Beating HE a step at a time. First step - freerolls

[dudeman99]

This might sound like something stupid, but I am trying to improve my poker game starting at the level I can afford: the freeroll. I must be doing something fundamentally wrong because I keep on getting knocked out early. My last freeroll just finished I was dealt J-10o in LP, raised to 3xBB, 2 callers. Flop comes Q9-rag-rag for an OE straight draw. All checked, I raise, SB calls. He keeps checking, I keep betting out. I am all-in, nothing hits, he turns over 5-3 to win with pair 5. This kind of thing keeps on repeating: I am unable to knock them out and they win somehow with a crappy hand.

From my experience you cannot really bluff since you always get callers. People call and raise with virtually any high card - rag combination, and go all in on any pair. Position is unknown to them.

I play fairly tight: the premium hands in EP broadening to suited connectors and semi-connectors, high connectors, low pairs and picture cards in LP. I see about 20% of the flops.

In short, I am just totally frustrated and have NFI anymore.

Also, how much is the standard of play at low-limit HE like the freerolls? My money experience at the low levels is extremely limited due to my very low deposits and crappy skills at the time.

[dico]

Originally Posted by dudeman99

This might sound like something stupid, but I am trying to improve my poker game starting at the level I can afford: the freeroll. I must be doing something fundamentally wrong because I keep on getting knocked out early. My last freeroll just finished I was dealt J-10o in LP, raised to 3xBB, 2 callers. Flop comes Q9-rag-rag for an OE straight draw. All checked, I raise, SB calls. He keeps checking, I keep betting out. I am all-in, nothing hits, he turns over 5-3 to win with pair 5. This kind of thing keeps on repeating: I am unable to knock them out and they win somehow with a crappy hand.

From my experience you cannot really bluff since you always get callers. People call and raise with virtually any high card - rag combination, and go all in on any pair. Position is unknown to them.

I play fairly tight: the premium hands in EP broadening to suited connectors and semi-connectors, high connectors, low pairs and picture cards in LP. I see about 20% of the flops.

In short, I am just totally frustrated and have NFI anymore.

Also, how much is the standard of play at low-limit HE like the freerolls? My money experience at the low levels is extremely limited due to my very low deposits and crappy skills at the time.

why the heck did you put yourself all in with nothing

[dudeman99]

Originally Posted by dico

why the heck did you put yourself all in with nothing

Combination of last ditch bluff, pot committed, tilt and being so short stacked that playing on was pretty much a lost cause.

[Mr Intensity]

You clearly understand what is going on but need to change the way you are playing. When I play a freeroll I always think - THEY WILL NOT FOLD. In the first couple of hours of freerolls people don't care because they haven't paid anything, haven't invested much time and aren't close to any reasonable money. Maybe some of them are total beginners, and haven't a clue what they are doing.

So just play tight, and maybe play more passive. Just bet when you have a made hand. With the straight draw just check or call small bets until you hit.

There are some great threads about building a bankroll from nothing, I'm sure someone will be along with a link as I can't find them

[GotaFancy?]

Originally Posted by Mr Intensity

There are some great threads about building a bankroll from nothing, I'm sure someone will be along with a link as I can't find them

How To Start Out in Poker Without Risking Your Own Cash
GaF's Nothing to Something thread

I think it's great advice Mr I In freerolls always assume your opponents will call - so bet big with big hands, and check/call with small/drawing hands

[effigy]

I've been doing the same as you, and building a bankroll from freerolls and due to a few adjustments in my game have been doing a lot better of recent. There are a few things I believe that are pretty unique to freerolls. One is that when the game starts you'll have a fairly large percentage of the field that will be just moving all-in right from the start, it takes a while to get these guys out so play as TIGHT as TIGHT can be. As long as it's not a turbo then you have plenty of chips to sit back and wait for premium hands, and when you get them raise, and raise big. If you've got 1500 chips ( and pick up QQ, KK or AA ) and the blinds are 10/20, I'd raise it upto 10 times the blind, you're likely to get a caller anyway. Many freerollers play any ace and virtually any suited cards. If you get a caller and he sucks out, that's just tough luck, you want him in that spot. If you pick up a big pair and there's a large raise behind then I'd just move all-in, most of the time they will have an ace ( rag to medium ), and you'll be in a good spot. But aside from that unless you can get into a pot cheap with connectors, I wouldn't play anything else for the first few levels. Don't panic if you aren't getting any cards, it's virtually impossible to steal blinds in the first half of a freeroll without recklessly moving all-in, so wait for as long as it takes, if you get down then you'll have to pick a hand to gamble with but use that as a last resort.

[puntalara]

Freerolls are a lottery - last night played at PP. NOT one bet from me for 25 hands then hit AA - 6Xbb bet - guy goes over the top - me all in

Guy shows K4o hits a two pair on the flop. bye bye me - what was he doing going over the top with a K4o - amazing

[ubermonkey1]

Originally Posted by dudeman99

Also, how much is the standard of play at low-limit HE like the freerolls? My money experience at the low levels is extremely limited due to my very low deposits and crappy skills at the time.

this depends on which games you play really

if you play a $1/$2 tourney on certain sites with large numbers (like stars etc)then the standard is not that different.

if you play a low stakes pl games or even pl freerolls then the standard can be extremely high

i would say most of the players play these games due to good added value and also because its a good game with a few laughs usually
so you end playing a lot of good competitive players that would usually be in higher stakes games.

this is a excellent way for a newbie to learn
you get to play good players with all sorts of different styles,as long as you consentrate on the action around you it should help your game a lot.

however because of the high standard its not a good idea to play unless you are happy to lose a quid or 2 once in a whilebut it is worth it if you want to improve.