should play more seriously until you have a chance to make money without spending
I like to take a serious approach always when playing, even if it's a freeroll.
Knowing the opponents will play looser than average though I make some adjustments
1) Try to see as many cheap flops as possible because implied
odds are very high
2) Use overbetting and call down lighter postflop than you would in a regular MTT (this doesn't mean calling down with bottom pair, just slight adjustments)
3) Call ALL-INs preflop wider than usual, somethig like 77+ AJ+ (just because people shove any two doesn't mean you need to call A2o QJo etc, since they will always move in everyhand you can wait for a spot where you'll be a 70% favorite)
4)
bluff a lot less in the early going, people don't like to fold, so why bother
bluffing
5) Ramp up the aggression on the final table but not before. (In normal tournaments we would ramp up moving to the bubble but since the payouts are so small many players don't care about them, they do however care about the difference between a $1 cash and a $20 cash).
My approach with freerolls as with most small buyin events is to be selective, but to go for MAX VALUE when given an opportunity (ie a strong hand or an overly loose opponent) and once your stack is built you can pick people off for big chunks of chips. Patience as always and emotional control are key to achieving this.
A reason people play so loose is because of the opportunity cost of time, yes if you invest no time, then really you are losing nothing, but if you 4x your stack suddenly it may be worth taking seriously. The only consideration is that this can create bad habits and can you 'turn it off' after getting yourself into a
gambling mode? If yes, go for it.
As always the best approach will be personal because it depends on how you value your time, skill, and enjoyment of the game. I hope you'll find these tips helpful either way
If you'd like to learn more about freeroll and small stakes MTT strategy I'm streaming a $50-$1Million
bankroll challenge at
http://twitch.tv/gripsed which has lots of small stakes action
If you'd like an in depth guide on how to win tournaments of all types check out
http://gripsed.com/free where you can get over 6 hours of my most popular MTT strategy programs absolutely free!
Let's Get Stackin! :star: