Beginning stages of freerolls

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lost2qandisa

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Ok, all the freerolls I play, it never fails, early on I will get an AK suited or KK or some other big hand. I will bet 5 X BB and then someone shoves. Or they shove before I bet. Some of these players you know to have been pushing with anything. Early on, do you call on the BINGO play or just fold and wait for these maniacs to bust out?

Example this morning, I was in one of the $10 freeroll on demand at America's Cardroom. I had AK suited. Guy before me pushed. I called. Two other after me called. One person had A 6. The guy that shoved first had 9 6 unsuited. Other person had a baby pair. Guess what? 9 6 won with a straight. The odds always seem to be in my favor over and over yet I get beat over and over by much lesser hands. What to do?
 
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chauncey274

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I've played quite a few of those, I've won two of them and cashed in probably a dozen of them. Here's my take on it.

They run them about every 20 minutes during peak hours. So if I bust early I wait a few more minutes and I start another. If I double or triple up a few times, I'm sitting in really good position to be aggressive at the tables, which is what I prefer on free rolls. So if I start at 1500 chips, like that freeroll, I shove with any two face cards and any pocket pair until I get up to 10000 chips or so then I settle down and play my game. I'd never do this in a tournament that I actually paid to enter, but for these free rolls it's the only way I can play them. Every ones playing so loose that if I wait for AA or KK to shove, or I wait to flop the nuts, I'll get blinded out before I get any kind of a stack.
 
IPlay

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You were a favorite, but not by as much as you think. Not like you could of predicted the other two shoving after you, but that is why you should be cautious of the people left to act.

9rQieug


http://imgur.com/9rQieug
 
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Also, if you don't mind me asking. Where do you play these free rolls in America? I have Bovada but don't see many free rolls at all.
 
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chauncey274

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Also, if you don't mind me asking. Where do you play these free rolls in America? I have Bovada but don't see many free rolls at all.
I never see any on bovada either. The one he is referring to is on America's Cardroom. It runs all day long, as soon as 270 people sign up it starts, so if it's busy you have one starting every 20 minutes.
 
sam1chips

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You were a favorite, but not by as much as you think. Not like you could of predicted the other two shoving after you, but that is why you should be cautious of the people left to act.

Haha it's funny, AA is an 80% favorite vs any random hand, but is only 50-50 vs 3 random hands. You gotta isolate.

As for the OP, just play real tight in the early stages. If people are playing super aggro just wait for a premium hand and get all your chips in good. After that it's all out of your control.
 
IPlay

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I never see any on bovada either. The one he is referring to is on America's Cardroom. It runs all day long, as soon as 270 people sign up it starts, so if it's busy you have one starting every 20 minutes.

Signed up and already playing one! Thanks man!
 
IPlay

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Haha it's funny, AA is an 80% favorite vs any random hand, but is only 50-50 vs 3 random hands. You gotta isolate.

As for the OP, just play real tight in the early stages. If people are playing super aggro just wait for a premium hand and get all your chips in good. After that it's all out of your control.

Yeah, this is something I just learned of between the book I'm reading and Pokerstove :p

Pretty interesting tbh, he did get it in with a good hand. Just did not hit the cards which happens.
 
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locha2013

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Firstly you have to win a all in with a good hand and then you can look often at the flop, and when you hit something interesting you can throw with chips. In the middle of the tournement you can proove your skills and at the end you have almost won some money.
 
rifflemao

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Here's the opposite situation:

You pick up 66 on the button in a freeroll. Five people go all in ahead of you. Do you call or fold?
 
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matiusaa

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You just keep doing what you are doing that in the long run you will win more times. Nothing to do, just negative variance
 
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hrix

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These freerolls (over 9000 people) are waste of time, better to play in community freerolls (like Cardschat, lol. Can name some others, but I am not sure if advertising is allowed on CC).
It will be much easier to play against 40-50 people, than against 9000.
And there won't be stupid all-ins.
 
joshuawacaster

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Call them. Its a free roll with 270 people in it competing for $2.50
 
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lost2qandisa

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Well I have placed and won many freerolls. It is frustrating to me to lose with a big hand to Bingo players. I guess I should just look at it like monopoly money. Thanks for the replies.
 
ccocco

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the freeroll once read somewhere poker article to be expected since most of the fish go allin with either hand. let a couple of blind until removed most, even was saying that even if you have AK in early position you have to fold. over time lucky increasingly less influence in poker.
 
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cpgd176

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Generally, I like to use the same strategy as chauncy274. At the end of the day, these are freerolls where 1st is generally not a very big amount. So many people just want to gamble early and either gain a big stack or bust of and same some time/move on to the next one. I like to gamble early with decent hands, and hopefully get a big stack going. Then you can start playing normal ABC poker with timed aggression.
 
