Question for all you freerollers

Hope nobody takes offense to this, certainly none is intended, but I don't understand the lure of freerolls.

There were a couple threads today that I noticed about people finally winning their first freeroll and remembering their first freeroll win etc., and it got me thinking. What is the impetus for playing for all those hours, angainst players that suck-out pots constantly because they aren't playing with their own money, in order to make just a little less money than it costs to buy a gallon of premium gasoline.

I know I value my time fairly highly, and this seems like such a waste. Three to six hours of play for a couple bucks? No thanks. If you're good enough to make it to the cash against a freeroll field of 700 people, take a couple of dollars even if its only 2 or 3, and go to the micro limits and turn it into 10 in the same amount of time.

I also don't see how it can be beneficial to your game to play against all the donkeys in a freeroll. You have to adjust your style of play for fear that on a flop of 2-7-5, your aces are no good because some wise-ass called your pre flop bet with 7-2. That's an extreme example, but I hear these terrible beat stories all the time fom freaking freerolls. I can't see spending all this time grinding, playing your ass off, risking carpal-tunnel syndrome in your clicking finger for less than enough brass to buy a new mousepad for when you freeroll holes in the one you have.

Another thing I noticed is that the people that play these damn things, play the hell out of them. Not just one or two a month, but several a week or even more than one a day. I can't imagine it. If they took a few bucks to the micro tables and invested that much time into playing for real profit, the could be moving up in the limits in no time. Especially with hours and hours on end of playing. So what's the lure of the almighty freeroll? As far as I can tell its the whole illusion of something for nothing. The only valid reason IMO that I have heard is that some did it to get cash on a site that they couldn't gamble on because of age or other restrictions. Also, has anyone made any real (over 100 bucks or so) money doing this? And if you do win at all, how much have you won total cumulitively and how many hours have you frerolled cumulitively as well (all freerolls combined even losing ones)? Has anyone taken a few freeroll dollars and parlayed them into a real healthy bankroll? Sorry for all the questions, I just don't get it.

AMEN..... Most play because they are new to the game. Lets be honest another reason is internet gambling isn't the most legal way to spend your free time, if you live in the states. Plus new players take time to get comfortable with having to use Neteller to move money around. Yes virtually every player that plays for real money at some point stops playing freerolls because there is so much more money to make playing buy-in games. I actually have decided to take a break from playing our freebies for awhile cause I simply play like an idiot because there's nothing to lose, plus playing like that in our freebies can't be good for my reputation Anyways I played freeroll after freeroll after freeroll till I got comfortable enough with my game that I wouldn't simply be donating my money! Absolutley newbie's play freerolls till your eyes and fingers hurt

Freerolls are usually for newcomers to the game and those who do not want to risk their own money to play poker. It really depends on how you look at it. For newbies its a good and cheap experience, for those who play for fun its, well, good fun. You are looking from a point of view of someone who wants to make a profit while balancing it on time spent and I totally agree, its not just poker but everything else in life, sometimes the gains are just not worth the time. But some people got all the time in the world, and $2-$3 would seem like a tidy sum to most people who dont actually deposit or play for real money. I personally slogged through alot of freerolls myself to build a bankroll from scratch. But its the actual sense of accomplishment I suppose that people have from winning or placing on the top in a tourney, any given tourney coupled with the enjoyment that makes it awesome. Most poker players start from the bottom, and the freerolls or micro limits is where they usually start, u dont want to dive into the deep end if you cant swim right? It also depends on the comfort factor, each person is comfortable with tables up to a certain limit, too much and they get spooked from the size of the bet and dont play their best poker, too little and they get bored and make silly calls. It just turns out most people are not comfortable with real money, and just wanna play for the fun of it (looking at the number of freerollers and play money players at every site). And if they win real money from freerolls, hell so much the better! Something from nothing.

Btw, Im also done with freerolls cept those at jetset and here, I like to play multi table tourneys, and I usually dont play less than $5 tourneys unless its an added or guranteed prize pool.

Both valid responses, and its good to know you guys moved on. LOL. Xdmanx007 made one of my points, it just can't be good for your game, and I didn't even consider table image as well. Yet another virtual nail in the reasons to freeroll coffin. I do understand the newbie thing, but even still, put 3 bucks in a site and go to the penny tables. Its just probably a better learning experience even if it is only slightly. I bet going from no risk to a few cents risk makes a percentage of the real idiots dwindle somewhat. Keep the replies coming, I want a real success story. Someone who won 6.37 on a 6 hour freeroll and parlayed it into a 3000 dollar bankroll.

