Freeroll strategy. Don't wanna threadjack...

Okay so I've consistently done the same stupid-stupid thing. I'll get my stack way up, say 4 to 6 times the average. I do it playing really tight and using selective aggression(almost none pre-flop). Maybe I'm playing poorly for a real money tournament but for a freeroll it seems to work fine.

I get my stack up there and I start thinking that maybe, just maybe, we're down to solid and good players. Then the chips slip through my fingers like they were made of water. I switch to my "better game" too soon.

So I'm thinking that when I do get my stack up that big, I should just go ahead and take a break. Not a 5 minute break but at least a 10 to 20 minute break. I should still be at around average if not better when I get back right?

I think playing freerolls are very hard because of the differents class of opponets (some play it serios and some just put all in on everyhand). But I think like you that a TAG style PRE-Flop is the best way to survive.

And about taking a break is a great way to get your focus back, otherwise you might start to think "a little to much of just poker".

I agree ... ease up and hold onto your chips 'til the final table (provided you have enough ... more than 20 times the big blind).

Would you have any examples of how you lose your chips? Are you getting trapped? Do you commit 10%+ of your chips pre-flop and then get priced out by the turn? Are you getting blinded out?

The only way to plug a leak in your game is to identify, as specifically as you can possible, where you think the leak is coming from. I would recommend, next time you take a beat that you would like to understand how to handle more profitably, to copy and paste the hand onto this forum. That way, you can have a lot more specific analysis of your current challenges.

Part of being a great poker player is having the habit of analyzing the slightest nuances of their game. Pay attention to how you went from 4-6x the average stack, to bust. For a more beneficial diagnosis for your sake, the more information you provide, the better. Any and all information is needed.

*How many players did the tourneys start with?
*When you started switching up your game, how many players were left?
*What style did you begin with, and what style did you then change to?
*Were you aware of your opponents style of play? What made you think this?
*What were the blind/ante structures compared to your chip count when you started losing/switching up your style of play?
*When you say you thought you were playing against more solid players, what do you consider a solid player?

I'm not sure if you would have this particular information with you in the back of your head to recap the past tourney you were in. And that's okay if you don't, wonderful if you do. It only seems though, on forums such as this, the only way to maximize the quality of your feedback, is to maximize the quality of your initial input. If you can do that, I'm sure you'll get much more satisfying responses, champ.

Too many bad players is never a problem.

Sorry I'm not complaining about bad players. Furthermore I wrote: my "best game" to indicate that it probably isn't so great.

No I'm not complaining about them, I'm mad at myself. That's entirely different. There are different strategies required for different types of players. My problem is I start to think bets and raises mean something at a certain point. Usually they do after the herd thins out considerably. Unfortunately I kick it up a notch(as a guy who I normally can't stand would say) too soon. When I do that, I'm clearly shooting myself in the foot. I know the flaw is in my game, not someone else's.

I'm just saying, I don't consider myself to be good, just solid. Others have told me I'm good but just because they say it doesn't make it true. Ya know? I evaluate myself and see I have a long way to go.

Oh and another problem I have is not trusting my gut. My gut tells me that if there's trips on the board, someone has that 4th card to make quads no matter what their other card(s) are. And kaboom! It blows up in my face.

Hey I'm working on it.

But thanks for the opinions. I haven't been keeping track of freeroll play since freerolls don't seem to improve my play. I probably should though.

It's hard to know what you are doing wrong without seeing some hands. A common mistake is that you may be guessing bluff too often, trying to outthink guys.

Yeah I just haven't entered any freerolls today. I'll save some hands starting with the next one I enter.

I think I've almost got it figured out, even if I can't articulate where I'm going wrong. I'm getting to where I can visualize it, and once I'm there, I can articulate the problem better.

Thanks .