There are many types of different poker tournaments such as live ones, those that are online, short handed ones, etc.  But one that many people who are new to poker may not understand is the one that is called a freeroll tournament.

But the name of a freeroll tournament doesn’t always imply that it is “free”.  In fact most of these tourneys aren’t free at all to the participants.  Whether it is by an entry fee or by gaining access via great play in cash games, there is some sort of risk or cost. The difference between poker freeroll tournaments versus other forms of poker tourneys is that a freeroll doesn’t rely on the entry fees by the players to make up the entire prize pool.  Instead, the prizes come from the house, money made by sponsorships, or cash made from the presentation of the tournament.

Even a freeroll tournament itself can differ greatly depending upon on how it occurs.  If the tournament happens at a live casino or an online poker room, players are often invited by either invitation or entry fee methods.  But an Internet freeroll tournament sees its participants usually pay compensation points (maybe something similar) or place a big deposit into their account in order to be in the tourney.

There is a big reason why so many poker players clamor to get into Texas Holdem freeroll tournaments and it's usually because there are great prizes offered.  There are certain Internet sites that give $50,000 worth of cash every single month to participants.  These usually fall under the category “monthly freeroll tournament”.If you have a big interest in the game of poker, it might be wise to try and get into a freeroll tournament and see how you do.  At the very least it should be a fun experience.