How to Succeed in Online Freerolls

#**176** 02-08-2008, 6:48 PM

Good add-on duesxmachina, it really is hard to lay down some good hands late in the game but with J-J early position I raised and had 2 callers. the Flop was all spades Q-J-9, I threw a continuation bet out that got raised and reraised, I folded the set. the first player had Ks-10d, a str with flush posibilities, and the winner had As-5s. sometimes when your in that position, and up against 1 raiser you wonder if they have something like As-Qo, but with 2 raisers it was an easy fold. Patience and agressive play has always been my game, but I've learned to look at the texture of the flop betting paterns and type players in the hand. Also make notes on players and date them (players progress). (Just a thought, it would be fun sometime to see what notes have been made on me.)

#**177** 02-08-2008, 8:11 PM

Patience is certainly the hardest thing for me, especially early on. Anytime you get a halfway decent hand someone goes all in. It's easy to start grasping for draws that you don't stand a chance at hitting.

#**178** 02-08-2008, 10:29 PM

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!

#**179** 02-08-2008, 10:45 PM

thanks i play alot of free rolls and i think that will help i usually do play pretty tight in freerolls i have found out if you only play pairs or ak you will do pretty well well good luck

#**180** 02-08-2008, 10:57 PM

This is great advice for even the most experienced player.It gives you a good guidline as how you should play through these long tournaments and I will definatley use it to "refresh" my game.

#**181** 03-08-2008, 5:12 AM

great advice, thanks for posting. i dfintely agree with patience. even when everyone else is being an idiot, if you play smart and patient, you'll last longer than half the field. thanks

#**182** 03-08-2008, 1:55 PM

>>>9. Avoid hesitation.

If you hesitate before you make your move then it is seen as a sign of weakness.<<<

Yesterday, Limit Hold'em S&G, 4 players remaining.
I was short but had a fullhouse on the flop: pocket cards AK, board AKK
I bet raising and my only opponent calls. Turn: 10.
I bet raising and he calls. River: A.
Woah! Fullhouse Aces on Kings!

I bet allin and he hesitates a lot before calling.
Ok, he's mine! He has a smaller fullhouse

Well, you know what? HE HAD A FOUR OF A KIND ACES!!!!!

Arian

#**183** 03-08-2008, 5:32 PM

thanks for the strategy...this seems to be a pretty tight strategy,for playing freerolls...but if one is so tight all the time one can never reach the top 2% and have a huge chip stack...do yu think a huge chip stack matters in freerolls

#**184** 20-08-2008, 9:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianSilver

>>>9. Avoid hesitation.

If you hesitate before you make your move then it is seen as a sign of weakness.<<<

Yesterday, Limit Hold'em S&G, 4 players remaining.
I was short but had a fullhouse on the flop: pocket cards AK, board AKK
I bet raising and my only opponent calls. Turn: 10.
I bet raising and he calls. River: A.
Woah! Fullhouse Aces on Kings!

I bet allin and he hesitates a lot before calling.
Ok, he's mine! He has a smaller fullhouse

Well, you know what? HE HAD A FOUR OF A KIND ACES!!!!!

Arian

You had AK, there were two aces on board, meaning ONE ace left in the deck, even if he has it, he can't have 4 of a kind because you have the fourth ace! Next time you lie at least make it possible.

#**185** 20-08-2008, 9:51 PM

Good post, I think a lot of what you said can be applied in general cash game and tournament play as well. I definitely agree that patience is the most important part of playing in freerolls. So many people are loose and careless with their play that it really pays to wait for the goods before you enter a pot. Thanks for sharing

#**186** 20-08-2008, 9:55 PM

Definitely great info !

Thank for the precious tips, that we often "forget" about...

#**187** 20-08-2008, 9:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianSilver

>>>9. Avoid hesitation.

If you hesitate before you make your move then it is seen as a sign of weakness.<<<

Yesterday, Limit Hold'em S&G, 4 players remaining.
I was short but had a fullhouse on the flop: pocket cards AK, board AKK
I bet raising and my only opponent calls. Turn: 10.
I bet raising and he calls. River: A.
Woah! Fullhouse Aces on Kings!

