Freerolls – What Are They, Why Play
Them?
Freeroll tournaments are online poker games which have
no buy-ins but still pay out actual cash prizes. In other
words, you do not have to pay money upfront to join in –
but you gain a better than even chance of getting some money
with which to bankroll your entry into actual money games.
Many poker rooms offer freeroll
poker tournaments as a way to reward active players
(especially those who’ve been betting real money).
It is also a way to attract or entice new players to become
members of the online poker rooms. For some poker sites,
playing a certain number of hands with real money could
result in the poker site offering to ‘bankroll’
you (in a sense) to a tournament they sponsor; other sites
offer points that can be redeemed in cash value after you
play with these.
Advantages of Playing at Freerolls
To a large extent, you can look at freeroll tournaments
as promotional tools by the online poker sites– a way
to entice you to play and stay there rather than go somewhere
else. After all, what is there to lose? You get a bankroll,
lose yourself in the game for a few hours, and you either
walk away with some earnings – or walk away with nothing,
which was where you started from in the first place.
On the other hand, joining freeroll tournaments is also
a great way to both practice and start building up a bankroll
– or even use this as leverage to get into the big-time
games.
If you’re a newbie who is just starting to learn the
game, a freeroll tournament would be the best way to get
your feet wet: you do not need to outlay any cash to get
in on a game; most of the players will be at your level;
and you can practice your skills using the casino’s
money (whether real, playing points or play money) until
you’re confident enough to start betting your own.
Others see freeroll tournaments as a way of getting
into the big time – especially if the sponsoring poker
rooms offer you an invitation to a freeroll tournament
that is the ‘opening card’ (in a way) to the main
event: if you can win enough at the freeroll, you can use
the money to join an actual play for money game or tournament.
Don’t go in thinking that you’ll come out a big
winner though. It is a free game so why expect big returns?
At the same time, the fact remains that less than 10 percent
of players get a substantial payoff when playing freeroll
poker; in other words, you would probably hit it big a time
or two out of the ten freeroll tournaments you play in,
if you're good enough.
Some Tips When Playing Freeroll Tournaments
You should play freeroll poker as if it were a real game.
Play real tight poker at the start – chances are that
the others at the table are simply there for the hell of
it and wouldn’t be playing too seriously - which means
that you’ll get the chance to bluff and grab some money. Play only your good hands and don’t
get caught in the mood of "it’s free, anyway".
Loosen up a bit when you’re in the middle of the tournament
– your objective is to hold on to your chips and gather
more chips at the same time. This means you should be willing
to make a call once in a while. Near the tournament’s
close, start playing loose, aggressive poker – if you’re short stacked, find a hand
you like pre-flop and push all-in.
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