TeUnit

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fish tend to be the first out of tourneys and you want to play hands with them, but that being said, you dont need to be calling open shoves with 55 or AQ
 
Salvete777

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In beginning of freerolls 90% play's luck and 10% skill (or less).
Most of daily freerolls (FTP; PS) start's with 1,5k chips and blinds increase every 5 minutes, simply when you have good cards you should go all-in, if you win pair of all-in's then you can start about strategy.
 
stevenright

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i didnt understand the 5x raise... if the guy would shove anyways why don't raise normally at 2,5x ?
 
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cotta777

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Ok, all the freerolls I play, it never fails, early on I will get an AK suited or KK or some other big hand. I will bet 5 X BB and then someone shoves. Or they shove before I bet. Some of these players you know to have been pushing with anything. Early on, do you call on the BINGO play or just fold and wait for these maniacs to bust out?

Example this morning, I was in one of the $10 freeroll on demand at America's Cardroom. I had AK suited. Guy before me pushed. I called. Two other after me called. One person had A 6. The guy that shoved first had 9 6 unsuited. Other person had a baby pair. Guess what? 9 6 won with a straight. The odds always seem to be in my favor over and over yet I get beat over and over by much lesser hands. What to do?


Q.1 do you call on the bingo play or just fold and wait for them to bust out

A. 100% get it in with KK/AA. even queens. since your a big fave alot of the time and the pushes are wider..
AK suited is optional it is only a drawing hand so no harm in isolating to play slow or shoving first if there is a chance of them folding as it will give you +EV equity adding fold equity to your toss equity.
but in contrast you dont need the KA tosses since they will pay you off if you have the K or A rather than take the risk.


Q.2 getting beat by weaker hands

A. It's just variance man I definately think you can benifit from taking pride and discipline from folding big hands because you know you will get chips later on. That is the sign of a good player and you should be proud of your play if you learn to adopt this and choose too use it
 
Bowman26

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Yes get it in with the best of it when you can. I know it is hard to do. Once I busted on the 1st hand of a MTT with AA against AA, all in preflop and he hits 4 to a flush the only cards that could beat me. Gone 1st hand. So you take your chances of course but then if you aren't going to bet with what you can be pretty sure is the best of it at that moment then what hand are you waiting for exactly? Getting the dead nuts after the river or on the turn is always nice but not usually the case. That is easy to push with of course but when the other person might have a boat load of outs you have to dodge. That is why they call it the best hand 'at the moment' preflop and turn and river lol.

As for freerolls like the ones you speak of everyone is going to be total maniacs because they lose nothing by being one. If as others have mentioned they get lucky and win a bunch of coin flip all ins early they can sit back and bully the table. If they bust out in 15 minutes oh well another freeroll is about to start. Cost to play, nothing.

This is why IMO there is no point in playing poker online for no money as it is not real poker like people who are risking real money play. You need to have skin in the game to make it real. Some freerolls have nice prizes or entries to big MTT etc so they are worth a shot but still people play like lunatics compared to most any $150 and up buy in MTT would play lol.
 
Vhyre

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i just keep throwing chips at them till I get a decent stack to settle in and play. With one going every half hour or so, its inevitable I'll do well in at least one or two in a day.
 
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lilturkgirl86

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iv'e actually won a couple of these freerolls, and final tabled around 5-6 .. these are a very good grind if you have alot of spare time on your hand for that day cause u can expect to wait 3-4 hrs to cash, and even then you can end up getting aces cracked because the large stacks call off so light in the freerolls.. in any event my best advice is be patient, and be smart.
 
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locha2013

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I think the freerolls are difficult to win, because of the fast blind level.
I often win some all ins at the beginning but thats not enough. At the end I do get sucked out by the blinds and the other big stacks.
Above all in the freerolls at poker stars. There are so many players that I just can't get enough chips to win a freeroll. I don't really get a good strategy for those freerolls.
But for example the Bankrollbuilders at full tilt poker are easier to win. There the blind level is not so fast and I was yesterday again at the final table.
 
Arjonius

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Example this morning, I was in one of the $10 freeroll on demand at America's Cardroom. I had AK suited. Guy before me pushed. I called. Two other after me called. One person had A 6. The guy that shoved first had 9 6 unsuited. Other person had a baby pair. Guess what? 9 6 won with a straight. The odds always seem to be in my favor over and over yet I get beat over and over by much lesser hands. What to do?
The odds were not in your favor. Against just the baby pair, you're flipping. Factor in the other hands and your odds of winning drop below that.
 
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