Freerolls what is the optimal way to play them?

[NLfool]

I've been trying to get top 10 in the Paradise freerolls for the $1 million freeroll. Been playing it everyday for the last few weeks with little success.

[benkahuna]

Freerolls always have a lot of loose players (you know this). I recommend doing a few things.

1. Wait for very good hands to play preflop.
2. Be willing to go all in if you think you'll be called when you have a 60 40 advantage or so.
3. Try to limp in early in the tourney with high implied odds hands like suited ace little, suited connectors, and small pairs. Don't play high cards as much for value early on.
4. You're going to be adjusting your play for the players so early on, assume they're loose and don't bother much with semi-bluffing or bluffing (probably don't do it at all). Value bets primarily. Just play the usual tight aggressive game. Pay attention to the play because later in the tourney you're going to be able to get some value out of semi-bluffs, but you'll need to carefully choose your opponents. It's a gradually changing idiocy gradient and it's going to require significant adjustments.

Because of the looser play, you're going to need greater luck because variance is increased. Keep in mind that many people view this as a free tournament and use that as an excuse to play very badly and take unnecessary risks. Those risks will typically involve bad calls rather than bad bets, however. Especially watch out for the big stacks--they'll go for 2 pairs or inside str8 draws all day long if thye're that type of player.

Really yo have to double up quickly. Slowly accumulating chips will rarely work in the maniac environment of free-rolls. At the beginning with AA,AK,AQ,KK,QQ you may as well go all in, as anyone with KJ, or better will probably call you. Very often you will get several callers and go out to junk.

As the play is so appalling limp in with most hands with any potential. Soon enough you will be able to check, re-raise(all-in) and rake in someone elses stack. So many players will go all in with a pair of kings or aces with 2 kickers

By the time you are up to roughly 400% of your original chips things will have calmed considerably and there will be
plenty of rubbish play, but not quite as much insanity.

NEVER TRY TO BLUFF AT THIS TIME

There are two types of player you can target at this stage.
The clueless players who have been lucky, but rather than focus on these (there is competition from others after their
stack!), focus more on another group (the players who aren't particulary skilled, but are snobbish towards the worst players going all in). I like to exploit these by ruining my table image, my making clearly bad, but inexpensive mistakes, silly calls and generally bad play. The last thing
those player expect from an idiot is a slowplay. You can quickly rake in chips of players who think you are just bad.

When the supply of 'fish' seems to be getting think switch to tight-agressive and establish yourself as a solid player, before attempting any plays. Then just switch to your conventional tourney play. really observe players from then on, there is still a huge diffrential in skill between many of the players.

The trick to playing in an environment of bad play is to play slightly less bad poker with good cards.

If you can come out of the early stages with plenty of chips, and have the skill then you will be fine (apart from all the bad beats).


That is just my basic stratergy and may be really wrong!

[DVC Calif]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been trying to get top 10 in the Paradise freerolls for the $1 million freeroll. Been playing it everyday for the last few weeks with little success.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can change your schedule, play the freerolls later in the day. The 9pm tourney awards 20 seats and the 1am tourney awards 30 seats. The 1am usually has half the field of the earlier tourney.

As this is a freeroll, people are gonna take chances to build stack with any Ace, paint, or suited cards. Wait for your hand, then press hard and aggressive. You'll get paid.

GL, Steve

[KramerTM]

[ QUOTE ]
Those risks will typically involve bad calls rather than bad bets, however.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like that. Well said.