Freeroll poker tournaments are great for all poker players and online casinos. Many of today\’s top poker professionals got their start in an online freeroll tournament. And freerolls bring in many new players who will later play with real money increasing revenue for the casino. You don\’t want to be the latter just the winner. Freerolls usually have a mixture of poker players from new players to experienced players. There is an effective strategy to winning most of them and this method will usually place you well in most poker tournaments whether it is a freeroll or not. This article will cover effective strategy to win freeroll poker tournaments.

In the first period of a freeroll, you tend to see many inexperienced players going all-in with very little in terms of hands. Some players will go all-in with an unsuited two and five. But the fact is cards are cards and they still might win. In my experience, though it may be tempting, don\’t go all-in based on seeing a fellow player go all-in and feel you will get their chips. Stick to good strategy – high pairs and high cards win more often. Also to note, some of these players might not be inexperienced but instead have a freeroll is free attitude and not be applying themselves the way they would in a fee to join tournament. Your goal is to win as many chips as possible with the least chips invested.

One strategy that really counts is to get the most from a good hand . For example, you get dealt a pair of aces and the flop reveals one ace and two kings. Next to a four of a kind or royal flush, you have no competition. If you go all-in right away, you will probably cause people to fold missing out on a chip accumulation opportunity. Instead, raise in graduated amounts. With a high card like king or ace fellow players are more likely to bet if they have these cards in their hand increasing the size of the pot. Or if fellow players have pairs, they may increase their bets as well. At each betting round, increase the pot by betting again. At the showdown, you\’ll see many more chips than going all-in at the start of the betting rounds. This tight aggressive strategy works across the board with all tournaments.

Another excellent strategy is to sit it out. You may be dealt an unsuited ace and five and a fellow player goes all-in. It may be to your advantage to sit it out. Don\’t forget any pair will beat the unsuited ace five combo and you\’ll have fewer chips. Don\’t take risks with your stack and fold. An alternative strategy is to check out the flop if there is a raise and assess the landscape from that position. If it looks good, raise and if not fold. Don\’t get in the practice of chasing an ideal hand.

Chasing an ideal hand is the surest way to lose. If you look at most poker wins, they are usually a pair or three of a kind. At the WSOP 2015, it was won with a pair of 10s. It was also a three of kind of 10s that won the WSOP in 2014. The likelihood of a straight or flush is rare. Of course, they happen but they\’re nothing to bet your stack over. You might look at that tempting pot and your hand and think it\’s going to win, only to find yourself with less chips because a fellow player has a pair. The best strategy for those hands that may be flushes or straights is to see the flop even if there is a raise and evaluate from the next betting round. You might have a flush or straight and then you can make graduated betting increases from there or fold if it\’s an unlikely combination. Now you see how to bet in freeroll. I\’ll go over the stages.

There are basically four stages of a freeroll. The initial stage, the middle stage and the final stage. The initial stage covers the entry period where anyone can enter usually it\’s one hour though some poker sites vary and have variable time limits up to several hours. It is still a one entry free game and play from there. The second stage is the middle. There are no more new players and it\’s often the middle stage. The final table is the third stage . This stage is marked by various all-in scenarios as players hope for a heads up tourney. Heads up is the last stage of a tournament. If you have held on this long , congratulations. You are now at the top of the prize level and will get either the first or second place prize. Back to the phases and observations.

During the initial phase of freeroll poker tournaments, there tends to be many all-in betting scenarios. This is the time to sit it out and wait for great hands only. You might find your chip stack down but you are still in the game. After the initial phase, you will see fewer all-in bets since everyone wants to keep their chips. Your chips should be accumulating by now by playing the winning hands. During the later phases and up to a heads up match, this strategy will work fine. The best place to bet is more often than not at late position.

Betting at the late position is good for three reasons. First, you get to see the raises on the board and can decide if you want to bet. Second, you get to know your fellow players and decide who is a bluffer and who bets only solid hands. Knowing how your fellow players bet will help you in many plays. If a player goes all-in or raises frequently, the chances are slim that each hand is a winning hand. It may be accurate to raise against them as compared to a player who only raises with great hands in the first place. The third reason late position is great is that if a following bettor has a pair of aces or goes all-in, it may be tempting to go all-in and lose chips in the process. For all phases of a poker tournament, these tight, aggressive poker strategies will work and lead you to the final table if not heads up. One additional strategy is called gut instinct.

Gut instinct varies from all of these strategies in that it\’s simply a matter of self-trust. You feel it and it works. Like in the freeroll example mentioned above where someone goes all-in with an unsuited two and five and they win against a pair of aces. Tuning into your instinct is as important as using rational strategy. There will be a good hand, a pair of aces for example ,where you should fold. And the flop reveals a pair of fives and your opponent just happens to have one five that trumps your ace pair. Only your gut instincts will lead you accurately here but using them and trusting them is another strategy that is most effective.

In conclusion, freeroll poker tournaments are a great way to play poker , learn the game and build a bankroll. Strategies learned in freeroll are easily applicable to tournaments you have pay to play. Following an effective strategy and taking notes will increase your empirical knowledge and lead to better outcomes than playing without any strategy at all. Key points are not to chase ideal hands, pairs and three of kinds win more often than straights or flushes and betting at late position will give you more leverage than betting at early position. Also, developing and using gut instincts will take your poker game to a high level.

Hugh Young is a writer on many subjects. Some can be found at Freeroll Tournament

Hugh Young is a writer on many subjects. Some can be found at http://www.freeroll-tournament.org

Author Bio: Hugh Young is a writer on many subjects. Some can be found at Freeroll Tournament

Category: Recreation
Keywords: freeroll poker tournaments, freeroll strategy, poker strategy