How to Succeed in Online Freerolls

#**141** 29-11-2007, 5:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perry

I just started online poker about a month ago and have been in a number of freeroll on FullTiltPoker. Your advise is right on. I've always played a tight poker game but it is hard to get to see a flop early in a tournament because the all-ins come like exploding popcorn. I have made it to the final table several times and got as far as third. I was on a short stack for most of the game but had to get agressive and expand my acceptable betting hands as the games grinds down.

All things considered your advice is very good and basically the way I want to play -- if they allow me too.

donkeys (like it sounds like girl was) will win some times. but it is best to stick to the game you want to play and over the long you will wind up the winner.

#**142** 02-12-2007, 3:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t1riel

Here's an article on ways to succeed in online freerolls. I thought it might be helpful. A couple of tips might be questionable. Hope you enjoy it:

Online Poker Freerolls are a unique breed amongst poker tournaments and require a certain way of playing in order to succeed. Here are 6 top tips that will help you succeed in online poker freeroll tournaments.

1. Be patient.
I've put this rule first as I believe patience is the number one most important quality required to do well in the freerolls. One important point to bear in mind is that freerolls usually have hundreds of entrants and can take several hours to complete. If you want to be there at the final table you will need to be very patient.

2. Be Aggressive.
Freerolls are multi-table tournaments and you will usually be seated at a table of ten all the way through the tournament. This is a good thing in a way as it means you don't need to adjust your play to suit a shorter table, but it does mean that when you do have a good hand you need to play it aggressively. Top pairs like Aces and Kings should always be raised strongly pre-flop as they can often come unstuck after the flop. Whenever you get a good hand, ie a high pair or AKs, AQs, you must be aggressive.

3. Play less hands.
As well as being aggressive you need to be controlled and play less hands. Don't be tempted to play hunches, sit tight and wait for the good hands then play them aggressively. A good rule of thumb is to throw away any hand that contains a card that's lower than an eight.

4. Use your table position.
If you are first or second in the betting, a King 10 isn't a very good hand. There are nine players to follow you and if any of them have a pair or an Ace or a King with Queen or Jack then you are struggling. However if you are at the end of the betting and you can "limp in" with a call or check, then your KT becomes an altogether better prospect. Nobody has raised yet so your King might be good and it is certainly worth seeing the flop.

5. Vary your play.
Although you need to be patient and wait for a good hand, don't become too predictable. If you only play the big hands and always raise then your opponents will simply back down and let you take the blinds. The trouble with this is you won't be winning enough in blinds to keep your head above water as you are playing too few hands. You need to vary your style of play and become hard to read.

6. Avoid bluffing.
Bluffing should be avoided, except on very rare occasions. As there are always ten people at the table there is a very high chance that someone will have a good hand each time and will want to go against you, even if you go all in. All in on a bluff is almost suicidal at the online poker freerolls, there's nearly always somebody prepared to call you and you have little chance of surviving.

7. Watch your opponents and learn their playing style.
You can learn a lot of valuable poker information just by watching your opponents at the table. Do they bet almost every hand, do they sit back and wait for a good hand (like you!), do they fold easily at the first sign of a raise, do they just want to see a free card, is there a "maniac" who raises every hand?

8. Concentrate on the game.
If you want to find out how your opponents play, you need to concentrate fully on what you're doing. Don't write emails while your playing or surf other sites, and turn off that TV!

9. Avoid hesitation.
If you hesitate before you make your move then it is seen as a sign of weakness. In online poker freerolls you can't watch your opponent's reaction or see them sweat and one of the few "tells" that you have is the speed at which your opponent makes his move. The worst sin here is to hesitate for a while then check, you have just told the table you don't have a hand but you want to see the next card. You will simply be raised straight out of the hand.

