How to play a freeroll

leandr0s · Dec 5, 2015

i have played enough freerolls to know how players there behave. basically apart from the very small minority of players who are there to play real poker and have fun, the most players tend to just get in these things for the lolz. they open shove 50BBs with 92s and call all ins with 6 high on the river. good thing is players are total douchebags. bad thing is the fields are huge, and the amounts of showdowns needed infinite. which means that even if you always get your money in with 70-30 advantage when it happends a lot of times your chances of actually making it to the money become negligible. and it really sucks playing a freeroll for 2-3 hours just to bubble because some idiot called your all in with a2o and badbeat your kings on the river. so here are some tips to help you increase your results, but remember in a field of 10k where making more than 1$ you need to finish top5 it means that even if you are double as good as anyone else your chances of making it a reality is 1/5000. if you can get your hands on freerolls with smaller fields ok, but mainly taking part in a freeroll is a waste of your time. making it first after 3-4 hours of playing ABC poker and making 4$ is not an achievement. but if you still want to try here are some personal advices.

Early stages:

1. dont worry about calling shoves light. people here shove any ace, any broadway combo, suited connectors, pocket pairs. everythink. what should really make you suspicious though is if someone RAISES 3BBs from early position when in previews hands they were shoving. they might have a premium hand so dont reraise them if you dont have anything

2. dont steal from the blinds or button. just dont. its not profitable yet without the antes

3. when you have a hand in the big blind and theres a whole table of limpers. make a huge raise. even all in.

4. dont care about gambling. if you have invested only some minutes of your life in that tournament and no money then its ok to gamble and if you lose so what? the reason you play is to win top3 so this means you need a big stack so go for it while you dont care about losing

middle stages:

people here have invested enough time in the tournament that they actually care about playing decently. that means you will not see people shoving ATC. still doesnt mean players here are good. the field is full of donkeys who are going to call anything in a big pot even if it means all in with their gutshot. they play their flush draws to the river no matter what the bet. so dont bluff them. and make big bets. if you connected with the flop dont just go half pot. if they have called 2 streets of value dont make a small bet on the river with the nuts. if they are gonna call you go all in. lets say you have AA and the flop is Q32 and then comes a 7. and they have called your bets both on the flop and turn they probably have a queen. they might even have 45. or even a flush draw. now its the time to make your move. the turn where they think they have outs. just shove it. is it 2x the pot? so what.. they are going to call you with all the above. they might suck out on you every now and then but getting them to put their stack in with 18% equity is $$$ in the long run.

late stage

if you are lucky enough to have gone through all the donkeys you are given a big chance to make some money. not a lot. but still... before the bubble people get tight as hell. they might even fold 90% of their stack on the BB. you might want to apply max pressure. especially when you have a stack that can afford to do so. if you are sitting in the big blind and theres 3-4 limpers behind you. and you have 44. thats probably a profitable shove. especially if you cover them. but mainly its better to wait for postflop plays. much easier to make oney and also the risk is smaller. the only problem is they dont know about bet sizing in that stage so they might bet half pot like they have a monster and call your 1/4th bet with air. so try and bet bigger when you have it. again the turn is the time to make your move,,,

ribaric · Dec 5, 2015

I prefer tight play in early stage cuz there are many all ins and luck is a big factor so i just wait until most donks are eliminated and then i play tight aggressive till the end

Playtext · Dec 6, 2015

ribaric said:
I prefer tight play in early stage cuz there are many all ins and luck is a big factor so i just wait until most donks are eliminated and then i play tight aggressive till the end

I play the same way as you mate

It's very effective.

leandr0s · Dec 8, 2015

well its not easy to score big this way though.. its mostly donkeys that take the top prizes. i remember once i had to leave 20' after the freeroll would start but i was like"who cares its a freeroll'' so i started openshoving top 40% and ran so good i came to be 1st of 10k people within 15'... the only time i got to do that was one of the times i played like a donkey...

SerbiaGrinding · Dec 9, 2015

Great advice, but donkarolls are still tough to win. I started playing them myself and it's ridiculous most of the time.

dturner100 · Dec 9, 2015

leandr0s said:
i have played enough freerolls to know how players there behave. basically apart from the very small minority of players who are there to play real poker and have fun, the most players tend to just get in these things for the lolz. they open shove 50BBs with 92s and call all ins with 6 high on the river. good thing is players are total douchebags. bad thing is the fields are huge, and the amounts of showdowns needed infinite. which means that even if you always get your money in with 70-30 advantage when it happends a lot of times your chances of actually making it to the money become negligible. and it really sucks playing a freeroll for 2-3 hours just to bubble because some idiot called your all in with a2o and badbeat your kings on the river. so here are some tips to help you increase your results, but remember in a field of 10k where making more than 1$ you need to finish top5 it means that even if you are double as good as anyone else your chances of making it a reality is 1/5000. if you can get your hands on freerolls with smaller fields ok, but mainly taking part in a freeroll is a waste of your time. making it first after 3-4 hours of playing ABC poker and making 4$ is not an achievement. but if you still want to try here are some personal advices.

