for play chips. This is a good way to get acquainted with online poker before you risk any actual money.

Money is part of the game of poker, so if you really become immersed in the poker world, you will probably want to go beyond free poker and into the real money variety. If you’re just getting started or you are playing with family or just for fun, having a free poker tournament or trying out free poker online just might be the way to go.

• Competition. In some rooms the players are generally very good and in others the standard is considerably lower. Look in the lobby for indicators of weak competition. High view flop percentages and high average pot sizes are signs of loose game where you will have a good chance of making a decent profit.
• Game variety. Do you want to play the most popular game, Texas Hold’em, or perhaps Omaha or 7-Card-Stud? Do you want play limit games or no limit? Do you want the stakes to be high or low? Search the lobby for attractive games of your liking.
• Software. It’s more fun to play poker if the graphics are nice and the games run smoothly. The statistics offered differ from room to room. Figure out what information you need to make you’re game the most effective and find a room that will give it to you.
• Bonuses and promotions. Always look out for opportunities to make some extra money. The tough competition forces poker rooms to offer great promotions to attract players. This includes sign-up bonuses, loyalty bonuses, re-load bonuses, free-rolls and money added tournaments.
• Service. The competence of the people managing the card room is an important factor. It means a lot if it’s easy to cash out money and if the staff is helpful. Obviously you would want the room to be reliable and financially secure.