10. Don't chase draws.
It can be very tempting when you see that you have a straight draw, (eg you've got a 6 7 and there's a 5 and 8 in the flop) but the reality is that this hand rarely produces a winner. If you can see the other cards free or for a cheap call then by all means take a look, but remember at this point you have absolutely nothing and your opponents have almost certainly got at least a pair.

11. Remember that your opponents will play different cards from you.
Just because you are doing everything right doesn't mean that they will too! People will play all sorts of hands, especially in an online poker freeroll and you can expect some crazy bad beats. Particular attention should be paid to the possibility of straights, if there are three cards on the table like 5 6 8 for example, there's a good chance somebody might be playing with a 7 4!

12. Treat the freerolls seriously.

Although you're not investing any money to take part in the online poker freerolls, you are investing a chunk of your time so take them seriously. They are a good training ground for learning poker tournament skills and to win one is a very good achievement. Not to mention you will win some money!

This is how i play i wait for poket pairs,high cards like AK,AQ,AJ,A10. that and high pockets i raise pre flop ,low poket pairs i limp unless i catch a guy i suspect is trying to buy one and i have low pokets. in the case ill go over them all in the make it a 1-1 pot

#**143** 02-12-2007, 5:53 PM

great advice man, thanks

#**144** 06-12-2007, 2:10 PM

i just play my cards the same way all the way through. if i get knocked out, no big deal, its free....

#**145** 09-12-2007, 4:36 PM

i am new 2 this site i am just saying hello and 2 say watch out for me in freerolls

#**146** 09-12-2007, 4:48 PM

just read through your post and the avice u give is a very good base to learn from and apply to anyones game...to the novices out there the style hes refering to is tite aggressive..the best way to start playin any level ov poker...great post..keep em cmin

#**147** 13-12-2007, 10:04 AM

one strategy i like to use later in a freeroll tourney, is to hesitate a preset minimum time on say 90% of hands so both increasing hesitation time [ to maybe imply strength] and decreasing hesitation [ imply weakness?] is an option on the haands you decide to play. what does evryone else think?

#**148** 13-12-2007, 6:47 PM

Great advice Im going to try it!

#**149** 14-12-2007, 3:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yumboltking

one strategy i like to use later in a freeroll tourney, is to hesitate a preset minimum time on say 90% of hands so both increasing hesitation time [ to maybe imply strength] and decreasing hesitation [ imply weakness?] is an option on the haands you decide to play. what does evryone else think?

I use hestitation and insta-reply as well as moderate response times. I also mix it up a lot. Why would I want to give anyone predictable tells? I let my bets speak for me, and I mix those up too...

#**150** 26-12-2007, 3:34 PM

i did most of these things last freeroll i played and ended up winning it sure it was only $26 but hey thats free money .....lol..................THANKS

#**151** 28-12-2007, 4:12 PM

thanks for the great tips i need them.

#**152** 30-12-2007, 5:56 AM

patience is a major virtue when it comes to freerolls w/ 1,800 or 2,700 people entered. anyone thats been in one knows that more than half of the field is gone by first break. just wait until you get the nuts, and then with under a hundred left turn on the aggressive tactics, but well placed is a def key. watch the table and know when to steal some blinds (usually on the button), people tend to play extremely rocky this close to the money.

#**153** 30-12-2007, 1:52 PM

awesome advice dude ive been doin much better in tourneys i even won the juggernaught 2 weaks ago but i havent faired to well in the cardschat but i really enjoy it and just wish i got the passwords faster cuz ive missed out on it once opr twice. gl all see ya at the tables. poker4u2c on fulltilt and jimmy beck on pokerstars

#**154** 30-12-2007, 4:45 PM

Yes, it's all about patience but you also have to get lucky at least twice maybe three times, I think.