Early stages:

1. dont worry about calling shoves light. people here shove any ace, any broadway combo, suited connectors, pocket pairs. everythink. what should really make you suspicious though is if someone RAISES 3BBs from early position when in previews hands they were shoving. they might have a premium hand so dont reraise them if you dont have anything

2. dont steal from the blinds or button. just dont. its not profitable yet without the antes

3. when you have a hand in the big blind and theres a whole table of limpers. make a huge raise. even all in.

4. dont care about gambling. if you have invested only some minutes of your life in that tournament and no money then its ok to gamble and if you lose so what? the reason you play is to win top3 so this means you need a big stack so go for it while you dont care about losing

middle stages:

people here have invested enough time in the tournament that they actually care about playing decently. that means you will not see people shoving ATC. still doesnt mean players here are good. the field is full of donkeys who are going to call anything in a big pot even if it means all in with their gutshot. they play their flush draws to the river no matter what the bet. so dont bluff them. and make big bets. if you connected with the flop dont just go half pot. if they have called 2 streets of value dont make a small bet on the river with the nuts. if they are gonna call you go all in. lets say you have AA and the flop is Q32 and then comes a 7. and they have called your bets both on the flop and turn they probably have a queen. they might even have 45. or even a flush draw. now its the time to make your move. the turn where they think they have outs. just shove it. is it 2x the pot? so what.. they are going to call you with all the above. they might suck out on you every now and then but getting them to put their stack in with 18% equity is $$$ in the long run.

late stage

if you are lucky enough to have gone through all the donkeys you are given a big chance to make some money. not a lot. but still... before the bubble people get tight as hell. they might even fold 90% of their stack on the BB. you might want to apply max pressure. especially when you have a stack that can afford to do so. if you are sitting in the big blind and theres 3-4 limpers behind you. and you have 44. thats probably a profitable shove. especially if you cover them. but mainly its better to wait for postflop plays. much easier to make oney and also the risk is smaller. the only problem is they dont know about bet sizing in that stage so they might bet half pot like they have a monster and call your 1/4th bet with air. so try and bet bigger when you have it. again the turn is the time to make your move,,,

In many ways you're very right, yet very very wrong.
First it's easy to win large field freerolls on a regular basis. I'm guessing you're saying this and a few other things out of frustration to suck-outs?
Your AA got beat out by 8/9 suited where he had no business calling?

95% of the time we get "donked" out of a tournament the fold equity was greater than the shove equity anyway.

The best advice for regular cashing in any large field micro stakes, and freeroll tournament is play tight, aggressive, fundamental poker.
Don't play fancy poker. Not in the beginning, middle, bubble or final table.
bluffing is for 3 handed, and heads up play unless you're re-stealing blinds or have a good read on your opp and defending your own blind.

Also before you shove: Even with AA. Do I need to shove or call a shove???
I hear people say: I never fold AA, KK, QQ pre-flop.
If you're sitting with M>= 30 then why would you consider shoving with anything an equitable decision?

Even better advice: Don't shoot for first, or a double up. Keep pots minimal. Fight to build your stack by BB comfortability ( for those who don't know m zones. Not the same but a similar way of thinking ). If you can get KK to win you 5 to 10 big blinds you just moved your survivability up even more.

While the "donks" are gambling, be moving up.
Don't worry about "where will I be when the blinds are huge?"

That's one reason moderately skilled poker players stress and gamble with a donk. Worry about where will I be later, and you'll end up out sooner.

Play your tight aggressive game. Don't worry about teaching the donks. Watch them. Exploit them.

Anyway maybe that will help.
I play a freeroll while multi-tabling SNG's or MTT's and rarely even look what's going on until the end stages.

Slavuy · Dec 9, 2015

@dTurner I'm agreeing with you here. In first stage of freeroll tournament you need to play tight and wait for a moment when you know that you beat your opponent to increase your stack and don't make hero calls.
If you have done that, than in middle stage of tournament yours poker skills will show up. I prefer to play actively when have stack above average as blind aren't high. Than comes bubble moment, wich is part when I like to play agressively in freeroll tournaments as other players are tight and you have chance to increase your stack that can (with passive play) keep you to the final table.
Final table in freerolls usually cames after hours of playing and it's all about concentration, right moment and desire to win. After hours of playing you shouldn't satisfy yourself with fifth or third place, go for a win.

WaxDabMan · Dec 10, 2015

Good Post! Thank you for taking the time to get this all typed out to share!
I will do be doing my best to refer to this in future freerolls, and I will let you know how my results are. Best of luck out there!

