Freeroll vs paid tourneys

bronwen777 · Jun 30, 2026

Do you find freerolls harder because of the lack of disciplaned players compared to paid tourneys? whats your take? I think freerolls are more all in's for anything at times so playing very tight is likely the best option?

How do you find it and how do you handle it?

YLAN · Jun 30, 2026

For me, freerolls are much easier than paid tourneys. Fishes abound in freerolls whilst sharks patrol the tourneys.

"If you cannot spot the fish at the table, you are the fish."

dreamer13 · Jun 30, 2026

But if you tear off the masks, underneath you will always find the same face - a play on feelings instead of a play on facts.Lack of discipline loves to wear masks. It disguises itself as self-confidence, balls of steel, or even an attempt to create dynamism at the table.

thwenth1983 · Jun 30, 2026

Good morning everyone. It depends on the type of freeroll, right? There are freerolls that are more difficult than paid tournaments. But, as a general rule, freerolls have a smaller number of players and more beginner players. In paid tournaments, there is already a group with a higher percentage of people who study, watch videos, and are trying to learn how to play the game correctly.

However, there is a specific tournament that is more difficult than paid tournaments, which is the monthly $10,000 tournament on 888poker.

thedarkman · Jun 30, 2026

Not all freerolls are equal and not all paid tournaments are equal. I played both yesterday and played like a total muppet in all.

Others do the same.

fundiver199 · Jun 30, 2026

thedarkman said:
Not all freerolls are equal and not all paid tournaments are equal.

This should be kind of obvious. The level of play in a $0.25 tournament is going to be much more similar to a freeroll than a $5.200 tournament.

moraeskvmi · Jun 30, 2026

Create your strategy, take notes, and enjoy the freerolls.

Kasztor007 · Jun 30, 2026

I don't think freerolls are necessarily harder they just require a different approach.

In the early stages, many players are extremely loose and willing to go all-in with almost anything, so I play more patiently and focus on value. As the field gets smaller, the games start to resemble regular paid tournaments, and you can take advantage of position, stack sizes, and ICM pressure.

I don't think the same strategy works for both freerolls and buy-in tournaments. Adapting to the field is the biggest edge.

bronwen777 · Jun 30, 2026

love the comments! All valid, thank you.

ExMoroccan · Jun 30, 2026

actually yes in freeroll most people just all in preflop with 67 and J10 hoping for the nuts , i have done it before but i wouldnt do it in paid tourneys

Semprini · Jun 30, 2026

In general, freerolls are easier to cash because you can get pretty far by just being tight. However, due to the high variance from the wild gambling play they are tougher to win.

Although when talking about actually winning, the field size matters more. It's easier to win a 50 player freeroll than a 200 player micro for instance. But given all things equal, the freeroll is easier to cash but harder to win.

lwccasz · Jun 30, 2026

For me, freerolls are easier than paid tournaments, since there are a lot of random players who play anyway and sometimes they are not even aware of poker.

kaynbergo · Jul 2, 2026

Freerolls are less stressful; you don't invest your own money, so there's no fear of losing it. Of course, playing is mostly a matter of luck, but if you make it far in the tournament, that's when real poker begins. At this point, weak and reckless players are usually eliminated — although sometimes one or two more may remain.

Nameless14 · Jul 4, 2026

I actually think freerolls can be tougher in a different way. You see a lot more random all-ins and unpredictable plays, so bluffing loses a lot of value. I usually play fairly tight early on, let the chaos settle down, and then start opening up once the field gets smaller and players become a bit more disciplined.

Lodestone · Jul 4, 2026

I've played $50 tourneys where the play is worse than the VIP freerolls for this forum. I think the VIP games are a tier higher than the platinum ones as far as skilled play goes (no shocker as there is a pseudo-buyin).

Y'all really need to not be so afraid of microstakes tourneys because they're not the shark den that you're imagining. There are excpetions of course. Like the Staples brothers homegames, even though they're a $5 buyin the added value and tickets attract a lot of strong players. Not uncommon to sharkscope your table and see 7 of 9 be winning players with an average stake over $20. The $22 carnival was FAAAAAR softer than the HGs when they were giving out satty tickets out for the hourly freerolls.

If your level of game selection is just "free vs paid" - you are stuck in the kiddie pool at the water park. There are other options and not all of them involve drowning yourself jumping off a diving board into the deep end.

Kerasuss28 · Jul 4, 2026

YLAN said:
For me, freerolls are much easier than paid tourneys. Fishes abound in freerolls whilst sharks patrol the tourneys.

"If you cannot spot the fish at the table, you are the fish."

that is not true, try to win the cardschat platinum is very dificult

Kairozz · Jul 4, 2026

im on grinding to get Platinum badge, so i can play on all freerolls. ahahaha
it depends on your patience and luck.

Stringy · Jul 4, 2026

I find freerolls easier becuase it's easier to take advantage of people or situations

Snake2007 · Jul 4, 2026

I prefer both freeroll tournaments and cash tournaments.

tuitui · Jul 4, 2026

Even gameplay is very random, freerolls are way easier than real tournaments. Most of the freerolls don't even feel much like playing actual poker. But I do enjoy cardchat community freerolls (upper leveles) which is quite normal playing when game has progressed some.

steve01991 · Jul 4, 2026

freerolls are good for beginners but frustrating for the seasoned veterans.
it would have to be a very good payout for it to be worthwhile.

FoxMS · Jul 4, 2026

My goal in freerolls is to take money. That's why I only play with strong cards, I play when I have a real chance of taking chips from my opponents. I won't take unnecessary risks.

SeuPai- · Jul 4, 2026

bronwen777 said:
Você acha que os torneios freeroll são mais difíceis por causa da falta de jogadores disciplinados em comparação com os torneios pagos? Qual a sua opinião? Eu acho que nos freerolls às vezes rolam mais all-in, então jogar de forma bem conservadora provavelmente é a melhor opção.

Como você o encontra e como lida com ele?

To be honest, I didn't find the freeroll difficult. Those who know how to play poker don't have to rely solely on strong hands; the important thing is to use the information you have. If you have enough information, you will be the king of that table - and, consequently, of the tournament.

SeuPai- · Jul 4, 2026

YLAN said:
Para mim, os freerolls são muito mais fáceis do que os torneios pagos. Os jogadores inexperientes abundam nos freerolls, enquanto os tubarões patrulham os torneios.

"Se você não consegue identificar os peixes na mesa, você é o peixe."

It goes like this: if you think the players are good, it means that *you* are the bad player at the table.

Geo90 · Jul 5, 2026

MTTs are always difficult; a tournament with a higher buy-in requires a very different strategy than a freeroll, but even higher stakes tournaments can have fish — only in smaller numbers.

Freeroll vs paid tourneys

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