Free Rolls, what are they good for?

[naruto_miu]

I always thought a free roll was good personally for the free money? A way to pass time by. Then it hit me, free rolls are actually a safe way to get better, a way to test your endurance, and the best part it's actually cheap doesn't cost you a dime, and to boot, you could actually make money if you win.

Now to the bad beats that happen in them, that personally is something that you can't controll, it's out of the realm of controllability, so there-fore you really don't need to get all worked up because you took a bad beat that cost you, your tourney life. Earlier today I played in a 8000 Free roll on party poker. I took some of the worst beats possible yet, I still managed to finish 72. Even in the End I risked my last 600k With AA against the chip leader who refused to fold A9s even though I was a huge favorite in the hand, I came out the loser, and with the fact of knowing that I made the right move, at the right time, only to get donked really doesn't bother me at all. Cuz you see the point in my free rolls isn't really to win each and everyone of them (I try for that also ), but the point is so I can get better, there-fore somehow manage to actually win the bigger tourneys with less donkish type of players, and who knows maybe I might even win the Mill (even though I seriously choked all 4 times I've ever played in it ). With this I bid you all fairwell, and god speed!

 

[UnknownFlush]

freerolls is really good for those that are not any money on they bankroll beside yeah it doesn't cost you anything.

 

[asianpride54]

Every dollar i have in all my bankr rolls were from freerolls i won freerolls and then accumulated money from there. freerolls for me are everything .

 

[Squidman2005]

I have to agree. Freerolls are good for accumulating a little money and turn it into more money...lol

 

[RogueRivered]

I think I'm coming to the conclusion that freerolls are largely a waste of time. They're fine for absolute beginners and hobbyists, but for anyone hoping to make actual money playing poker, I think your time would be better spent elsewhere.

I was considering making a deposit on pokerstars so that I could play in their new $500 freerolls, but I noticed that these games had over 2000 players and first prize was something like $70. In one of those tournaments today, it had been going over 3 hours and it still hadn't reached the money. You basically had to make it to the final table to even make more than a couple of bucks.

I've got to believe that good poker players could do better somewhere else with buy-in games. It's a matter of finding the sweet spot where you can make a reasonable rate of return over the long run, playing smart within your bankroll.

I've also got to believe that the experience you receive from these buy-ins will be better for you than what you learn in freerolls. Even if you lose money playing in these buy-ins, you've got to take into account what a proper poker education is worth to you. I just don't think that freerolls alone can give you that proper education and your overall hourly rate will be terrible.

 

[naruto_miu]

I think I'm coming to the conclusion that freerolls are largely a waste of time. They're fine for absolute beginners and hobbyists, but for anyone hoping to make actual money playing poker, I think your time would be better spent elsewhere.

I was considering making a deposit on PokerStars so that I could play in their new $500 freerolls, but I noticed that these games had over 2000 players and first prize was something like $70. In one of those tournaments today, it had been going over 3 hours and it still hadn't reached the money. You basically had to make it to the final table to even make more than a couple of bucks.

I've got to believe that good poker players could do better somewhere else with buy-in games. It's a matter of finding the sweet spot where you can make a reasonable rate of return over the long run, playing smart within your bankroll.

I've also got to believe that the experience you receive from these buy-ins will be better for you than what you learn in freerolls. Even if you lose money playing in these buy-ins, you've got to take into account what a proper poker education is worth to you. I just don't think that freerolls alone can give you that proper education and your overall hourly rate will be terrible.

Don't get me wrong I understand what your saying by their a waste of time, since in all fairness there's not alot of money to be won in them plus the hours you have to play just to make it to the final table, and all the donks you face in it also, plus all the bad calls ppl seem to make in them and suckouts that constantly happen in them. Yet they do have alot of positives to them. Lets forget the money since it's really peanuts compared to what most buyin tourneys can give, but if your lucky&skilled enough to take one down now you've got 40-100 depending on what site you play at (so it's not really peanuts in that sense, since that's what majority of ppl deposit on sites to begin there poker adventure's of).

