Should a beginner build a stake from scratch or play micro stakes?

[Kinghumez]

Hi all,

I'm very new to the game and I have read some posts on this forum about building a bankroll from scratch by playing freeroll tournaments.
I have a considerable amount of personal savings so I am able to fund my own bankroll to play cash games.

What would you recommend for a beginner?
Freeroll tournaments or microstakes? Or both?

Any other advice would be much appreciated

ing Humez

pokerstars: KingHumez

 

[dgroes]

Hello King Humez! If you think about it yourself it is person specific. If you have a bankroll to start with and want to play you can speed up the process by funding your account and not losing more than your planned drawback right? If you are determinded to play freerolls it takes forever unless you do it full time (which does not necessarily translate to earnings you get from a job - therefore not really best option even if free money.) its ofcourse great to freeroll for practice but once you get ground you should be stepping up. Hope this helps! GL!

 

[korneel]

It all depends on how good you really are.
When I started playing poker I funded my own bankroll, but I was really bad.
So in hindsight, it would have been better if I started with freerolls, but everybody is different.

 

[successlaw]

I would choose to deposit some money and try on micro stakes. Usually people are crazy at freerolls and it's gamble there.

 

[Gaviria8]

If you can play enough number of freerolls, start playing freerolls. If there's not many freerolls that you can play, start playing micros.

 

[lcid86]

Mix them up. Freerolls are a good way to build a bankroll, but micro stakes can help you build faster. However, freeroll players have a different motivation and you will have some adjustments to make.

 

[TheDude6622]

I believe it's good to mix it up. Play some micro and small stakes, and try your hand at some freerolls. This way you can kinda compare the difference in play and utilize your strengths.

 

[Havik]

Start by playing cardschat league freerolls and study the game as much as possible. Use the freeroll winnings to enter real games.

 

[jsnake716]

Hi all,

I'm very new to the game and I have read some posts on this forum about building a bankroll from scratch by playing freeroll tournaments.
I have a considerable amount of personal savings so I am able to fund my own bankroll to play cash games.

What would you recommend for a beginner?
Freeroll tournaments or microstakes? Or both?

Any other advice would be much appreciated

ing Humez

PokerStars: KingHumez

In your post you say you want to play "cash" games. Are you referring to cash as opposed to tournaments?There is a big difference. If your goal is to become a profitable cash game player than tournament freerolls will not help you very much. It is good that you have some money that you can "use" for poker. I would begin playing the smallest stakes available and take your time. Once you can manage the lowest stakes, keep in mind you have to beat the other players and also the rake.

There is much to learn if you want to play cash game poker, if you just want to have fun with tournaments deposit some money and play, you will have more fun with $2 tournaments than free rolls. Remember if it is not fun, it is not worth it.

 

[DizzyDeb717]

Freerolls often pay similar to microstake trnys anyway, so I play both. I'd stay away from the cash games though, if you're really new. (or in general lol)

 

[goaldriversv]

start with freerolls build up the bankroll, prove yourself, and it should be easier to get staked.

 

[June4Spades]

I would also recommend to play freerolls. For three reasons:
1. You will probably be succssfull soon and win a small amout, as most players see freerolls only as side games.
2. That will keep you motivated.
3. You will not loose money.

 

[slicheri93]

If you're a new player stick with freerolls first and try to build your bankroll from that, then slowly work your way in micro up untill you have a decent bankroll for a bigger buy-in

Freerolls are a nice way to understand the game a better
if you just go and play cash/tournaments as a new player there is a 99% you will lose your whole stack in a few days

 

[neptun1914]

It depends on you. Most important is to have correct bankroll management and not play with money which you can't afford to loose. As far as you cover this it is your choice if to build bankroll from freerolls or deposit and start directly playing at micro stakes. I personally recommend the cardschat freerolls as there are good players inside and this really helps to improve your game. If you have enough free money you can deposit around 25 or 30$ and start playing micro events like MTTs with 0.55$ buyin. You can also add some freerolls for practice.

 

[Alfaomega]

I recommend to play freerolls , freerolls are a good way to understand the game.

 

[FoxMS]

I would advise you to start with freerolls. This is the best way to gain experience and improve your skills. And besides, you can increase your bankroll without unnecessary risk.

 

[tmsr]

Hi all,

I'm very new to the game and I have read some posts on this forum about building a bankroll from scratch by playing freeroll tournaments.
I have a considerable amount of personal savings so I am able to fund my own bankroll to play cash games.

What would you recommend for a beginner?
Freeroll tournaments or microstakes? Or both?

Any other advice would be much appreciated

ing Humez

PokerStars: KingHumez

Play low stakes tournaments and freerolls, your bankroll isn't relevant in the start since you're going to want to play at low stakes to learn the game and how it's played online.

 

[lontrus]

Hi all,

I'm very new to the game and I have read some posts on this forum about building a bankroll from scratch by playing freeroll tournaments.
I have a considerable amount of personal savings so I am able to fund my own bankroll to play cash games.

What would you recommend for a beginner?
Freeroll tournaments or microstakes? Or both?

Any other advice would be much appreciated

ing Humez

PokerStars: KingHumez

If you're an absolute beginner, I would recommend just starting with the freerolls and learning as much as you can from your losses there.

Depositing money is a slippery slope unless you are very disciplined and set aside a fixed monthly/weekly budget for it. It is soooo damn easy to keep depositing when you lose everything after some dude hits a 1-outer on the river.

Give the freerolls a try first for a while and see how you do. Then be cautious and see how long 10 bucks can last you. (By that I mean how profitable you can make it before you lose it).

Eventually there's value in putting your own money into the game but it's better to do that after learning the fundamentals. The added dimension here that will change your game is that it's "your" money so you'll be forced to care and will probably play scared.

 

[Transcendence]

Yes try tournaments on Saturdays from $2.20 to $22 bounty and on Sunday Storm and bounty for $11. In cash try, from $10 to $25. For starters!

 

[scaleyback]

Deposit what you can afford and stick to BRM.


Grinding freerolls IMO is the worst way to begin building a roll unless you absolutely can not afford to deposit.

You will pick up bad habits playing freerolls and the only way to improve other than study is to play against better players than yourself.

Moving up in stakes allows you to play those better players, learning, improving until you can beat the population.

Freerolls are mostly crapshoots and high variance by nature and ultimately you are playing for peanuts. By all means supplement your games with freerolls but if you want to improve and make some money make a deposit

 

[infonazar]

Without a doubt, it is worth starting with freerolls. This way, you can gain valuable experience without risking your own money.