I bet allin and he hesitates a lot before calling.
Ok, he's mine! He has a smaller fullhouse

Well, you know what? HE HAD A FOUR OF A KIND ACES!!!!!

Arian

So, you had AK, board was AKK T A, and your opponent had 4 of a kind?

NEW rules in poker ? lol

#**188** 20-08-2008, 11:43 PM

Great read! Thanks for posting! I finally got my patience down, only to lose to a lack of proper aggression. Got... to... get... those... rules down.

Thanks again!
dave

#**189** 21-08-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipchart

You had AK, there were two aces on board, meaning ONE ace left in the deck, even if he has it, he can't have 4 of a kind because you have the fourth ace! Next time you lie at least make it possible.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie. I just made a mistake.

My pocket were QK, his AA. Fullhouse Kings on Aces against Four of a Kind Aces.
Sorry again.

#**190** 21-08-2008, 4:43 PM

I like your list... might make a good opening for a manual for noobs. The most imporant one that I had to learn was not to play as many hands. Patience is the best virtue.

#**191** 23-08-2008, 2:22 AM

yes it is a good article to bad you didn t write it read the same thing on e mail from full tilt LMFAO

#**192** 25-08-2008, 10:05 PM

I agree for the most part, i do chase draws though, if they keep it cheap enough it is always worth it. Often i have turned a straight when someone gets two pair of something for them to pay you off with. just know your pot odds and your opponent when it comes to drawing.

#**193** 28-08-2008, 8:42 PM

you have to be aggressive early.. that seems to work for me

#**194** 28-08-2008, 9:24 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!

that's what usually gets me playing those 7 8 suited cards and the flop come 6, 9 ace and that semi bluff in those freerolls tournaments usually makes me lose a lot early in those tournaments! then I have to play tight for about 20 minutes then because of the maniac on the table!

But nevertheless practice does makes perfect although!

#**195** 28-08-2008, 9:34 PM

Wow, I just realized how old this post was, but it is great information. I would say that this is close to what I always do in most big tournaments, freerolls or not, just because the playing field is so large. Especially in the private freerolls I utilize most of this, playing only top hands aggressively and when in position and such. But then once the lower half of the entrants are out, then I start turning more LAG and playing the marginal hands a little more.

Once it gets close to the bubble is my favorite time, because most people are afraid that they are going to lose all of their chips and I swear there are people that will fold AA pre-flop just so that they can get over the bubble.

Good post t1riel, even though it is an old one

#**196** 28-08-2008, 11:02 PM

ty for the great advice, its kinda easy to remember it to...Im gonna try this on the next freeroll I play, I like your strategy for the start, to take it slow and all

...very good thread I think the admins should ''sticky'' this1...

#**197** 29-08-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by absoluthamm

Once it gets close to the bubble is my favorite time, because most people are afraid that they are going to lose all of their chips and I swear there are people that will fold AA pre-flop just so that they can get over the bubble.

Funny you should mention it. In yesterday's Bodog Freeroll I went out on the bubble (10th place - 9 get paid) playing KK and ended up busting out against trip 7s.

There's always next week

#**198** 30-08-2008, 5:39 PM

It's interesting that people pay such attention to things as hesitation and other tells especially online. If I figure someone pays inordinate attention to such things as being slow I hesitate with the nuts. Online you could be making a sandwich, answering the phone or door or multitabling or just getting use to all of these software "upgrades" that seem to roll out on an almost daily basis.

On the subject of action on the bubble, until recently I paid absolutely no attention to the bubble (yeah reckless I know). Now I am aware of but do not let my play be overly affected by the bubble - but you'd better have something if you think to bluff me on the bubble - lol.