Only freeroll I've ever played in was the Forum challenge Friday night. I agree that the practice is less than realistic as folks don't play the same when their own money is not on the line. Same problem at the micro tables, no risk = no discrimination between good and bad players. Wish I could afford to play the higher limits as it'd be nice to"play by the book". Hopefully, Nick will get us that private table at Noble...

i know exactly what you mean,dia.I,m new to the game, and started playing freerolls to get the hang of things, and see how other people play.I soon found out, ALL IN, ALL IN, ALL IN, but following advise by people onthis forum, i keep out of the way the first hour, and only play top hands and try to progress, it does take a lot of your time, for little reward, but i found out a thing or two about myself, if i make it to the final stages my bottle begins to twitch and i play ultra tight hardly playing at all, with the blinds high and still going up, so i must over come this and find hart and get stuck in.
I,m just starting to play money games, the lower limits, again to get the feel of things,and see how it goes,there again i,ve heard the good player, and pro,s plunder the tables to get there own stake money, true or not i dont know, to combat this i will just have to become as good as them, and at the moment it means as many games under the belt as possible, and getting stung a time or two, it,s all a learning thing, and for my bankrolls sake i hope i do learn, all the best and good luck.

freerolls teach you a lot of things,like being patient,thats important,having a lot of patience is one of the most important parts of playing no-limit holdem,they teach you to last if you dont have many chips and are close to the money and they teach you how long and grueling a tourny can be. i won the one on fulltilt last 9/6/04 it took 5 hours and 31 minutes to win the 8 bucks, i no 8 bucks is nothing, but i came away with something,i learned a lot of patience goes a long way, i also learned to pick my spots to bet and raise,and it gave me a lot of confidence knowing i can beat 899 other people ( it starts with 900 ) and the other night in the forum challenge i came in 45th out of 1450 ( it was around 1450 that entered i believe ) i have more patience in a big tourney, im talkin 500 people or more and i play better the more people in it the better i like it. i started off playing SNG`s now i play tourneys with 500 or more people 90 % of the time. you can get a lot out of the tourneys if you realise what you are getting from them and thats why i play the freerolls.

buckster436

I love Freerolls. I just do. I'm not a pro, nor do I have any delusions of making money playing poker. I play for the shear fun of it. I probably play 4 or 5 tournaments, mostly freerolls, per week. I finish in the money about 10 0r 15 % of the time. Most often I'm out in the 1st 1/2 hour so I'm really not investing that much time unless I've gotten past the rediculus free-for-all stage. There is skill involved in getting to the later stages of of a freeroll, and I do believe that playing 100 freerolls will teach you valuable skills that can be applied to real money tournaments.
I must admit that I do play alot looser knowing that when I go out there's another freeroll starting in 10 minutes. But if you're playing to win, once you've made it past the 1st hour, the time invested takes the place of the money and it becomes a real game.

To be honest, as some of the guys mentioned, freerolls are just a nice way to work your way in. I wouldnt say they are a great learning experience technically, as you will not come across these type of players when you move up. I played them just to start out and leanred a lot of simple things, even simple things about how the raise goes up, where to bet depending on the button etc etc

There are loads to learn. My advice to ppl just starting out is play the freerolls, dont worry if you dont do too well, just play as many as possbile then when you are ready, start micro limit, small SnG low buy-in and MTT low buy-in

Hi - I have to agree with Buckster. As I was reading all the above posts, I was thinking ... patience. You learn lots of patience and how to wait for hands that are not only playable, but winable. You also learn to play against wild player and almost every kind of player. So many people get annoyed at players who don't play like them (I used to) but now I just go on with my play and don't get annoyed. I've also learned tolerance.

I don't play freerolls for the money at all. I do enjoy beating 4000 other people to win top 50 for a WSOP seat. I've done that once but didn't win the seat. But I loved winning that.

Every freeroll I play, I learn something. Then I go play cash games and apply that knowledge and usually win some money. Plus, its fun to play the Cardschat freerolls because you actually see names you know!!

You know, if you think about it - the WSOP and WPT are freerolls in the sense that its a tournament with many people with top winners paid - but its not free. And I would think any one of us would love sitting at the final table at a WSOP or WPT tournament. I know I would!!

>> i agree with michelle the main event ( WSOP ) is a freeroll for anybody with $10,000 and anyone with a little patience, luck and skill can win it as proven in the last 2 years>> moneymaker> fossilman>>and without the patience,luck and skill they would have not won, the freerolls are a learning experiance for all of us>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> buckster436

I like the freerolls. You learn how to deal with every kind of player, from the maniac to the rock. It also schools you in every kind of beat known to man, which is handy to know. You learn to be patient and to develope different styles of play. My freeroll play is nothing like my live game play. There's also the additional strategic layer (true of all multi-table tourneys) of having to keep track of your position within the tourney.