Lespaul_Lover · Dec 10, 2015

This is great advice! I know I usually play tight in the beginning of the tournament and then loosen up in the middle. Usually works pretty well actually.

leandr0s · Dec 10, 2015

ribaric said:
I prefer tight play in early stage cuz there are many all ins and luck is a big factor so i just wait until most donks are eliminated and then i play tight aggressive till the end

this way though you are not taking advantage of those donks... yeah getting your money in with 70-30 edge involves some kind of variance but thats poker. if you want only skill to decide the result aim for chess. you want a big stack and freerolls are the fastest and easiest way to make it... loosen up i would advice

meska · Dec 15, 2015

leandr0s said:
well its not easy to score big this way though.. its mostly donkeys that take the top prizes. i remember once i had to leave 20' after the freeroll would start but i was like"who cares its a freeroll'' so i started openshoving top 40% and ran so good i came to be 1st of 10k people within 15'... the only time i got to do that was one of the times i played like a donkey...

almost the same thing happend to me

. I just kept openshoving and found myself being 2nd of 5K people.

Jrbobdobbs64 · Dec 15, 2015

You aren't going to win many freerolls or MTTS in general if you are afraid of gambling. AA KK QQ almost always a go hand IMO at any stage but the bubble with an adequate stack to finish high. Sometimes you need to showdown AJ high against a habitual bluffer or make a k5 off call of a agrotard that shoves ATC from the small blind every orbit it passes to him to get ahead too. No guts...no glory.

bnasp2 · Dec 15, 2015

Well, one more important factor for freeroll play. Its your time. Do you really want to spend many hours to win min-cash like .25$. Its valid strategy to double or bust, even with bad odds at beginning.

Lespaul_Lover · Dec 18, 2015

Yeah that makes sense. The only downside is the small amount of profit for hours of work. I do think playing free rolls is better experience than playing play money however.

leandr0s · Dec 18, 2015

dturner100 said:
In many ways you're very right, yet very very wrong.
First it's easy to win large field freerolls on a regular basis. I'm guessing you're saying this and a few other things out of frustration to suck-outs?
Your AA got beat out by 8/9 suited where he had no business calling?

95% of the time we get "donked" out of a tournament the fold equity was greater than the shove equity anyway.

The best advice for regular cashing in any large field micro stakes, and freeroll tournament is play tight, aggressive, fundamental poker.
Don't play fancy poker. Not in the beginning, middle, bubble or final table.
Bluffing is for 3 handed, and heads up play unless you're re-stealing blinds or have a good read on your opp and defending your own blind.

Also before you shove: Even with AA. Do I need to shove or call a shove???
I hear people say: I never fold AA, KK, QQ pre-flop.
If you're sitting with M>= 30 then why would you consider shoving with anything an equitable decision?

Even better advice: Don't shoot for first, or a double up. Keep pots minimal. Fight to build your stack by BB comfortability ( for those who don't know m zones. Not the same but a similar way of thinking ). If you can get KK to win you 5 to 10 big blinds you just moved your survivability up even more.

While the "donks" are gambling, be moving up.
Don't worry about "where will I be when the blinds are huge?"

That's one reason moderately skilled poker players stress and gamble with a donk. Worry about where will I be later, and you'll end up out sooner.

Play your tight aggressive game. Don't worry about teaching the donks. Watch them. Exploit them.

Anyway maybe that will help.
I play a freeroll while multi-tabling SNG's or MTT's and rarely even look what's going on until the end stages.

i understand your logic but disagree.. so you refer to fold equity saying that you have to fold some hands in some spots even against donks. i disagree. fold equity and shoving equity have to do with your opponents shoving range and calling range. so if you think your opponent is shoving any Ace aany pair and any broadway combo then your A10o is a MONSTER. Yes you probably are at max 68% favourite and big chance you flip or almost flip but getting it in with such a hand even with 100BBs IS profitable. when you play a 10k-people's field you are NOT playing survival game. you either kill or you get killed on the spot. yoou have kings. and you see a 3bet behind you. ALL IN. I dont care if the 3bet is to 10BBs and you have 500BBs behind. the guy: 1)is a freeroll idiot 2)has 3betted=strong 3)you get called by even AJo. on the other hand if you 4bet small you are getting called and you might not even get a c-bet if the flop is too ugly for them. if you have a hand and you think you get called just go with it. i will refer again to your example with the premium pairs. lets say you have AA UTG sitting with 100BBs you have 3 options

