Every poker site runs freeroll tournaments
throughout the day with varying prize levels.
Almost all of them attract a large number of
players, anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 or above.
With such a large field getting into the money
is going to take several hours of play and some
kind of strategy to avoid going out on the
bubble.
There are many books available on tournament
strategy, Harrington on Hold’em being my
personal favorite, detailing several different
styles of play. These styles can be used in
freerolls and the fact that they are free to
enter means you can experiment more to find one
which you find successful, if you go out early
just sign up for another from the freeroll list.
I find it best to vary my strategy as the
freeroll tournament progresses and being in the
money is in sight or achieved.
At the beginning of the freeroll tournament it’s
worth looking out for players on your table who
have signed up but forgotten about the
tournament. If you see some remember who they
are as you may be able to steal their blinds by
raising them. It won’t net you massive amounts
of chips but will help to increase your stack
steadily.
Often at the start of a freeroll there seems to
be a mixture of conservative players with a few
maniacs mixed in. The maniacs tend to try to
double their stack quickly with all ins and
large raises. This can be quite a good tactic
early on as you can quickly build your stack and
give yourself a more commanding position as the
game progresses and the blinds go up. I like to
play a conservative to manic style early on. If
I have the cards such AA, KK, QQ, or AK/AQ
suited I play very aggressively with large
raises and all ins from virtually any position
hoping for a caller. Other pairs and suited
connecters I play normally. Don’t be afraid to
try and increase your stack early on if you have
the cards to do it. I always think it’s better
to go out early having tried to improve your
stack than to play for 2 hours and still go out
outside of the money.
Once the initial melee is out of the way and the
blinds start to increase I tend to start
tightening my game up and playing my normal
tournament strategy. At this stage you want to
make sure you stay in the tournament to head
towards the money, but also you need to build on
your pot so that the blinds don’t wipe you out
before you reach it. The majority of players
will also have tightened their game at this
point leading to opportunities to steal the
blinds and pots in late position. There will
also be a fair amount of short stacked players
who are being killed off by the blinds, they’ll
often go all in with virtually anything in
attempt to get back into the game and with
caution can be useful for increasing your stack.
I tend to keep playing the same pretty much
until I hit the money. However just before this
point you may find that a majority of players go
ultra conservative hoping that others will go
out, allowing them to get into the money. This
can be a good time to pick up some extra chips
if you have the cards to do it. Once I’m in the
money I play looser and more aggressive again.
In summary try to increase your stack early on
then tighten up your game. This strategy is by
no means guaranteed to get you in the money, it
is just one that has worked for me in the past.
Because freeroll tournaments are free they are
perfect for experimenting with different styles
to find the one that works best for you. There
are plenty of freerolls going on all the time,
check the freeroll listings for upcoming
tournaments.
