Free Roll Poker Tournaments

Poker players and enthusiast around the world have tuned in on televised poker tournaments around the world to see their favourite poker players at work. This turned the poker world scene upside down when it began, thanks in part to the hole cameras that was able to capture a players every move. With this said, the kitchen table poker player have come out in flocks to find their dream of being a poker pro. Of coarse, it’s not as easy as it sounds. It will take some work on your part.

The highs and lows of poker can be draining at times. Trust me, I should know! In 2005, I was fortunate to win a free seat into a $5000 World Poker Tournament. It was an exciting week for me. After landing in paradise in Aruba, poker was defiantly on my mind but so were the beautiful sunsets, white sand beaches and the gourmet foods the island has to offer.

This was an extremely difficult place to focus on poker, but I knew it was time for me to put my head down and aim for that million dollar first place prize. This was a scheduled five-day event. I put my game plan together before the event started and stuck to it. Next thing I know it was the final day, it was down to six players and I was one of them. It took great playing-staying focused and a little luck to make it this far. Finally, I was eliminated in fifth place taking down $150,000. Can you imagine how I felt, all this from winning a free seat?

You might ask me, how does a player win a free seat? Well, free-roll poker tournaments have become very popular on online poker sites and they give away seats like this all the time. It’s also a good place for a beginner to start. They can practice and sharpen their skills without any risk. After getting in there and mixing it up on a few online sites, I’ve defiantly learned a few valuable lessons. And these strategies have made me some extra cash on the way, I hope it will do the same for you.

Lets start off with the basics of a free-roll poker tournament! Free-rolls generally offer real cash and seats to other poker tournaments like the WPT and WSOP. After registering I’ve used this process to build bankrolls and entries into other major tournaments without any investment. Satellite free-rolls are also ways to win seats into larger tournaments and cash prizes. The odds become lower this route having to win two separate tournaments, but this doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It just takes a little more work on your part.

What to consider?

There are a few things you should consider when playing free-rolls. They are very time consuming. You should look at what prize that is being offered and the time it might take to win it. The number of entrants should be considered also. One time slot of the day might be 200-players and later in the day it could be 1000-players. Playing for the same prize; I would suggest playing in the lower amount entries. Your odds of winning will increase obviously. But free-rolls are free, so why not play as many as you can.

Many players in free-roll tourneys play very loose. They’ll play any hand from any position. Going out early is not a concern they have, they are looking to build chips early or move on to the next free-roll. Remember one thing, it’s free. You are not wagering anything but your time.Do not bother bluffing, as it will surely get called in a free-roll in early stages. Just play hands that have huge payoffs.

There are three basic strategies to go by. Prospecting strategy - when you see as many flops as you can when the blinds are small to develop a big chip stack early. Playing a loose and reckless strategy - when players push with any two cards to develop a large chip stack early because other players are moving in with any two cards as well. The third strategy is playing tight. Most times these players will get through most of the field and just make it to the top of the money scale unless the deck is running them over.

One aspect in most tournaments is play when it's close to the cash. Everyone tightens up and the most common play is to steal the blinds. Everyone's afraid to go out on the bubble-one spot out of the money, so take advantage of it. But there are still 2 types of players, one who want to win, or place very high; and others who want to cash. Players who want to win don’t care if they just win a few dollars. They only play the free-roll for the final table and the bigger payouts. Personally I don't feel it's a great accomplish to finish at the bottom of the money. The top ten places are usually where the larger payoffs start. Once making the cash, I play to get deep in the tourney or get out.

You've got to play an aggressive game if you want to win the whole thing. Good cards just don't come often enough for you to sit back. With some luck and good timing, you'll be able to end up with all the chips.

What’s Another Few Dollars?

~ Guest Post By Robert Border, Poker Pro
 
With the massive amount of information available on the World Wide Web these days it’s never been so simple to become a successful online poker player. No matter who you are – whether you’re a beginner poker player or experienced one, it’s simple to make those online blunders without even realizing it. It’s crucial for you as a poker player to seek out and eliminate these mistakes or else you could be losing a lot of your hard earned cash.

Below, I’ve developed a topics list to review to avoid those slip-ups at the poker table that could lead to losing. Take a moment to read through each tip carefully and figure out where you as a poker player are making crucial mistakes. Remember, that key quote “money saved is a dollar earned”.

“What’s another few dollars ”

What a huge mistake this is, this is a stack destroyer that I stay away from as much as possible. It’s defiantly wrong to bet or call a bet when you’re drawing dead in the hand or behind. You, as a player, being a winner or a loser in the game should not affect your decision making on your betting actions. Those small bets add up over a playing session. Next time you’re at the table calculate those extra bets, especially in limit poker, you gave away chasing and see if this makes the difference if you are a winner or small loser at the end of your session. I’ll guarantee you will agree with me over the coarse of a few sessions and certainly over of a playing career.

“ Playing your hand and not considering your opponent's hand ”

To be a great or good poker player you should be thinking of your own hand in relation to what your opponents have, and realizing that poker is a game of relative hand values versus absolute hand values. It’s essential to be successful you must incorporate this into your poker playing. Not grasping this concept will lead to unnecessary loses.

However difficult it might seem to be, if you really want to move to the next level of play you must learn to be able to lay down those big hands you know you are beat. In many cases in poker, it’s often just using common sense. If you are holding pocket aces (As-Ah) and the flop cards are Qd-Qs-Jd, the turn card comes 9d, and river card laid down is a 8d. Really what are the chances you have the winning hand at this point.

No matter how good you think your hand is you can’t automatically assume you have the best hand and you need to go through a process of assessing what you opponent may be holding. Of course you can only know this by paying attention and building a profile of the type of player your opponent is, and then using this profile to work out what type of hand he has.

“Bluffing”

A poker player will try to bluff with a hand that has a slim or no chance of winning. You’re basically representing a large hand that you do not have with the purpose of taking down the pot. Bluffing is a very strong strategy play and is a great tool to have in your poker arsenal.

There are no hard rules for bluffing, as every hand in Texas Hold'em is different. The best you can do is learn how to identify situations in which a bluff is likely to be successful based on the information you have obtained by the way your opponents are playing. Remember one thought, players want to play, they are looking for excuses not to fold – use this strategy wisely and do not over bluff. On the other side of the coin, guard yourself against the thought that your opponent may be bluffing to just serve as an excuse for you to call a bet when you know you should fold.

“Playing too predictable”

If you find yourself playing hands the same way, find ways to change up your play to confuse your opponent. Your opponent will eventually learn your betting patterns and use this against you. This especially crucial when playing against the same players and they’re good or decent players.

Conclusion

Great player are great because they evaluate the hand and come to a conclusion what is the best options to take during a certain situation. Step back and take a breathe during a hand and think. This is what separates a good player from a great one.