Free-rolls, it's been a while since I played one.

I just played a freeroll for the first time in a while. It did not go well.

I joined America's Cardroom, and began right away with a freeroll. The play is very different than I remembered.

Obviously, semi bluffing on the button with middle pair (king kicker) is not possible. I got snap called on the flop for 1/3 pot, and snap called all in by the same player(whom I had covered) on the turn. He had me outkicked with the ace. I don't know how he even calls pre, how he calls the flop. But by the turn he only had 500 chips so I guess at that point he is calling ATC. I honestly thought I had the best hand.

Check/call, check/call, check/call. I don't understand the way these people play.

They start you with 1000 chips, and blinds at 15/30. It must have been 6 minute levels, because the blinds got huge very quickly.

A player just does not have time to wait for primo hands in these tourneys, and I honestly don't know the proper way to play a freeroll.

I just want to try and challenge myself by cashing in one of these lottos. I have only cashed in one before, and it was on Absolute Poker. I grinded for probably 6 hours for a buck and change.

I figured since I am in a wave of crappy cards live, why not play a few freerolls and try to focus on improving my game.

Would anyone be so kind as to break down a general strategy for playing freerolls? I would appreciate it.

Is it the the super satellite freerolls on Winning Poker Network (ACR is part of that network) which the award top 40 entries into a nightly 8pm super satellite?? which then awards top 30 into saturday weekly satellite? Yeah those are even more of crap shoot than a normal freeroll. Not only do people have no concept of hand values and position. They also are clueless about satellite tournament strategy and will continue to play marginal spots putting a big stack at risk which is already large enough for them to sit out the rest of the way to qualify for the awarded seat. These are some of the worst players I've ever seen. I wish more of them would make a real money deposit.

Naaa not the satellite ones just the regular free rolls on ACR.

I can't really tell you how to deal with freeroll play, but I do know exactly what you are talking about.

I used to play a lot of freerolls. Lately though, I have been playing S&Gs and MTTs. Once in a while, I register for a freeroll. I might be registered for a couple of other tournies at the same time. So a tourney table will pop up and within a few minutes I'm wondering WTF is going on and WTH is wrong with these people. Oh yeah, freeroll. That explains the madness and idiocy.

The best I can suggest is play tight/aggressive. But not too tight, because, as you've noticed, the blinds increase rapidly in most freerolls. If you can manage to make it through the first half hour, you might see play start to settle down as the donkeys bust themselves out. But there are always gonna be donks hidden in the field like land mines, or ticking timebombs at the table with that "it's just a freeroll" mentality. Never forget they're out there. Somehow one always manages to make it to the final table. It's like playing with your mentally challenged little cousin. For while he surprises you with the ability to play normally like everyone else. But eventually you're gonna look up find him trying to eat one of the cards.