Just because you’ve read a load of poker strategy books and won a few real money tournaments, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be a successful free roll player too. The two tournament types are totally different – and you’re going to need two totally different strategies
The reason? Well, poker free roll players are a totally different breed of opponent. They’re not as good as the type of player you’ll find in a real money tourney. There more aggressive too and will play much more loosely. In fact, it’s possible that they might not turn up at all, so if that’s the case, don’t take it personally!
Basically, whether it’s because they’re bored or whether they’d simply rather be doing something else, when a poker player hasn’t committed any of their own money to enter a poker tournament, they’ll come and go as they please!
If you’ve got an understanding of poker strategy though, it’s certainly going to help. It just means that a few little things need tweaking to ensure that you’ll become a profitable player!
1. First things first – Keep it Simple. You need to remember that your opponents are largely going to be players new to the game. They’re not going to know the right and wrong way to play and so will have no idea when they’re supposed to lay their cards down. With that in mind, don’t start bluffing as it just won’t work. Instead, keep your play basic – anything else will just cost you.
2. If you’ve got a hand, bet it. Starting requirements for Freeroll tourneys are much lower than you’ll find elsewhere. Don’t start waiting around for Rockets or Cowboys before you make a raise. Instead, any half decent pair or an Ace with a high kicker is worth betting on. You’ll be pleasantly suprised at what your opponents turn over.
3. Play Tight. As the age old poker maxim goes, if you’re at an agressive table, play tight. Nowhere is this more true than in a freeroll tourney. People all around you will be betting the house with distinctly average hands, so show a bit of patience, and wait until you’ve got something half decent before calling them.
4.Change your strategy slightly: As play comes down to the last few tables, you’ll need to change your strategy a little bit. It’s a fairly safe bet that the players who are left in the tournament are now here until the end and have got their eyes on the prize. They’ve probably also got their own plans on how to claim that prize, so give their raises a little more respect than you did previously and increase the requirements of your starting hands.
Playing with these four points in mind will ensure that you become a succesfull freeroll player. As you can tell, it’s all about focus and simpicity. Freeroll tournaments are a breeding ground for errors, so make sure that the errors belong to your opponents and not yourself.
After all, an error can be the ultimate difference between a paycheck and an empty bankroll.
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