Playing seriously cannot be overstressed. In my opinion people who have the "this is only a freeroll" do nothing but develop a comfort level with losing that is infectious. The best people and teams are those who practice like they play for real. I'd like to hear someone explain how they can develop a losing freeroll game and transfer that to a winning buy-in game? I think on of the best measures of whether you are ready to put your own money on the line is after you can succeed in freerolls.

I think that poker is a game with a lot of competing and contrasting elements and skills - balancing and adjusting them is the trick. First you fight to know what the correct thing is then your fight to do the right thing consistently and in the right place in spite of an inclination to do otherwise.

Merlin333

#**199** 01-09-2008, 4:53 AM

You said it all... I follow all of those guides, and a little more to play the freerolls... but since i've been on the road... down in Mexico... the internet kind of sucks down here....

and my last Freeroll... I was doing really well... down to 50 people... had around 4,500 in chips... then the internet went away... I was so pissed... came in 20th place... two people away from the money...

Guess I better, find a better internet connection... or try and make it back to the states soon...

Good Luck at the Tables

#**200** 01-09-2008, 7:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blimp

Nice to see the tips. I'd like to add a couple thoughts. The delays you observe in your opponents may indeed indicate weakness. OR The uncharacteristic pause in their play may be because their deciding how best to extract the maximum amount of chips from you, with their unbeatable hand. e.g. If they take about 50% longer to move and its a check-raise, then you should consider folding assuming this player has been reasonably solid up to that point.

gl

I agree with the point that an uncharacteristically long pause typically just means they have a decision to make. It means they either hit the flop hard, or missed it. Suppose you raise with AK in the BB, get called by two limpers and the flop comes 5 J Q. You are probably beat here and you need to decide whether to fire a continuation bet or just check it over. On the other hand, suppose I had QQ. I might spend some time considering whether to slowplay it or not, especially if I think the opponents might have a big draw.

Sometimes very long pauses just means the other player is not paying attention, or is taking a leak. In other words, it means nothing...

#**201** 01-09-2008, 10:40 PM

Very good

Thanks for the great advice I will try this and see if it works for me
Thanks again

#**202** 01-09-2008, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyalNutts840

i think that the online programs are designed to eliminate people, so if u dont have a large amount of chips, your sol, does anyone else share this thought with me?

Please take your, the sites are rigged, theories and find another thread. There are lots of them. And how are you supposed to accululate these chips? Once I have a large stack, should i just go all in against smaller stacks, because they will always lose?

Do you see how ridiculous that sounds?

#**203** 03-09-2008, 12:27 AM

some of these points were great and ill try to use them to my advantage
only thing i hate is u can do everything right and these guys still come over the top with crap or call with crap and always seem to outdraw u
i cant wait for the stats to even things out

#**204** 03-09-2008, 6:34 PM

Very helpful thank you for posting this. Its funny how you slowly pick up these skills as you play and go through the bad beats. I think the patience would be the most important for me. 5 hours makes it a little hard to focus.

#**205** 04-09-2008, 2:21 AM

good post follow alot of those rules and have been in the money many of times. but looking forward to this weekend when i play on the live tables. we'll see how well they work then

#**206** 04-09-2008, 11:51 PM

ty for the advice, i will keep these tips in my mind as i play......
lets see how it works out

#**207** 05-09-2008, 1:31 AM

Great advice! I think that this advice is excelant and the order in witch it was given isnt bad either my problem is that in free rools my impatience brings me down when the blinds are raised. also when the turney dtarts to wind down and the blinds are so high I will make a mistake or too that will blow the hole tourney,

#**208** 05-09-2008, 4:37 AM

so true i do not think i would have made it to 5th with out the help of this topic
thanks

#**209** 08-09-2008, 6:27 PM

T1rie...what great advice...I have placed in some of the freeroll tourneys but will print out your tips as a reminder!! Sometimes the freerolls move slowly because you are waiting for a decent hand to play. I like to play a second table and it is not as boring.

#**210** 09-09-2008, 2:38 AM

i see online pros that consistently succeed in real money tournaments but is there anyone or does anybody know anyone who is able to frequently place in freerolls?


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