I think it goes like this: Grind,Grind,Grind,Luck,Grind,Grind,Grind, Break Grind,Grind,Grind,Luck,Grind,Grind,Grind, Break Grind,Grind,Grind,Luck,Grind,Grind,Grind,

That's just my impression

#**155** 19-04-2008, 11:07 PM

very very good tips this man knows what hes talking about. top man

#**156** 20-04-2008, 4:19 AM

Very good read ty I have a real problem with the first one patience I know when I use it I usually have success then another is I like to play every hand because I get a real rush when I hold 2 10 of clubs and hit the flush on the flop. Or whatever like 4 7 and catching 3 5 6 on the flop stuff like that really makes me wanna jump then I love to slow play these and win big pots. Thanks for the info though its all good

#**157** 20-04-2008, 9:01 PM

good advice, i only take one exception if i'm on the button or near the button in the early rounds and can see a flop cheap, i usually do!!

good luck all!!

#**158** 21-04-2008, 5:50 PM

Great advice!!!

#**159** 03-05-2008, 6:52 AM

good advice similar to the tactics I used to build my bankrolls. I am currently over $100 at Full Tilt, Bodog, and Pokerstars and have never made a deposit

#**160** 04-05-2008, 8:38 PM

this might be best article ive read in a long time. good to brush up and review some key points. great post

#**161** 04-05-2008, 9:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diceme

Very good read ty I have a real problem with the first one patience I know when I use it I usually have success then another is I like to play every hand because I get a real rush when I hold 2 10 of clubs and hit the flush on the flop. Or whatever like 4 7 and catching 3 5 6 on the flop stuff like that really makes me wanna jump then I love to slow play these and win big pots. Thanks for the info though its all good

^ ^ ^ ^ post this reply anytime you see a thread like:
how did he call this ?? -or- who plays ATC every hand ?? -or- WTF ?? ...

#**162** 04-05-2008, 9:26 PM

Nice advices, i follow some this things, great article.. ^^

#**163** 04-05-2008, 9:37 PM

well i think that the best way to succed at online tournament freeroll is to played premiums hands and be very loose at the beggining trying to double the chips... there will be many donks who plays all in with 27off, so with ak you will have to much adventaje from those players and more possibilities to win...

#**164** 07-05-2008, 5:17 PM

if you go to thepokerschool.com, they give great tips on short stack play. and offer a free bonus it really hellped me out. maybe it will for you too

#**165** 07-05-2008, 6:09 PM

What works for one player or one style of play doesnt always work for another, but very solid advice there to filter thru your thought process thanx

#**166** 08-05-2008, 1:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adragoo

if you go to thepokerschool.com, they give great tips on short stack play. and offer a free bonus it really hellped me out. maybe it will for you too

I perfer the bonuses: Poker Bonus - Poker Sign Up Bonus Codes & Online Poker Bonuses

and poker tips: Poker Strategy - Poker Theory, Poker Articles, Strategies & Tips.

on this site a lot better.

#**167** 08-05-2008, 5:42 AM

wow
50/50
is that like either you win, or you lose!

#**168** 08-05-2008, 5:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19RK64

I have also use top hand to build a large stack the first hour,or above avg.stack,but you must remember this is the time you will be called by all kinds af hands hoping for a dubble up,DO OR DIE!(sometimes it workeds,sometimes it don't !),players will try a lot of weird hand for that quick dubble,myself I have found, it's better to bet a good raise,and work it from post-flop, seeing how I can allway fold if in trouble,this seems to be the time, that you will lose "MOSTER HANDS" to 3-9os,suited connectors,GETTING SPIKED SMALLER PAIRS,and just about any garbage hand you can think of.

Don't take me wrong,but some time I think players thinks: just because they are 78% favorite that they are going to win 78% of their hands in a tourney,and It just don't work like that,I had a great player tell me once that,you might be and 80%fav. and odds are on you side ,but if called,you only have a 50-50 chance preflop,and that makes sence to me.

