Poker freeroll success hinges on a few aspects that are not always apparent in high stakes poker. Understanding the differences in play between freerolls and cash entries can increase your bankroll over time.
Freerolls versus Cash Entry Poker
Even with a basic or advanced knowledge of poker, playing in a freeroll is very different then a cash entry game. Since freerolls are predominantly multi-table tournaments, that will be the focus of this article. However, most of the advice can be used for single table or cash games as well.
Freeroll is just as it sounds – there isn’t anything, cash or otherwise, required to play. Most freerolls will offer a small cash prize pool. Unless it is a large promotional tournament, prize pools typically range from $2 to $50 and are split based on the amount of players (normally the top 10 percent receive prizes). Freeroll tournaments may be limited from 80 to 100 players in live casinos while online tournaments may be limited from 300 to 5000 players or beyond.
This article will assume that you have had a small amount of exposure to the game of poker (in particular, Texas Hold’em). Poker terms will be used that should be elementary to a beginning player before he steps up to the table. If there are items that do not appear clear, it is suggested that you consult a beginner’s guide on poker and return to this article when you are comfortable sitting down at a tournament table and knowing the process and lingo used.
Concepts to keep in mind while playing in a freeroll
The main point to keep in mind at any freeroll is that anyone can attend. It’s true that the total amount of players may be limited but the average skill level will be relatively low as new players are less likely to spend money to play and higher skill players prefer not to mix with lower skill players. Beginning players are more likely to desire to play for hours with little to gain but the experience. Highly skilled players can go to a cash tournament and make those hours pay off more.
The number one reason for higher skilled players to shy away from freerolls is that the predictability of players is very difficult. With highly skilled players, the starting hands they are willing to play or raise with will be premium hands. In a freeroll with lesser skilled players, any two cards could be in the hand of your opponent across the table. Having at least a small hint of what your opponent’s cards are can help decide whether to call or fold.
Concept #1: In freerolls, any two cards look good to a beginner and can be sitting in front of them.
The next concept in making a freeroll pay off is to play mostly premium hands. In my own experience, I tend to play poor starting hands when the blinds are very low. I will attempt to catch a monster hand that will net me a sizeable amount of chips. However, by playing poor starting hands, even if I catch a good flop or turn, there is still the possibility of a premium hand catching a winner on the river. Therefore, even though I will admit to playing poor hands early, I still stand by my recommendation to only play premium starting hands. And make sure you have patience. You may get six to eight poor hands in a row before getting cards that are right to play.
If you aren’t sure what premium hands are, we are talking about AA, AK, KK, etc. - hands that are going to be statistically ahead of your opponents’ most of the time before the flop. Playing premium hands does not just mean calling any bet. It means evaluating your hand, the current blinds, your position at the table, and your opponents. You will learn how to put all of these together as your skill level grows. If you are at a beginning level, then my suggestion is to raise at least 4 times the blind (e.g. the big blind is $50, your bet should be at least $200) regardless of the situation. As your skill level grows, you will learn when to make it an even higher bet.
The purpose of a raise before the flop is to attempt to move out as many of the players as you can. As mentioned before, there will still be players who are calling with their poor cards. But at least this means that you are going into the flop with an advantage.
Concept #2: Very rarely, if at all, should you limp in (e.g. just calling the big blind) prior to the flop. Your raise should be a minimum of four blinds.
Once you have reached the flop, the next concept you should understand is that freerolls will bring a lot of bluffs. When you see a good hand in front of you in a freeroll, you should assume that you are going to make some money from it. When players are bluffing, they are going to be walking right into your hands.
Bluffs are usually spotted with “overbetting the pot”. If your opponent truly has a great hand, they’re going to want to bet a smaller amount to get you to call. If their hand is shaky, they will be going “over the top” with either an all-in or a huge bet in an attempt to get you to fold. If you have nothing, it is easy to fold. However, depending on the rank of your hand (did you go in with a premium hand and do you have a pair, trips, straight, or better), you will either want to call an all-in or go all-in yourself to force their hand. This advice is not 100% foolproof as there will be times that your opponent does have a better hand or will catch a miracle card before the hand is over. But poker is a game of percentages. The best play is to get your chips in when the percentages favor you.
As you play, you will also get to know some tells that will help you determine if a player is bluffing. Again, with freerolls, there will be more beginners who don’t realize that they give off tells. Some of these can be strange behavior they haven’t displayed before in the tournament when they have a great hand; making calls out of turn because they are nervous; refusing to look at you; etc.
The final reason for more bluffing is the entry fee – nothing. Players are much more likely to bluff knowing that if they are knocked out of a tournament, they won’t lose anything but a little pride. So take a look at them and then your hand before deciding to muck. It may be that you stand to win a sizeable pot.
Concept #3: Bluffing is more prevalent in a freeroll tournament. Work to determine any patterns of players at the table that may help you decide whether to risk it all or not. And remember that the reverse is true – don’t bluff too much yourself because there will be more players willing to call your hand.
Now that you’re rolling along in the tournament, there is one final concept that may not seem logical but read on – you should not be worried about winning the tournament. While it is a great feeling to win a tournament, whether there are 15 or 2000 players, your goals in freerolls should be twofold. You should want to learn and you should want to build up a bankroll.
If you aren’t patient or you are trying to build up your chip stack too quickly, you are going to be subject to leaving a tournament too early. Many players feel that they need to build up a large chip stack early in order to win and in the process will go out prior to the winning group. If you just look to build your stack steadily and hang around until the winnings begin to be paid, you will see that your overall bankroll will continue to grow.
Part of this concept is to fold hands later in the tournament that you may wish to play. However, as you approach the bottom of the winnings and the blinds are going up, you should be keeping as many chips as you can. This will allow others to play themselves out of the tournament and allow you to reap the benefit. By all means, if you have an exceptional starting hand, play it. But bet large, most of the time all-in, and attempt to take down the larger blinds. If you are called and are holding an exceptional hand, you are likely to win and improve your standings that much more.
But if you are near the “bubble” (the few spots just before winning any prizes), don’t be afraid to just ride out the blinds and take a smaller guaranteed prize versus trying to build up your stack and ending up on the rail with nothing.
Concept #4: Play to get into the prize range rather than trying to win it all. In the long-run, several smaller prizes will be better then one first place finish. And you will have gained more experience by seeing more hands played.
Get comfortable with your own style of play
I have given you some steps to building a consistent bankroll using freerolls. However, no one plan will ever be perfect for everyone. You should take these basic concepts and mold them to your playing style and personality as you gain experience.
My final caveat is to make sure that you do not decide to raise the stakes prematurely. Many players decide to jump into cash entry tournaments too early and will lose much more then they gain both in money and experience. Be patient and make sure you are ready before jumping in with the sharks at a cash entry tournament.
Good luck and may the cards flop your way.
BY WAYNE GRAY
