Some advice please

I play in freerolls alot trying to build up my br and also because of what I'm about to talk about I don't think putting any of my own money into an online casino is a "safe bet".

I try to play good poker. I push when I think I have an edge and try to stay out of the way of bigger hands. I believe in the statement, "It's not so much what you win, it's how much you don't lose."

Anyway, I do fine in the freerolls. I usually get very deep into them. Tournies with 3-4K entries I will regularly get into the low hundreds and then the same thing happens. This is what happened the last time. (I don't remember the finer details so bare with me.)

Im sitting at 16K and get AA I call whatever the bet was $400-$600 ???, there is about $2500 in the pot.
The flop come out 5 10 A rainbow- Trip aces!!!
I check post flop, showing weakness and to get some money into the pot. The guy 3 to my left goes all-in. It folds around to me. He's sitting at about 17K, just has me covered.
I'm looking at this and I think-
1. If he hit trips, I have him beat.
2. If he hit two pair, I have him beat.
3. If he hit three cards in a row, he is 2 from any straight, I have him beat.
4. No flush possabilities, I have him beat.
So, I figure that he is trying to steal the blinds, trying to represent the A.
So, I call him and go all-in.
Cards trun over and he has 7 9. A BIG NOTHING!
The turn comes 8.
The river comes 6.
I'm out to a guy that had absolutely NOTHING! And no business being in the hand.

This runner runner thing is happening to me in almost every tourny that I get into and just before the money. Another thing, this never happens with someone that is about to go out and they are just taking a stab at the pot. It always happens with someone that has just a bit more in chips than me.

You may think that I am over doing it here, but I'm not. I get my money in good with the best of it and ??? What am I doing wrong?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

that's very weard, but can be just a coincidence. Where do you play this freerolls? Because it never happens to me, and i play a lot of freerolls in almost every site that's out there.

I play on BODOG, Absolute and Full Tilt.

The one thing i can tell, even i'm not so much experienced is that this things happens very often in freerolls, it's just not enough to play good poker to be in the first places, you also need to be very very lucky. This is simply because most of the people playing this freerolls are not playing good poker, in most cases they go all in with nothing and sometimes they're lucky and beat you. It happens to me a lot of times.

The other day, for example someone put me all in before the flop, i had TT and needed the chips so i went, he had K6, the flop came 66T, the turn 4 and the river 6. I just couldn't believe it, but this things happens.

Theres just nothing you can do about that one you made the right desicion it was just a bad outcome. i have been ffeeling the wrath of freeroll donkness also getting rivered outta my last 3 tournys. I think the other person that you are playing against is just trying to ultra bluff you out but you had a hand and he slopped out. idk those are just my thoughts. Good luck in your future tournys, one of these times those cardsare going to hold up and you'll be placing.

Well, I suppose it is easy to feel a little paranoid in this situation. I cannot honestly say that this has not happened to me, as it has seemingly quite a lot. For a while I entertained the notion that due to the suspicious timing of these bad beats that the pokerroom built these BBs into the programming to move the tournament along at a particular pace to maximize their server usage.

I do know that I am prone to remember the mega bad beats, like this one, moreso than I am to remember how my set held up against the donk play.

TBH, the same exact thing has been happening to me for the past month. There is nothing you can do but take a break from poker to relieve your mind. That is what i am doing now....Good luck

When you play huge freeroll fields, sooner or later you're going to run into a badbeat...unless you go on an extraordinary run. All you can do is try to avoid all in situations without being well ahead (unless you need to). You were well ahead this time, tough luck. Think of it this way, if you get all in as dominate 70% hand just twice, you'll be knocked out half the time. Four such allins, you'll be out 3/4 of the time. Even getting in with aces v middle pair 3 times is like a "coinflip" for tournament life...of course you stand to win much more than even money and you need to take these chances.

[quote=Mike82K5;935474]

You may think that I am over doing it here, but I'm not. I get my money in good with the best of it and ???

You basically answered your own question. You flop the absolute best hand, and got in a situation to double up. There was nothing you could have done. period.

Ever heard of drawing dead, absolute nuts...or do you mean you could have a power outage without allin protection

I'm lovin' it! Just happened again on BODOG. 1800 people to start, get down to 1100. Im short stacked a little over 800 with KQo, call the small bet to see the flop. Q 9 2, I checked and the guy two seats to my left goes all in for 4700, it gets folded around to me and Im thinking BS! I called him and he had 54o. next two cards are 6 3. I love this game!

My advice, keep away from the freerolls!!!

They are full of donkeys, when you play for real money you will see a difference.