Freeroll tournaments are the most popular among poker players. Freerolls are really helpful when you want to start a bankroll and make it grow, or just to try the software and practice a bit. Freerolls are tournaments with guaranteed real money prizes that you join for free. Some freerolls are huge and offer thousands of dollars as prize pools.
When you are playing a freeroll you need to think that it is a great opportunity for you to gain some money without having to risk yours; but not because it’s not your money, you need to let it go or play without having the pot in mind. It is really hard to get into the big freerolls and if you make it, then you need to focus on winning.
The first stage in the freeroll is the hardest part, you need to keep in mind that not everyone that is in the freeroll is a good player, nor that they are playing it to win. In fact 75% of the players at a freeroll are there just to try their luck or to get experience. It is really normal that most of the players get out at the first stage of the tournament because of the way other players bet and because they are tilt.
During the first stage you have to build up your chip stack, make it as big as possible is the key to succeed and make it to the top final. A good way to do this is by betting pre-flop when you get a good pocket pair, this will help you get less callers. At this stage try not to bluff, because players at this stage will call easily no matter how much you bet. Play only strong hands and try to eliminate your competition as soon as possible.
After an hour or hour and a half, you will be at the middle stage of the tournament. This means that most of the players are out or with small stacks. Besides having the blinds up you should already have an average stack or be out with the other players. If you have a decent stack then you need to double the size of it immediately. If got a bad hand just fold, if you have a good hand raise and if you get re-raised the best thing you can do is not risk your money if you really don’t have a good hand. At this stage you can bluff because the opponents with small stacks will try to do anything to win more chips.
Avoid going all in. Pressure the small stackers for them to go all-in if they re-raise then its better if you fold if your hand is weak.
If you got here after almost 3 hours of play, you need to step it up. The worst scenario here is that you have a short stack; if you do, you need to get up as soon as possible! A good thing to do here is to change your strategy, if you played loose at the middle stage then you should play tight and that way your opponents will not be able to read you. Once you are at the final stage it’s not a matter of luck or how you play, but on how many chips you have. If you are not the one with the lowest stack then wait for a good hand and make your opponents, with lower stacks than you, go all in. This will help you build up your stack and get some opponents out.
If you get into the final table or heads up, then you are very lucky! This is a battle that you want to win. It is all about being focused on what you want to get (the pot). If you make a mistake, don’t let it rule your whole game, stay focused and you can still win even with a small mistake. If you make a big bet and your opponent re-raises it’s a bad sign and the best thing you can do is fold. Even if it’s a pro they will never follow a big bet if they don’t have a good hand. Bluffing at this stage is really not a good idea since you are too close to win it all.
Always remember to enjoy your play, these are free tournaments and if you make it to the top players then just have fun and don’t pressure yourself to win.
If you have the chance to re-buy or add-on, do it. Many of the players that get into freerolls don’t have the money for place a buy-in. This will help you be the chip stack lead at the middle stage.
Find a site to test out the Freeroll Strategy at www.the-royalflush-club.com
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