Freerolls

Freerolls Are tournaments that do not require any fees to participate. And meanwhile, the player can easily win not only $ 100, but more. It is important to choose your starting hand in this game. When participating in freerolls, the hand Ax is considered premium, and the player automatically goes all-in, that is, makes a bet all-in. The main goal of experienced players (gamblers) is to get to the final table when they can already claim prizes.

The essence of the game

The advantages of such tournaments are the opportunity to feel the essence of the game that newcomers have, to gain some experience of distribution from advanced players, to earn some money in order to participate in inexpensive sit-and-go.

Of course, an experienced player is unlikely to want to exchange for such tournaments and waste his precious time. In such tournaments, as a rule, beginners take part with little understanding of poker, or desperate micro-stakes. When they play all-in, they do not worry, because they have nothing to lose.

There is a common poker expression: "Make mistakes if everyone else plays right." However, in this case it is not suitable. We just need to play in a tight-aggressive style, given the specificity of the opponents' play. After getting a good pocket, a very big raise should follow. If you manage to collect a strong combination, then you need to continue to bet. Bluffing will not work here (including slowplay) - it makes no sense.

During the tournament, the participant of the game goes through the following stages:

• early (25 big blinds and more);
• late (less than 25);
• final table (no matter how many chips there are).

Quite often, players believe that at the initial stage there should be more than 100 BB. But they are wrong. Freerolls tend to have a turbo structure when the starting blinds are high enough. Therefore, even at the start, there can be no more than 50 of them. What to do? Is it possible to achieve success with such an accelerated rhythm? Let's consider the details of such a game ...

Early stage

If we decide to play a tight-aggressive style, then we should only rely on playing good starting hands. Therefore, we decisively put all-in any weak cards (JJ + and AQ +) from the starting and middle position. We complement the cut-off with the button by calling and raising, counting on smaller pairs or "creative hands". We pass the rest.

Let's say we play like this: we go into the pot from the small blind using a limp. When opening cards postflop, the only thing that matters to us is whether there is a match. If not, then any bet or raise must be folded. With two pairs or more, all-in is the best option. In any case, you should not think for a long time, since the responsibility is not great here.

Late stage

Players who are just starting to understand the rules of the game expect that the late stage means that in normal hands the ratio of their stack to blinds is too small, and the beginning of the stage is not deep in the prizes. The threshold is 20 BB. What can you recommend? It's simple: we completely forget about calls, and we respond to aggression and "shorty ones" with calls only with premium hands.

For preflop, we make a standard raise to 99+ and AJ +. The position does not matter. Postflop play is not used here. The original plan applies to the entire distribution and should not be deviated from throughout the game. We're already tied to the pot by continuation betting on the flop. The easiest way is to go all-in. However, this move will be successful only when the opponent is the only one, and the chance of winning is large enough.

Final table

Finally, we have reached it! Even if it's a simple freeroll, reaching the final in a multi-table tournament means a lot. Successfully overcome kilofields with the participation of fish and micro-stakes. It is necessary to win against only 8 people, ahead is a possible victory. And this is where the surprises begin.

The battle for the prize money is becoming serious, since they are already large enough for novice poker players here. In the finale, the strategy is almost the same, but increased caution and attention is required. As with regular poker, an early raise is considered a good hand. Broadway cards are important here as well as pockets (99+ and AJ +). Other hands can be included in the range if there is late position and no preflop aggressors. And then you need to follow simple rules: try to hold out on the game without risking or substituting yourself.

Conclusion

Even without being among the first players, one must remember that participation in a free tournament provides an opportunity to gain experience, to participate in a game against thousands of other similar amateur players. If you manage to get deep into the prizes, the winnings are good, and besides, it gives the gambler confidence in himself and the possibility of developing a poker career.