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Freeroll Tips - Improve your freeroll tournament game
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Author : Justin Minter (Basspro2000 on THF)
Article Written : 3rd October 2006
Have you ever tried to play a freeroll and just cannot figure it out no matter what you try? Well those of you who have this problem are in luck because in this article I am going to share some freeroll tips and basics with you to help improve your freeroll playing skills. These tips can be used by players that are new to freerolls or players that just want to improve their freeroll strategy. Keep in mind that these tips are for public freerolls not private freerolls like the ones that we offer here at Texas Hold’em Forums which have higher quality players than the public freerolls do.
Basics
A freeroll operates the same as a regular online tournament except for the buy-in which is $0.00. Some times there are requirements attached to freerolls such as having to buy in with promotional points (such as Frequent Player Points on PokerStars), meeting a certain raked hand requirement, depositing using a bonus code, etc. However, the majority of online freerolls are entirely free with no strings attached.
Playing Styles
I am going to get right down to the point on this matter, about 90% of the field in a freeroll is either going to be playing an extremely tight game or an extremely loose game with extremely loose being the most likely of the two. The tight players will usually last longer than the loose players but when the tournament gets narrowed down to final few players it is the loose players that usually have a mountain of chips. Unfortunately for these types of players I have found that most of them cannot change gears very well and will play pretty much the same throughout the tournament.
Observing The Table
Watching and observing the rest of the table is a very important part of any poker tournament, if it is a buy-in tournament or a freeroll. This is one ability in poker that you must practice constantly to stay good at it. I know from experience that the less hands that you play the more time you have to observe how other players at the table are playing. This is one of the reasons why I recommend that if you are new to freerolls that you play very tight at the beginning of a freeroll. A good habit to take up when observing players is to take notes on their play by using the note-taking feature that most online poker rooms offer. This way when you see a player later in the tournament or at another freeroll you will already know how that certain player plays. I have also found that taking notes helps to keep you focused on game. It also helps to keep you from going off of your playing style and playing trashy hands that you should not have played in the first place.
Recommended Playing Style
During the first two or three levels I recommend that you play very tight and only play hands such as medium to high pocket pairs and A K, A Q, and A J suited. When you see a flop I recommend that you play some what passively. You may not win a lot of pots this way but I have found that it will save you more chips than if you are aggressive. So this basically means only bet or slow-play when you know that you have the best hand. When you get to level four or five is when you need to start lowering your starting hand requirements and play more aggressively. I like adding on hands such as A K, A Q, A J, A 10, unsuited; all pocket pairs; and all high connectors suited and unsuited such as K Q, Q J, and J 10. Now if you are lucky enough (yes, you have to be lucky) to make it close to the money the other players usually start to tighten up their game but you should start to do the exact opposite. Right now is when yon need to really start playing some poker by loosening up your starting hand requirements and play the hands listed above plus all suited connectors and any A-x suited (x being any card). I also like being much more aggressive now at this stage, that does not mean raise with every hand, that just means pick your spots well and steal chips off of the tighter players when you can. If you make the final table the first thing I recommend that you do is be patient for the first level or so (20-30 minutes) and observe the other player’s playing styles using the way I described in an above section of this article. After you think you have everyone’s playing style figured out there will probably already be one or two players gone from the final table. Keep in mind though that you are now playing with more than decent players that can change their game at any time, so be on the look out for this. When it gets down to the final six or seven players is when you should start to establish yourself as the table leader by getting involved in more pots and being extra aggressive when necessary. I say be aggressive for a couple of reasons:
- This is after all the final table and your objective should be to win.
- You are already in the money and the increase in prize money between spots in the public freerolls is usually not that big.
You may now be asking yourself “What if I Make it to Heads-Up Play?” Well the only advice I can give you there is continue your aggressive play and be prepared to take coin flips where you are slightly ahead and also be prepared to take a few bad beats. If you happen to win one of these freerolls you need to give yourself a pat on the back because you have just accomplished a very tough and difficult task.
Freeroll Winnings
You now may be asking yourself "What do I do With My Freeroll Winnings.” The thing I recommend is that if you build up a substantial bankroll entirely off of freeroll winnings is to cash it out. I say this because if you started off playing freerolls and have only played a few buy-in tournaments you will more than likely lose your bankroll playing buy-in tournaments. This is because freerolls and buy-in tournaments are so different that you cannot use the same playing style for both. Also, by cashing out you have rewarded yourself for all of your hard work that you have put into playing freerolls. But if you insist on starting a bankroll with your freeroll winnings please read adaon’s article on Bankroll Management. I think that it will help you tremendously.
Other Helpful Freeroll Tips
Below I have compiled a list of other freeroll tips that may help you:
- Do not worry yourself about the chip stacks at other tables, just focus on how you play at your table
- Do not get too involved with chatting with your fellow players because it will distract you from your game
- Take freerolls seriously and do not think of it as playing for fun but playing to make a profit
- Keep an eye on the blinds and antes because in some freerolls they increase very rapidly
- Find private freerolls to play in like the ones that we offer here at Texas Hold’em Forums, these types of freerolls are more profitable and fun than the public ones
- Form a strategy that works and stay with that strategy and do not change it if you get into a losing streak
Conclusion
Just remember that when playing a freeroll you need to take it with the highest level of seriousness that you can and that you feel that you need to turn a profit. I hope that you take a lot away from this article and use it the next time that you play a freeroll. So until my next article I hope you all make a killing at the tables and continue to improve your game.
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