2) I agree with you that expierence is a big part in any poker players ambitions to become a better and more rewarded poker player. Yet where else do you get this kind of expierence to play with different types of players all in a single game. I mean you have your tight rock players (In a freeroll yes, there's actually some like that). You get your overly aggressive player, the very good player, your average player, the donk, the fish, now pile them all up and you have got your self one interesting game if you look at it from the perspective of actually just trying to improve on your overall game. I mean yes you could put money down in any tourney and play the same bunch of players, with less of've field yet, there's still not 100% chance that you'll win, there-fore meaning you lost your deposited hard earned money, which in some cases leads you to tilt there-fore resorting in you either going broke, kicking your-self in the ass, and then just to depoist again (Not every case but in most cases it happens, I speak from expierence ). With your free roll winnings if you were to lose it all, you just right it of as a well I had it, and it was inexperience in-itself that lead me to being back to zero again. Another benifit to free-rolls are that in a sense they actually may take a long time, which in a way will lead you to be better conditioned for those long hard big buyin tourneys with fields if not greater but usually equale to the same fields in a Free roll. There's more benifits I can name of but getting late up here

 

[RogueRivered]

Don't get me wrong I understand what your saying by their a waste of time, since in all fairness there's not alot of money to be won in them plus the hours you have to play just to make it to the final table, and all the donks you face in it also, plus all the bad calls ppl seem to make in them and suckouts that constantly happen in them. Yet they do have alot of positives to them. Lets forget the money since it's really peanuts compared to what most buyin tourneys can give, but if your lucky&skilled enough to take one down now you've got 40-100 depending on what site you play at (so it's not really peanuts in that sense, since that's what majority of ppl deposit on sites to begin there poker adventure's of).

2) I agree with you that expierence is a big part in any poker players ambitions to become a better and more rewarded poker player. Yet where else do you get this kind of expierence to play with different types of players all in a single game. I mean you have your tight rock players (In a freeroll yes, there's actually some like that). You get your overly aggressive player, the very good player, your average player, the donk, the fish, now pile them all up and you have got your self one interesting game if you look at it from the perspective of actually just trying to improve on your overall game. I mean yes you could put money down in any tourney and play the same bunch of players, with less of've field yet, there's still not 100% chance that you'll win, there-fore meaning you lost your deposited hard earned money, which in some cases leads you to tilt there-fore resorting in you either going broke, kicking your-self in the ass, and then just to depoist again (Not every case but in most cases it happens, I speak from expierence ). With your free roll winnings if you were to lose it all, you just right it of as a well I had it, and it was inexperience in-itself that lead me to being back to zero again. Another benifit to free-rolls are that in a sense they actually may take a long time, which in a way will lead you to be better conditioned for those long hard big buyin tourneys with fields if not greater but usually equale to the same fields in a Free roll. There's more benifits I can name of but getting late up here

I actually love freerolls, but I think I'm at the point in my short poker career where I want to take a shot at more. At least my freerolls have made me about $200 to play with. But I still feel like a weak player and hope I don't get blasted too badly with buy-ins over $1.

Considering depositing on Stars, if I do I'll try to be brave and go with buy-ins over freerolls and see what happens. To continue playing freerolls exclusively would impede my progress I believe.

 

[melcu65]

freerolls are good, as naruto miu said, a good way to improve ur playing.but if u play freerolls daily and if u play them tight,very tight and if u have some luck,if think they are a good way to win some money(i'm not doing that, but as an idea)

 

[thetaxman1]

I love to play freerolls while I work. I find them to be a great stress releiver and a way to see more hands played. You also get some insight as to how the fish think or rather respond to different plays.

If you are getting bad beats maybe you are getting your chips in to early. If you are moving up the list to slow maybe you are not moving in early eneogh but experience wins over time.

Free experience is better than no experience and economically a lot better. Having built my meager bankroll from freerolls and penny tables I find that you deffinately need a combined plan of freerolls and table play to be successful.

Lots of opportuinity if you join groups and a good reward systems analyze those and try to squeeze for as much as possible. Eventully you start to win. then move up etc.

 

[t1riel]

They are good for:

Killing Time

Killing Boredom

Earn a little money to play with on the site's real money tables and build a bankroll.

 

[marysgirl883]

Freerolls for me are a great way to practice and if lucky get a little money. From the freerolls I have played in most of the people gamble and do not play the game. They push alot since it didnt cost them anything to get into the game. I play in them just because I love the game.

