Poker has always been a cool sport to play and thanks to tech it’s even easier to sit around a table and play than ever before.

More students are playing both online and in casinos than ever before, but naturally that can prove dangerous.

However, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy poker as a college and university student and even make a tidy profit.

Here are our top tips on playing poker while in college and making the most of it…

Start with Freeplay

Poker doesn’t require a budget to play online, with dozens of fantastic online casinos offer freeplay, perfect for learning your trade.

You can learn how to play the game, hand values and craft a style of play via freeplay and it won’t cost you a penny.

There are even rooms you can play exclusively with friends these days by simply passing a code around, bringing the poker night to you no matter where you are in the world.

Set a Budget

Once you’re ready to start playing with money it’s vital that you set yourself a budget to ensure you don’t spend more than you should.

How you set your budget is up to you, but many people give themselves a weekly bankroll and don’t stray from it until you reset it the following week. This is also a good idea for withdrawing any winnings at the end of the week.

Of course it’s possible to set weekly and monthly budgets too. Whichever works best for you.

This will hold you in very good stead for future playing.

Take Up Casino Offers

The likelihood is you’ll start playing poker online to begin with and when signing up to online casinos like Ladbrokes or William Hill you really don’t want to miss out on any free casino offers they may have for new customers.

You’ll find deposit and no deposit casinos online offers, with the chance of starting your online career with a free bet and earning real money from it.

You’ve plenty offers to choose from, with most online casinos offering some sort of sign up  offer these days. So do ensure you make the most of them.

Enter Tournaments

Thousands upon thousands of students enter tournaments both online and in casinos each and every year and it’s a fantastic community that can really improve your game.

Casinos local to your university will almost always have weekly tournaments, and not only will you get to play for prize pots, you’ll make plenty of friends too.

Buy ins are usually quite small as they’re obviously aimed at the student market, so there really is little to worry about.

Study Hard

If poker is something you’re serious about, then studying hard will not only help you while at the table, but in your studies and potentially later in business too.

It’s been proven to make your mind sharper and calculate risk and reward much quicker when it comes to business.

That ability to work under pressure is a huge plus going into a professional career and it’s a trait which is absolutely learned at the poker table.

Have Fun

Ultimately, poker is a fun game to play that will keep you occupied nicely during downtime at university.

Once it stops being fun, it’s time to reconsider and move on to another game. After all, there are dozens of fantastic card and chance games where you can use skill and strategy to earn a big win.