1)make a standard raise-> play it safe-> win a small pot
2)limp-> reraise when raised. (worst options cause you really turn your hand face up this way and even an idiot can get away from a hand like KQs [idiots dont get away from 99+ anyway though)]
3) open shove

in a normal tournament the first option is the one to go (obviously) because the last option is really only getting called by hands like KK or QQ who are going to be stacking their chips in anyways if you follow the 1st method. But in freerolls people call 100BBs much much lighter. lets say that you play a pot the normal way. you open for 3bb and get called. the pot is 7,5bbs. lets say you can take even a 4,5bbs c-bet out of them so you get a pot of 16,5BB=> pofit=8,25BBs lets take into account the times you get even more than a c-bet but also the times you just get the blinds. lets say that in average you will be winning 12BBs everytime you play aces this way. by going all in you win 100BBs 80% of the time you get called (even more actually because you probably get called by some aces that are drawing pretty thin. so a profit of 80BBs/time called. in orfer for this to be profitable you need it to happen 1/6 times. (because 6X12BBs=72BBs<80BBs) i can assure you that in freerolls people will be calling you all in with ATC some times. and the more people get their chips in the more attractive it becomes for more to follow. i have seen people overcall a shove of 4 people with 10,3o. they just see a pot so big (that is not usual) and think that its their chance to win big. you have to take advantage of those cases because otherwise you are missing value and aces only come 1/200+ times. i would advise doing the same with ATo+ 99+ (even 88+ if its really early)

dont think about surviving in such huge field tournaments. you can be outblinded by the late stages even if you are the chip leader in the middle stages. just go aggresive and look to build a stack early on. you dont want to be playing 4 hours and make 4c. its all or nothing. so go there and gamble a little bit...

leandr0s · Dec 18, 2015

theres only one logic of not overshoving with premium hands after a raise. and its because by making a huge raise (25-30% of your opponents/yours stack) you attract people to donk-set-mine. donks dont know what should be the stack sizes in order for set mining to be profitable so they will call any portion of their stack. same with suited cards. just make a big raise and let them chase their "implied odds"

Nik990 · Dec 18, 2015

all-in best strategy ) ) ) ) )

fooks · Dec 18, 2015

we should wait until break,until the fish out of the tournament,then play tight and aggressive

Ljuk358 · Dec 18, 2015

First hour keep patience... all in players out and then my tight game with brain...

milka1605 · Dec 18, 2015

I play tight from start to finish, and I manage to visit the last table often. Of course, in some cases, the style of play varies depending on the size of the stack.

Omar Kassas · Dec 18, 2015

No depends of size of stack in pokerstars i see in late tournament i mean 2 hours ++ play i was with 10k stack in 2.5-5k blinds i had QJ and i say my last chance i went all in 7 players call me i flopped straight to Q and i became in 20 position with almost 90k stack so it's not about in stack average i've seen the chipleader in tournament 250k stack on small blind wents all in to steal blinds and get call by 22 on flop 2 and next hand was with AA 150k stack wents all in get beaten by 7 8 suited lol and finish tournament in 2 hands so if the game rigged you you are busted..

PapaC · Dec 18, 2015

I don't play many freerolls, except for the ones here, but when I do, like the $500 freeroll on Friday night at Full Flush, I play it like it's a $50 buy in. Like most said, play TAG and you will get to FTs more often. But then again, on some days nothing works, like every thing you fold comes to the board and every thing you play don't. We all have those, and it makes you want to play all kinds of hands trying to hit, but if you will just keep folding crap, then the cards will change. GL to you

Prodigy417 · Dec 18, 2015

at the beginning of the game you have to play agresivno and then more quietly , since the beginning of the game a lot of loose players

CSINSC · Dec 18, 2015

milka1605 said:
I play tight from start to finish, and I manage to visit the last table often. Of course, in some cases, the style of play varies depending on the size of the stack.

You say that you make the final table in a 10,000 player field often in a freeroll? That means you are in the top 1% of the field often. I will admit I make the $ in my fair share of freerolls, but definintely not the top 1% often as you say.

I just don't see how you can make the top 1% often in any tournament. I totally understand that tight is right.

vwls · Dec 18, 2015

CSINSC, where are you playing freerolls with fields of 10,000 people? Also, I regularly see many of the same people placing high in freerolls.

How to play a freeroll

leandr0s

Enthusiast

ribaric

Visionary

Playtext

Enthusiast

leandr0s

Enthusiast

SerbiaGrinding

Enthusiast

dturner100

Rock Star

Slavuy

Enthusiast

WaxDabMan

Enthusiast

Lespaul_Lover

Enthusiast

leandr0s

Enthusiast

meska

Rising Star

Jrbobdobbs64

Enthusiast

bnasp2

Visionary

Lespaul_Lover

Enthusiast

leandr0s

Enthusiast

leandr0s

Enthusiast

Nik990

Rock Star

fooks

Rock Star

Ljuk358

Rock Star

milka1605

Legend

Omar Kassas

Enthusiast

PapaC

Legend

Prodigy417

Rising Star

CSINSC

Rock Star

vwls

Rock Star

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