Freeroll vs Real Money

L

ljstephens11

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Total posts
15
Chips
0
I haven't played online poker since well before Black Friday and I, like many others back then, dropped a lot of money playing every hand like what I saw on TV. I'm a little older now, and I want to get back in, but actually know what I'm doing this time.

I have been playing freerolls as a way to "test the waters" and practice what I've been learning before depositing real money. So far, I'm not what I would consider a stellar player. It generally goes like this:

I make it ITM about 10% of the time. The closest being 2nd place. No all out wins yet. About 50% I place just outside. Between 1-15 away. The rest I blow in random unwanted places.

When I do place, the micro cash tables eat my winnings quickly even though I start to show signs of profit. (I think my play is too loose for cash games at that level or possibly any cash game.) I know that the competition would be a little better at higher real money tournaments, so am I showing enough promise to venture a buy in, or should I be placing more consistently to be able to be successful in a better game?
 
R

rw11687

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 21, 2012
Total posts
312
Chips
0
My suggestion would be to continue building through freerolls. You will likely bust a few more times, but eventually your BR will grow. That's when you know you are ready to win consistently at the small stakes. This was the approach I took years when I started playing online. More because I was broke, but in hindsight, it was the best thing for me.

While freerolls represent a different t style of opppnent, seeing hands and situations is invaluable to growth. And at a certain level in most freerolls, the play begins to resemble that of micro stakes, so you will get experience against that level of play when you go deep enough.
 
dj11

dj11

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Total posts
23,189
Awards
9
Chips
0
That is a remarkably common story. We learn how to do tourney's, then blow it on ring tables........

Advice; Stay away from ring tables till you have 500 buy-ins.......
 
AvaPoker13

AvaPoker13

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Total posts
85
Chips
0
Play free tournaments until you achieve good results. Ai take chances in making your deposit and play tournaments with small entrances.
 
L

ljstephens11

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Total posts
15
Chips
0
Thanks. I guess I'll stick here for awhile longer.
 
pricechoppin

pricechoppin

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 18, 2011
Total posts
502
Chips
0
I have never enjoyed playing freerolls packed with players. The smaller private games/forum freerolls are a great starting point and good to play do u can play with more experienced members making us able to learn a lot form other players in those types of games.
 
robertocoelho

robertocoelho

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Total posts
306
Chips
0
I liked to play the freerolls today concetrado played and enjoyed, I think my game is getting more consistent
 
N

NorskNewman

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Total posts
236
Chips
0
Do you have money to play with without concern? Start at the lowest limits of whichever discipline you choose, multi table tournaments, sng, ring games etc. choose one to focus on.

If it's cash, 40 buyins is the new standard from my sources of advice. Watch videos online on your choice on dragthebar.com , I say it cause its a great source and it's free now.
The games are tougher now than pre Black Friday . Keep that in mind to curve some frustration . A lot of knowledge is out there to be had, so arm yourself with it.
 
dj11

dj11

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Total posts
23,189
Awards
9
Chips
0
If it's cash, 40 buyins is the new standard from my sources of advice. Watch videos online on your choice on dragthebar.com , I say it cause its a great source and it's free now.


40 BI's is not enough until you feel really confident about your game. While my semi-flippant comment of 500 BI's was somewhat a joke, the point is to have a BR big enough to throw away the BI for weeks on end, and not worry about it.

There are others around here who tend to agree with that 40 BI suggestion. I do not agree.

Almost anyone building a BR via FR's is not going to do well in ring games. They are that different. The skills we learn in tourney play are NOT directly transferable to ring. They help, but that's all.
 
L

ljstephens11

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Total posts
15
Chips
0
Thanks. I took 2nd in a $25 freeroll on Full Flush tonight. Another little boost to my self-confidence, anyway. I guess I'll study up on ring strategy. I am hoping to eventually make some decent side money playing, and it seems that many people think that cash games are more profitable than tourneys. Should I concentrate on cash games or stick to what I know better as my main focus to build my bankroll?
 
danyclub80

danyclub80

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 22, 2015
Total posts
17
Chips
0
Freerolls are much more easy to play because if you go all in with marginal cards and go out there you lose anything , instead money some mistakes do not make them like you freeroll .
 
