[jwg152]

You thought for a second when you were set all-in with pocket aces? What were you thinking about? You should have been positively thrilled.

If you want to succeeed in tournament play, you have to analyze your play apart from the results that they produce. If some guy sets you all-in and he cracks your aces with 77, then he beat you despite being a prohibitve dog, and that's just the way it goes sometimes. You played the hand the only way it could be played (after he set you all-in), and got dished some bad luck. Rememeber this: no matter how well you play, if you don't get some luck along the way you will not place in the money. Although skill triumphs in the end, luck plays a significant part at step. No player has ever won the WSOP with having some luck. The key is to be good enough so that when you do play in a tournament where you happen to be lucky, you know how to use it in the most effective method in order to win or place high.

By the way, I don't think you are going to really learn how to play tournament holdem by playing in free rolls. My reason: the players are simply awful, and you will not learn much from them or be adequately tested by their weak play. You really want to limit your exposure (and I understand that), I know that royal vegas poker has some $1 tournaments. Best of luck...