Using freerolls to learn

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karl coakley

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When learning poker you always hear about aggression, but no one really explains how to be aggressive. Here are a few exercises that can really develop your game quickly using freerolls.

1. Don't check. Spend a few days playing freerolls and do not check. Play tight and bet. Learn to use small and large bets to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

After you do start to see positive results, move on to #2.


2. Don't call. At this point, you can incorporate a check back in your game (not sure why) but you can not call any bet. Its fold, bet, or raise regardless of the situation. Again, use small and large bets to get where you need to be.

After several days of not calling, move to #3.


3. Don't go all in. As previously, you may now incorporate the check and call back but cannot shove or call a pre-flop all in. This will help you play poker and not bingo. You need to see flops.

Most people struggle with aggression because they can't consistently bet with nothing. They have to hit a flop to bet. If they miss, they become very passive. This leads to large leaks in your game. Doing these exercises will show the inner workings of poker and show the strength of true aggression.

You will also see the strength of good hand selection and folding. When you are put in a position that you have nothing, but cannot go into a passive "shell" it will help you rethink playing trash.

Less calls and checks, more bets and raises = winning poker.
 
Picatrix

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This is absolutely terrible advice.
 
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ekgbeat

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Learn to use small and large bets to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

Do you have a standard sizing here? Do you bet a certain percentage of pot? What is your standard raise size (x2 8x)? Do you use any math in spots? If so, could you walk me through some calcs?

3. Don't go all in. As previously, you may now incorporate the check and call back but cannot shove or call a pre-flop all in. This will help you play poker and not bingo. You need to see flops.

In some cases, aren't you letting your opponent realize equity by not shoving in some spots?
 
thetick33

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When learning poker you always hear about aggression, but no one really explains how to be aggressive. Here are a few exercises that can really develop your game quickly using freerolls.

1. Don't check. Spend a few days playing freerolls and do not check. Play tight and bet. Learn to use small and large bets to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

After you do start to see positive results, move on to #2.


2. Don't call. At this point, you can incorporate a check back in your game (not sure why) but you can not call any bet. Its fold, bet, or raise regardless of the situation. Again, use small and large bets to get where you need to be.

After several days of not calling, move to #3.


3. Don't go all in. As previously, you may now incorporate the check and call back but cannot shove or call a pre-flop all in. This will help you play poker and not bingo. You need to see flops.

Most people struggle with aggression because they can't consistently bet with nothing. They have to hit a flop to bet. If they miss, they become very passive. This leads to large leaks in your game. Doing these exercises will show the inner workings of poker and show the strength of true aggression.

You will also see the strength of good hand selection and folding. When you are put in a position that you have nothing, but cannot go into a passive "shell" it will help you rethink playing trash.

Less calls and checks, more bets and raises = winning poker.

disagree with the bolded 100% but what do I know. The third bold if you dont do the first two your not in the hands in first place so this is contradictory for sure.

Aggression is fine but also passive is a tool. You're goal should be simple to trick the other players into having no ideal what the hell you're doing.

So is no one way and no right versus wrong here. Is many ways to winning poker each person needs to work on a full toolbox that takes time that takes playing over and over and over seeing many hands 10,000s of hands reviewing watching others implementing strategy becoming consistent.

I know you mean well but truly reading the table taking notes for that game and future games is most important in my opinion seeing the tendencies of the field of players you pit against in this arena.
I am not saying play bad hands which I think is stupid or protect blinds or do the same things over and over.

My best advice is to be tricky. How do you become tricky? by taking your time to learn the game by learning your opponents and their tendencies and by mixing things up. If you are making your opponents think about what you are doing your playing winning poker imho count on it. If you play a basic style or way you will get ate up and spit out.
 
Picatrix

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When learning poker you always hear about aggression, but no one really explains how to be aggressive. Here are a few exercises that can really develop your game quickly using freerolls.

1. Don't check. Spend a few days playing freerolls and do not check. Play tight and bet. Learn to use small and large bets to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

After you do start to see positive results, move on to #2.


2. Don't call. At this point, you can incorporate a check back in your game (not sure why) but you can not call any bet. Its fold, bet, or raise regardless of the situation. Again, use small and large bets to get where you need to be.

After several days of not calling, move to #3.


3. Don't go all in. As previously, you may now incorporate the check and call back but cannot shove or call a pre-flop all in. This will help you play poker and not bingo. You need to see flops.

Most people struggle with aggression because they can't consistently bet with nothing. They have to hit a flop to bet. If they miss, they become very passive. This leads to large leaks in your game. Doing these exercises will show the inner workings of poker and show the strength of true aggression.

You will also see the strength of good hand selection and folding. When you are put in a position that you have nothing, but cannot go into a passive "shell" it will help you rethink playing trash.

Less calls and checks, more bets and raises = winning poker.

Calling, checking, and shoving is in the game for a very good reason. The most responsible thing you put here was to only use these in freerolls. I only hope nobody takes this abysmally bad advice and takes it to somewhere like a cash game. In fact I met a kid on a 100$NL table who played like you describe, he mentioned in chat how "betting is the only way to win pots". He busted first. You know what blind aggression is called? Stupidity.
 