Mostly though, I play freerolls because I enjoy playing poker. I have the luxury of free time, poker is the newest of my (seemingly endless) hobbies and interests, and the novelty hasn't yet worn off. In conjunction with watching televised games, playing home games, reading books and posts here, freerolls further my opportunity to learn, try new strategies and have fun with no out of pocket expense to me. Otherwise, as a neophyte, I would be uncomfortable ponying up cash without feeling well prepared. If I manage to parlay a few wins into a little starting bankroll, then all the better.

Freerolls are also useful for checking out new sites. You can get a feel for the interface, the atmosphere, the people, etc.

Hi all,
I've enjoyed reading this thread, some great comments. I still enjoy playing freerolls even though i'm known to play fairly high stake SNG's.
I like to think that still playing freerolls can improve my game even more, I don't play freerolls which allow thousands of players in like the prima poker network but freerolls like at Noble which only allow 500 I do like and enjoy playing. Day before yesterday I came in the last table first in the $100 freeroll then later the same day also managed the last table in the $200 freeroll for a total profit of $21. This would be quite a good amount for someone who doesn't want to risk any of their own money or can only afford to deposit maybe $25 per month.
I think more importantly than the money in those freerolls was the fact that I could get to that last table both times, I felt that my patience and my play outlasted the "idiots" "fish" or whatever you want to call them.
Don't forget also that many of these new players starting at the freerolls are future money players who your likely to come up against, a player who starts out over-raising or bluffing a lot may well continue this kind of play when he/she goes to real money tables so it's sometimes worth making notes even at freerolls.
Another point is that not all freerolls are small amounts of prize money, there are freerolls which allow you seats into much bigger tournaments ( up to $1,000,000+) so the hours of play can sometimes be very rewarding at certain freerolls.
I'm certainly wouldn't be ashamed of admitting to playing freerolls as you can get a lot out of them, certainly more experience if not the extra money that's offered.
If you can outplay and beat good players how much better would you be if you could also outplay, outwit and outsmart the bad players? Freerolls are still a learning ground for me plus I enjoy them almost as much as playing high stake SNG's, there so much harder to play because of all the bad points mentioned above.
Good luck at the tables

Tony ( The Webmaster )

Nice post and it just dawned on me - No Limit HOLDEM is the original SURVIVOR!!

Free money. No risk involved. And its fun. I thought common sense would give you the answers but maybe not

Common sense keeps me from spending 5 hours to make 6 dollars. But if your time is worth that little...

C'mon Diablo. You asked a question and you got some good answers. You don't like the freerolls. Fine, whatever, but obviously several of us do. That doesn't make your time any more valuable than ours. Go rain on someone elses parade.

One thing I haven't seen listed here yet is that they are free. To you maybe $20 is nothing, to me it's the difference between having my phone shut off or buying a tank of gas to get me to work. Freerolls help keep my sanity until things get better in my life.

Gee Bubba - I hope you aren't using the milk money playing money games.

Diablo -
Playing freerolls - 3+ hours
Winning in the money - $1.20
Learning something useful - PRICELESS!

One thing that hasnt been meantioned is there are some people that aren't looking for big money but entertainment.

If I play for 3 hours and make a few bucks in the process I got a lot of entertainment and made money at the same time.

If I got to see a 3 hours movie I pay a lot more and get only memories in return. LOL

Obviously when you start considering seriously making money at poker freerolls are going to stop being as appealing.

But, until that happens why not enjoy the fun and who knows. Once in a while you get to win.

I picked up $20 for a tourney win not to long ago. Somewhere between 2 and 3 hours long.

Not much money. But, hey, it's better than nothing. And I got to play with people I enjoy being around at the poker table.

How can you beat that and still not have to pay.

Everyone was pretty forthcoming and made valid points about the FR's. I only got shiatty when crippler insinuated that I had no common sense. I asked questions and got answers. FWIW, I prefer cash games, in person anyway...and stick mainly to them. I left internet play over 2 years ago and haven't made it back into it yet. My comment wasn't aimed at freerollers in general as much as it was crippler trolling my thread with no useful input. Thanks to those of you who actually replied with reason/logic. Its not my cup of tea, but to each his own. GL.

You know Diablo - I think I've seen you at an online table or two - I remember where you lived - Hell, USA! or -- you have others living there as well. LOL

To each his own as they say. I don't like ring games.

