Freerolls can help build a bankroll, but the fields are huge and luck-heavy

mimietmour · Jan 23, 2026

flattershay said:
I don't think it's a waste of time. It's for playing poker without risking your own. If you choose low-field freerolls, you can consistently win to build up your bankroll for real money games.

I think is motger luck that decided as a medium plyer, I have won few first place and lots of last place.

choprav · Jan 23, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

just to get into satties

EvertonGirl · Jan 23, 2026

I would definitely still play free rolls even if it's against a massive field, it feels great to beat a massive field. My problem is I forget to play 😢

odonob · Jan 23, 2026

Good question. Increasingly difficult I am finding. Very random hands winning. Looks a lot like slots game. To get to the final table one needs to sun run. If it’s your day then all well and good. But wins are extremely hard to come by.

Ivan Basic · Jan 23, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

is there any other way to build bankroll?

KeyPatience · Jan 23, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

freerolls definitely help you to build a bankroll!
The only three factors most of the players lack while building a Bankroll are Patience, Discipline & Consistency!

veszmo · Jan 23, 2026

I mostly play freerolls and I have an average monthly income. What is the advantage? No loss, no stress. Let's not forget that poker is a game of chance, for those who are not as lucky as me, freerolls are also good.

valeski 28 · Jan 23, 2026

I still play freerolls and don´t think they are a waste of time at all.Patience is the key when playing them.

pltelles · Jan 23, 2026

I'm still playing all the freerolls available in all the poker rooms. But, really, many of them are almost like bingo.

Propane Goat · Jan 23, 2026

For me, public freerolls are fine for acting like everyone else and shoving any two cards, but they're not worth the time or trouble for trying to build a bankroll. I make enough at my day job to just deposit a couple of hundred bucks instead of spending hours and hours in freerolls just to win 50 cents now and then.

userX · Jan 24, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

Freerolls are the foundation for me. Thanks to freerolls, I am able to play poker. If it weren't for freerolls, I would hardly be able to afford to play. I don't spend my own money on the game. I only play with the money I manage to win in freerolls.

WladiYoga · Jan 24, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

Hi,
it depends: If you have spare money, just buy a Ticket for a tournament.
If you don't AND you are a beginner, it is a very good way to practice.
Of course the freerolls are heavily luck-heavy, but you can learn ranges in your head while playing those.
If you are an advanced player, you either finish every second freeroll consistently in the money, or you just play ticket builders.
In the end freerolls is just a marketing tool for a platform but at the dame time giving people the opportunity to win something out of nothing.

nelomec · Jan 30, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Do you still play freerolls, or do you think they’re a waste of time nowadays?

I keep playing; some freerolls help build a bankroll, and others don't. The freerolls offered by CardChat are helpful, especially those at the Silver and Platinum levels.

kunkgreen · Feb 3, 2026

Most freerolls are crowded and action-packed, which increases variance.

When I have a large bankroll, I tend to play far fewer freerolls (except for those on CardChat) than usual, prioritizing paid games because they have a smaller field.

On the path to building my bankroll, I considerably increase the number of free games I play.

You can get an idea from the games offered by CardsChat daily. In total, counting the various platforms, we have more than 100 games per month, and that's incredible.

It's time-consuming, laborious, requires patience and, of course, constant improvement, but it is possible with a little dedication to build a decent bankroll to start in a solid way.

antonis32123 · Feb 19, 2026

I play less freerolls because nowadays I have less time available to dedicate in poker or other hobbies . But also the fact that I am not satisfied with my results at freerolls overally , it doesn't help much to motivate me play more . Freerollers play crazy , very loose ,fearless , many times ATC . Bad beats are delivered 24/7

tuitui · Feb 20, 2026

I do play freerolls a lot. I haven't really considered poker as a way to earn money, this is more of a hobby and it feels less stressful playing without your own money involved. The gameplay is looser and most of the players don't take it very seriously, so that doesn't really improve my poker skills, but I do it anyway.

ammje · Feb 20, 2026

I believe that freerolls are a great help to start playing poker with real money, especially for some players from Latin America who can't afford to deposit to play poker, because the money we win in poker helps us pay our monthly household expenses.

ironduke11 · Feb 20, 2026

freerols are like cash game, variance and luckboxes abound....with some concentration it is possible to make a final table consistently...but do you want to give up 4 or 5 hours for a few cents at a time....

dariana Orasma · Feb 20, 2026

I believe that free tournaments can be very helpful for beginners and building a bankroll. I firmly believe this; I've built my own bankroll playing free tournaments, and I've seen people who have gone very far with them. You just need to know how to play and take advantage of the opportunities that poker and its tournaments offer.

TerryBLE · Feb 20, 2026

It depends on your goal. If you play poker every now and then, it's great for playing without having to worry about buy-ins or bankroll management.

hardongear · Feb 20, 2026

I still play them. Played the Platinum one today finished 12th and cashed for $1.83. Only played it cause I missed my MTT on WPT that I was going to play and really felt like playing something. So jumped into the freeroll late with around 15bb left I believe just for shits and giggles.

If my goal was to grind up a bankroll I'd personally deposit $50 and play 2nl cash while still playing freerolls when I got the chance. in my opinion once you reach $500 freerolls are waste of time because you can now play 10nl and $5.50 MTT's. Freerolls are like training wheels on a bike in way. Great when you're getting started, learning, for gaining experience and building a bankroll but once you reach $500 you've out grown the training wheels. Unless you just wanna blast off one just for shits and giggles like I did today.

Cheers!!!

martinlgs · Feb 20, 2026

Hey @Houbi37,

I still play some freerolls, but I’m quite selective nowadays.

In WPT Global, GGPoker and PokerStars, the CardsChat freerolls are definitely worth it — softer fields and great for building a small bankroll from nothing. I also jump into many good freerolls you can enter with special tickets earned from missions and promotions.
Early stages are very luck-heavy because of the massive fields, so I play tight and focus on survival. Once the field thins out it turns into real tournament poker where skill matters.

I completely skip most big freerolls that are qualifiers or satellites for major live events (EPT, wsop packages, etc.) if I have no intention of attending. Winning a live package you can’t use is basically a waste of time and effort.

The only real downside is the time spent hunting passwords and waiting in huge lobbies. I only play when it perfectly fits my schedule.

Not a waste of time if you choose them wisely.
How do you approach freerolls these days?

skaterick · Feb 20, 2026

i am a freeroll addict .

kmiarka · Feb 20, 2026

managed to grab 20 bucks on WH today

- worth it

Jyco · Feb 24, 2026

I still play freerolls even though many times they aren’t that profitable and the payouts are usually very small when you do cash. But you also have to consider that the only thing we’re spending is time, since there’s no buy-in. So we should actually be happy to have the opportunity to grow our bankroll while risking absolutely nothing. Plus, they’re a good way to test our poker and see if we’ve really improved from all the studying we’ve done.Yes, a lot of players in them are terrible and beat us with horrible hands, but that’s just poker. In the end, freerolls are a huge waste of time, but it’s up to you to make them worth it.

Freerolls can help build a bankroll, but the fields are huge and luck-heavy

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