 

[diamondace]

freerolls are good to get experience and practice. of course its not the same like high cash tables poker or bigger tourneys cause its free. but nevertheless you get in situations and you play it. but ok i dont play four hours for a 50 dollar freeroll even if i can get some pennies cause thats just too much time wasting but there are other bigger freerolls out there you can play.

 

[thebiatch22]

i have taken freeroll money and won enough to play in other tourneys like last sunday nights cardschat buy in tourney and won so now i have a real nice bank and have not deposited anything as of yet

 

[yankeenut23]

freerolls....

Well freerolls to me started me playing and I still play in them ...but dont like the big ones..way to time consuming for little profit. I like the small personal ones.

 

[FatBasset]

I've played in alot of freerolls and I've have played in low buy-in ring games, SNG's and MTT's off of my freeroll winnings. At every buy-in that I have played at (which is low limit) the level of play is not significantly different from what you will find in freerolls. So unless you are planning on buying in with enough money to play at 1/2 ring games, over $10 SNG's or over $30 MTT playing in freerolls is experience for what you will actually face playing low limit for real money. If you can consistently do well in a freeroll (I am assuming bingo players aren't going to "consistently" do well), you should be ready to tackle the low limit real money game of your choice.

 

[Monoxide]

freerolls! HUH! YEAH! what are they good for? absolutely nothing!



no thats a lie, small freerolls are amazing. With one CC freeroll for like ~$25 I made about $2200 on FT lolz

 

[VerbalKint]

Freerolls are good practice against maniacs, especially early in the tourney. I wouldn`t base my strategy from my experience in them either. Just good practice and maybe a few pennies thrown in.

 

[Sheepodog]

I personally love to play forum freerolls for the social aspect of it all. It definately isn't for the money!! lmao!!

I have won many, many freerolls. With the small amount of cash won, I have on occasion turned it into a large cashout ($2K+). I usually use it for forum buyins...(if I can hold onto it long enough!)

I have also won packages to live trnys thru freerolls...Several large cashes in specialty freerolls from several poker sites. A couple of times I took a modest forum freeroll win, entered a satellite trny ($50 buyin), won a seat to a $1K buyin trny, and won a few $$$ that way.

When I finally cashed in those big freerolls I took a lot of it and made first deposits at different poker sites so that when I did make more money there, I could cash out without meeting some kind of ridiculous terms and conditions or playthru requirement.

So, whether ur in it for an education, fun, or to make some cash...freerolls can be a good thang overall.

 

[MissVien]

They take a lot of patience, I agree with you that it's very good for practice! My current bankroll at full tilt is also from freeroll winnings. I think it's a great thing of poker sites that they give players the opportunity to build something from absolutely nothing.

 

[darc11]

I also have started my BRs with FreeRolls alot. Other then that I`m not sure cause the play is usually awful.

 

[CryingAmy]

I've been playing a few and kind of agree they're great and they're a waste of time

Played in bodog $500 freeroll last night for about 5 hours- eventually fell asleep with around 45 left and came 17th- aaarrrgh!!!

I think you have to look at the number of players and the prizepool- CC freerolls are great because they're almost like a $1 buyin for free, but the FT regular $100 freerolls are a joke- 2700 players means they're just not worth the effort...

 

[sd great 1]

freeroll expections

freerolls provide the novice player a little more incentive to play larger tournament with a little more restaint then playing on the ".net" site
for chips only. surviving till close to the payouts is hard with all the landmines " donkey winnning moves" out there, but your play can be improved if you forget about the actual amount the freerolls are paying out and focus on the finishing place you can accomplish, some day the strategy you develope will pay off in a bigger buy in game.

good luck in the games
sdgreat1

 

[milkman28]

freerolls put me on life tilt

 

[PDMike425]

i personally love freerolls because I have a bankroll and i've never deposited...i've actually managed to withdraw a couple of times and that's something i couldn't even consider without freerolls and good br management.

 

[ivantech]

Free rolls require luck, skill goes out the window. You either have people going all in every time just for the hell of it, or you have those crazy callers calling your pocket KK with 64. You can forget about bluffing because you can almost guarantee someone will call. But if you have the luck and an extra few hours rock it out.