MsNutHand

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Despite in a Freeroll the players are usually more agressive as they consider that as they did not invest money to buy-in so they do not have nothing to lose so you need to play a little more loose agressive in the beginning but I prefer to play tight mainly when the Freeroll is not so full. And in this case like in the Club Member Freeroll of Cardschat with players of better levei I am sure I will learn and improve my poker.
 
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karl coakley

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It appears that you guys didn't actually read what I posted. I certainly did not suggest this was a proper strategy or even remotely a successful strategy, if you read what was posted, these are exercises.

The point is to show holes in a game by removing the weakness. For example, by not calling at all, fold, raise, or reraise, you remove a huge hole from many people's game. The first would be playing too loose. Knowing you have to raise or reraise to get into a pot should narrow your range and also get you in the habit of reraising with more than A A or KK. This is a POSITIVE thing.

The same can be said about checking. Aggression wins pots. With a narrow range learning to not only Cbet, but fire the second barrel and how to control the pot with bets is a POSITIVE thing.

This was exactly what was suggested I try by two pro players when I asked how they constantly win and it seems like I go up and down.

The point is to actually see how calling and checking costs you pots. Raising and reraising wins you pots.
 
terryk

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ive used freerolls to practise my poker skills ,,,i think its the best way to weather the storm until your confident enough to use your "real" money.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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I agree with others that this is not a correct poker strategy but that is not what Karl is suggesting. I have heard very similar advice from very recognizable and successful poker players as an EXERCISE to learn how to play aggressive poker. This forces you to play outside your comfort zone and make plays.
 
Picatrix

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I agree with others that this is not a correct poker strategy but that is not what Karl is suggesting. I have heard very similar advice from very recognizable and successful poker players as an EXERCISE to learn how to play aggressive poker. This forces you to play outside your comfort zone and make plays.

Really? in that case I apologize to the OP. Was not aware of this.
 
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B1BOMBER

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I think freerolls are a great tool to develop your game. That being said, what I usually do is mix up my play style to find what style works best in different situations. When you start to be successful in freerolls I feel you should be able to compete at higher level of play. If you can cash on a decent percentage of freerolls you should be able to cash in a higher number of games were they play good poker not bingo.:D:D
 
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karl coakley

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This exact practice is what move me from a fish to a positive ROI. I played for about 10 years and played a good TAG but would always stagnate. I would get a good run sometimes and go deep in tournaments, even win one once in a while, but it was a lot more losses. I really couldn't figure out why some players were always successful. Learning to check less, bet more, and 3 bet with less than AA/KK evolved my game to a profitable player.

If you are finding your game just missing a "magic ingredient" to get you over the top, you may want to give it a try. It helps you learn new betting lines, 3 betting comfortably, and fixes some holes without paying to learn it at the tables.
 
LCool888

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These advices are really interesting, gotta give it a try for sure, let's see how it goes
 
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andreii955

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I did not use freeroll because is a wasted time, no profit no progres .I made a first deposit of $ 50 and started with sit and go and tournament micro.
 
ribaric

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You cant learn much from freerolls. You can learn basics only.
People play terribly in freerolls and go all in with everything. Sure you must play some freerolls before playing with real money.
I prefer pokerschool online for learning cuz you learn and if u pass quiz you get an a reward real money tickets. so i would reccomend it
 
Ivab

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Disputes regarding strategy games have always been. In recent years, more successful players with aggressive tactics. But tight play is a classic poker. I think you need to be able to play different strategies. It is necessary to alternate the different ways of drawing. The variety in the game - is the key to success. The more you change the tactics of the game, the harder your opponents to read you.
Freerolls with a large number of participants is not suitable for testing in an aggressive strategy game. These freerolls are more like a lottery. And the correct strategy game is Tight. Freerolls from this site more suited to test different tactics of the game.
____________________________________________
Good luck in the game and life;)
 
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ekgbeat

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I think freerolls are a great tool to develop your game. That being said, what I usually do is mix up my play style to find what style works best in different situations. When you start to be successful in freerolls I feel you should be able to compete at higher level of play. If you can cash on a decent percentage of freerolls you should be able to cash in a higher number of games were they play good poker not bingo.:D:D

+1

@ karl coakley, I was not trying to attack your thinking, and I fundamentally agree with you on using freerolls to develop different triggers like aggression in a players game. My questions were designed to help refine the "training" tool, or understand why my line of thinking is flawed. GL on the felt.
 
antonis32123

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That's some good advice imo , I think I'll try it on some freerolls (the ones that don't pay much ) . Playing more aggressively , learn to bet , raise and reraise with more hands and in more positions and abandon the passive game is something that will make playing poker even better/enjoyable and more profitable , This will give you the experience , you'll make the inavoidable mistakes with no cost and you'll learn ,as you guys said , moves out of your comfort zone .
 
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