How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls - Part 1
By Ian Mcintosh
Online poker freerolls are a unique
breed amongst poker tournaments and require a certain way of playing in
order to succeed. Here are 6 top tips that will help you succeed in online
poker freeroll tournaments.
1. Be patient.
I've put this rule first as I believe
patience is the number one most important quality required to do well in
the freerolls. One important point to bear in mind is that freerolls usually
have hundreds of entrants and can take several hours to complete. If you
want to be there at the final table you will need to be very patient.
2. Be Aggressive.
Freerolls are multi-table tournaments
and you will usually be seated at a table of ten all the way through the
tournament. This is a good thing in a way as it means you don't need to
adjust your play to suit a shorter table, but it does mean that when you
do have a good hand you need to play it aggressively. Top pairs like Aces
and Kings should always be raised strongly pre-flop as they can often come
unstuck after the flop. Whenever you get a good hand, ie a high pair or
AKs, AQs, you must be aggressive.
3. Play less hands.
As well as being aggressive you
need to be controlled and play less hands. Don't be tempted to play hunches,
sit tight and wait for the good hands then play them aggressively. A good
rule of thumb is to throw away any hand that contains a card that's lower
than an eight.
4. Use your table position.
If you are first or second in the
betting, a King 10 isn't a very good hand. There are nine players to follow
you and if any of them have a pair or an Ace or a King with Queen or Jack
then you are struggling. However if you are at the end of the betting and
you can "limp in" with a call or check, then your KT becomes an altogether
better prospect. Nobody has raised yet so your King might be good and it
is certainly worth seeing the flop.
5. Vary your play.
Although you need to be patient
and wait for a good hand, don't become too predictable. If you only play
the big hands and always raise then your opponents will simply back down
and let you take the blinds. The trouble with this is you won't be winning
enough in blinds to keep your head above water as you are playing too few
hands. You need to vary your style of play and become hard to read.
6. Avoid bluffing.
Bluffing should be avoided, except
on very rare occasions. As there are always ten people at the table there
is a very high chance that someone will have a good hand each time and
will want to go against you, even if you go all in. All in on a bluff is
almost suicidal at the online poker freerolls, there's nearly always somebody
prepared to call you and you have little chance of surviving.
Article by Ian McIntosh of http://www.Love-Texas-Holdem.com.
Check out the site for Part 2 of this article, as well all the latest information
on Texas Holdem tournaments and freerolls.
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