Hi all,
I beleive for different people there are different arguments for and against freerolls, at the end of the day we are all individuals who enjoy our own thing, some enjoy freerolls some don't. This comment kind of bothered me though :
"Common sense keeps me from spending 5 hours to make 6 dollars."
Common sense keeps me from spending 5 hours on a golf course, reason being is I don't like golf but I appreciate there are those that do and I wouldn't put them down for it, each to his own.
Like I said in my earlier post there are freerolls which offer vast amounts of money which would definitely be worth 5 or 6hrs of any poker players time but if it's not for you that's fine.
Last commment : Common sense tells me I shouldn't go to the pub/bar and lose $20 drinking but I love a drink so common sense I leave at home until the next morning, LOL
Good luck all
Tony ( The Webmaster )

Well, it helps new players get familiar with the game and the tournament set up, without risking any money. It's also an okay way (for me) to waste any spare time. Once in a while you could end up in the money, without risking anything.

I totally agree with you Web about the golf thing. And I clarified the statement you quoted in an earlier post. Anothe member insinuated that I had less than average common sense for asking this question, it was just a little dig back at him. None of you guys were suppose to ger hit with the shrapnel, but I can see where it may have offended and I'm sorry to everyone but the person it was aimed at. I thing yours, and the others' statements were all valid points for freerolls, which is what I was looking for. Thanks.

It's a shame you feel that way about the freerolls Diablo. Our past, and hopefully, future, debates would make it fun to sit down at a table together.

Ill play cash, head-up, at a site of your choosing. No less than 100.00 no more than 500.00, freezeout. If you want to play for 500.00, we can play one match, 2 for 250.00, or 5 at 100.00 each. However you like. You are most likely a favorite in this type of game since I'm a live cash game player and you play online, but I'm wiling to gamble.

*edit*

I would like a week of preperation beforehand though, to get used to the software and also realign myself with internet play.

did you ever think that some people on cardschat dont have much money, ME INCLUDED, if i had the money i give to the doctors after my open heart surgury last year i could be like you,but even then i would still play freerolls>. what you get out of them is EXPERIANCE and like someone else said thats priceless.
buckster436

No doubt, and I said that's a valid response. I curious why everyone is getting so miffed about this. Sorry to hear you had heart surgery, I had a major operation 2 years ago after a motorcycle accident and it isn't fun. I simply asked questions man. That's it.

4 dogs made the statement he would like to play against me, and I laid out a proposition. I'm a gambler. I gamble for money. I am talking with him via PM and we may work something out if he wants to for small stakes maybe. Like I said, I gamble for money and that's why I don't (or didn't) get the whole freeroll idea. So I asked.

We'll work something out Diablo. But while I agree that some token amount is in order, the kind of $ your talking about is just not possible, even if I could afford it.

Sounds good, ill PM you and we can work out the details....

I for one enjoy playing in freerolls although it is harder to play a sane game but I agree that there is alot of crazy play but for me it teaches me how to be patient I dont like the 5000, 10000 people freerolls they just last forever and a day but jetset has a 600 and 1250 when money added freerolls enjoy those, but I have to admit I play about 5 FR a day when not working and I am not to comfy with high buyins in real money tourneys tho I do play up to 5 dollaars buyins lot more sane peeps playin in those buyin range tho u get some koooks who think they still in a freeroll game and plus I running on elvis in the cash department so those little dollars all add up for me not to get rich but a small buyin for a bigger prize yeah right

i like it because i have 3 kids that can manage 2 stop me in my track at a moments notice if i was playing 4 real money i would be upset but at a freeroll its okay. i also like to try out new theories of play and refine parts of my game with out risk .every thing has a place and purpose if u look 4 it .if your 2 good 4 it and it doesnt fit your nee3ds that great but dont put something down because YOU _DON'T THINK YOU Needit

Read my posts again genious. I wasn't putting anthing down, I was asking questions. Go start trouble somewhere else.

I mainly do free rolls because im 18 and basically im not going to go depositing on a ton of websites and if you do learn the patience you can always do half decent. The competition in free rolls will have a few actual players once you get past the first break which is always great for practicing against all types even though most are loose players you still get to play against the more conservative types. I'd personally rather do multi table tournaments compared to play money and all that because alot of people wont take it seriously at all even after 2 to 4 hours of playing. Even though i play free rolls mainly I don't care about the money, and i have learned how to play extremely well when i started i was always going out before the first break. Basically i always make it to the top 200 normally in the top 50 now and still i always seem to do better. Managed to win a absolute poker shirt yesterday lol dont know if ill get it i emailed them and they had me verify all my info i dont think you need to make a deposit for the item. But they are free and actually some are very good to do next month bet 365 is having 5 $20,000 free rolls which is actually a hefty sum of money. Definately have to make a deposit though because im not sure of their cash out policy since most have weird ones.