For instance 2-7 versus A-A,ODDS are 2-7 will win 12% of the time,so if 2-7 went up against A-A 88 times and lost every time are you guarenteed a win the 89th time? NOPE!,Its still just a 50-50 chance.so when I have a moster pair and I FIRE AWAY,like I can't be beat,I simple look at it like, Im at least going to lose 20% of the time,Im sure it will pan out in the long run,but any time you are putting all your chippys on the table,you are subject to lose..

Well this way a verry good read,and I agree with most of it,and liked the feedback.

wow
50/50
is that like either you win, or you lose!

#**169** 08-05-2008, 5:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diceme

Very good read ty I have a real problem with the first one patience I know when I use it I usually have success then another is I like to play every hand because I get a real rush when I hold 2 10 of clubs and hit the flush on the flop. Or whatever like 4 7 and catching 3 5 6 on the flop stuff like that really makes me wanna jump then I love to slow play these and win big pots. Thanks for the info though its all good

I sure hope you dont play at Ultimatebet!!!!!

#**170** 10-05-2008, 3:57 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by diceme

Very good read ty I have a real problem with the first one patience I know when I use it I usually have success then another is I like to play every hand because I get a real rush when I hold 2 10 of clubs and hit the flush on the flop. Or whatever like 4 7 and catching 3 5 6 on the flop stuff like that really makes me wanna jump then I love to slow play these and win big pots. Thanks for the info though its all good

that guy is the arch enemy of AKs vs AQs with his T2o which HITS arr nuke him

#**171** 12-05-2008, 12:18 AM

thanks good reading. try to do all you wrote but certain circumstances arise and make the difference between winning the pot or losing

#**172** 12-05-2008, 4:47 PM

great advice. thanks for sharing.

#**173** 12-05-2008, 6:35 PM

[quote=lewis010;787564]well i think that the best way to succed at online tournament freeroll is to played premiums hands and be very loose at the beggining trying to double the chips...
I believe this is the exact opposite of good tournament strategy. Sooo many times even in a cash tourney, I get my $$ in on the flop &/or turn as an 87% fav. and still get donk calls (when only in vs. one other opponent), so can ya imagine trying to double up early, when you could have some players calling with any kind of 2 or 3-outer,... why take the risk of going out? My belief in freerolls is to avoid initial play as much as possible, and in $$ tourneys in early going, try to stick to going after small pots, or if you can, bet your super strong hands for value right down to the river (amazing how many uneducated loose calling stations there really are online,... "Come on Nine!" (Chris Ferguson commercial from TV comes to mind)).
To risk your tourney in early going for a simple double-up seems pretty insane to me. Aquiring the big monstrous stack in early stages isn't really all that important,.. first hour (first couple of levels) is usually about survival. Do you ever follow those early doublers into later stages of tourney??,... doubt it, they're usually just as happy to pass those chips along to someone else. AND,.. how many times do they just get KO'd while going after a quick double up?
Whatever works for ya I guess (obviously). I'm manic freeroller on occassion (not sure why??,... just as the alcoholic drinks when least wanting to I suppose), and have managed to cash in over 40 freerolls in 2008 so am thinking the tight early strategy is doin' okay for now.

#**174** 12-05-2008, 7:01 PM

Hmm, Make the big stack by playing extra loose in the first part of the game... Big mistake. I realy love these guys because of patience to wait for a hand to nail them with. Imo, it is very rare that early big stacks ever see the final table at a FR game, sooner or latter they run into player(s) with skill that easily their chippies.

I don't avoid intial play, I just play it carefully enough with the goal to free a few guys of the need to stick around when I can. Keep in mind you're apt to see any two cards chased to the river here by a player that hopes to suck out on a draw. (or has AK but can't let it go, lol) Also remember most of their poker education comes from watching edited TV shows of pros calling all sort of bs to make for good TV.

Best advice, read the poker strategy threads here at CC as often as possible. Ask questions and look to the guys with a ton of posts to give you sound advice.

#**175** 15-05-2008, 3:39 AM

good advice

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