M

Mogolo

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Total posts
5
Chips
0
I haven't done any of the private freerolls yet but the big freerolls with a lot of people is like sitting at a play money table not good to learn much until deep in the tourney if you don't get donked out.
 
K

kmax11

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
Total posts
41
Chips
0
freerolls are hard to win.. cash games are decent and touraments are easy but you gotta make all the right moves
 
M

m3th0s

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 3, 2005
Total posts
98
Chips
0
If you feel ready for the game then go on in man, also if the buy-in is in your br range then it shouldnt be a problem. good luck with it.
 
xOneCoolHandx

xOneCoolHandx

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Total posts
1,747
Awards
20
Chips
129
You should continue to build your bankroll through freerolls unless you want to invest your own money and then follow the bankroll guidelines (available everywhere) to build your bankroll. When you are dominating the competition on a regular basis then you are ready to move up. There are always two things to keep in mind. 1) The competition isn't necessarily better at the next few levels, many of those players are not people who have fought their way up through the ranks, so, playing at the lower levels gives you a good feel for how to play, really at any level. There are donks everywhere and there is really tough competition everywhere 2) Treat freerolls and micro stakes like a penny is a dollar or a twenty, or even a hundred if that makes you think longer and concentrate on the game better. Good luck
 
Mason Pye

Mason Pye

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Total posts
434
Awards
1
Chips
1
I believe you should stick to freerolls before depositing any money. The great thing about freerolls is that you can be earning money while at the same time you're learning how to get better at the game. There may be many more players in freerolls than in some real money games, but with freerolls, your bankroll is never in jeopardy and you may not need to deposit at all. Once you have built a decent bankroll, you can then start to move onto playing some real money games. Once you start playing real money games, I suggest you follow a strict bankroll management approach to make sure you never go broke. Hope this helps.
 
arielakarel

arielakarel

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Thanks. I took 2nd in a $25 freeroll on Full Flush tonight. Another little boost to my self-confidence, anyway. I guess I'll study up on ring strategy. I am hoping to eventually make some decent side money playing, and it seems that many people think that cash games are more profitable than tourneys. Should I concentrate on cash games or stick to what I know better as my main focus to build my bankroll?

That's a nice achievement, I think you should stick to 1 kind of game, but here and then try something different to mix it up.
GL
 
Gumppoker

Gumppoker

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Total posts
8
Chips
0
ive been playing freerolls on ACR since late may and have slowly built it up to $30. ive started to play their $25 GTD $.50 tournaments and have been having sucess. Its a long grind but it can be done and its worth it.
 
C

CasketRomance

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Total posts
7
Chips
0
That is a remarkably common story. We learn how to do tourney's, then blow it on ring tables........

Advice; Stay away from ring tables till you have 500 buy-ins.......

i agree with needing a certain amt of buyins before starting to play ring games...but 500 buy ins? 1 cent 2 cent buy in is 2 bucks...so you are saying one should have 1k to play 1 cent 2 cent?
 
cwdignus

cwdignus

Carpe diem
Loyaler
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Total posts
2,792
Awards
4
BR
Chips
93
sometimes seems more lottery poker game

in my case I'm playing freeroll as training and to form a bankroll but on some platforms is much ground make it to the awards , especially those with many dongs betting with any hand sometimes seems more lottery poker game , little by little I am discovering places nice as full flush
 
L

Lexxx

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 11, 2015
Total posts
652
Awards
4
Chips
0
That is a remarkably common story. We learn how to do tourney's, then blow it on ring tables........

Advice; Stay away from ring tables till you have 500 buy-ins.......

It´s true! I lost everything I earned plus double. Cashgames are not for me. :mad:
 
G

gabrielrr33

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 5, 2015
Total posts
118
Chips
0
Friend My advice is that you focus on those who are the freerolls until aprendar win good places and positions that will help you believe in yourself you. After that happens bet money in small amounts to try to learn strategies of players.
 
Real Money Poker - Real Money Casinos
Top