What is the best strategy for freerolls?

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BigLemory777

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  • #1
Freeroll requires a lot of patience. In the beginning, a lot of people play any hand and end up being eliminated quickly.
How to play at the start to perform better?
 
Kairozz

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  • #2
me too, im only play when i had a good card
 
SergioV

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  • #3
BigLemory777 said:
Freeroll requires a lot of patience. In the beginning, a lot of people play any hand and end up being eliminated quickly.
How to play at the start to perform better?
At the start of freerolls, patience is very important because many players are playing too loose and taking unnecessary risks. I usually try to avoid weak hands early and focus on strong starting hands and good positions. There’s no need to force action in the beginning because many opponents will eliminate themselves. Once the field gets smaller and players become more serious, you can start playing more aggressively and stealing blinds more often.
 
andron205

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  • #4
play more push-fold
 
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  • #5
Play tight and patient early while others gamble, then become more aggressive as the field tightens; avoid unnecessary bluffs, value strong hands, and exploit loose opponents.
 
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Natiq 90

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  • #6
Freerolls are a completely different beast and I think a lot of players make the mistake of treating them like regular tournaments.
The field is massive, the play is chaotic, and in the early stages almost everyone is gambling because they have nothing to lose. Trying to play tight, disciplined poker in the first hour of a freeroll is like trying to have a serious conversation at a party — possible, but exhausting.
My approach is simple:
Early stages — be patient but not passive. Let the maniacs knock each other out. Don't bluff, because nobody folds. Wait for strong hands and get paid.
Middle stages — once the field thins out, start playing real poker. By this point the remaining players actually care about their chips and you can apply pressure.
Late stages — treat it exactly like any other tournament. ICM matters, stack sizes matter, position matters.
The biggest mistake in freerolls is getting frustrated by the chaos early on and starting to gamble yourself. The variance is brutal and unavoidable — just stay calm and let it work itself out.
The irony of freerolls is that the best strategy is to take them seriously — while accepting that half the table never will.
 
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comini

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  • #7
Freeroll geralmente é uma bagunca.
 
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ranon77

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  • #8
Fold trash early, value bet hard, and stop being scared once you’re ITM. Freerolls are won in the last 2 hours, not the first 2
 
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burro

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  • #9
For me, the most important thing in freeroll tournaments is to have patience at the beginning.
A lot of people are betting everything on anything, so I prefer to wait for better hands and let people eliminate themselves. I think the mistake is to get into chaos too soon, because then it will become a lottery.
 
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  • #10
You need to immediately identify those who enter to steal the blinds and those who go all in with any pair of cards; that's for the first phase. Otherwise, just play as you would in any tournament, using your position and the strength of your cards. I divide every tournament into three phases: the initial phase, the money cut, and the final table. I always try to be in the top 20% of places. When the blinds drop below 20-25 BB and reach 10 BB, I go all in with 2-2 pairs and matching connectors.
 
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  • #11
At the beginning of a freeroll, I play as disciplined as possible and avoid getting involved in chaos. While many players go all-in with any cards, I wait for strong hands and try to avoid unnecessary risks. Patience during the early levels helps me preserve my stack and gain an advantage later, when opponents start making more mistakes.
 
rifflemao

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  • #12
Sometimes the less you care about winning, the more likely you will. Not giving a shit frees up your aggression. Lots of people play like they are hoping to mincash a freeroll.
 
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  • #13
rifflemao said:
Sometimes the less you care about winning, the more likely you will. Not giving a shit frees up your aggression. Lots of people play like they are hoping to mincash a freeroll.
This is a common leak for folks in many if not most tournaments. I remember Doug Polk talked about it in a postcast with one of the other Upswing coaches. I usually late reg as late as I can in most situations (but not PKOs) and when you start shorter than everyone else you don't have an option but to play aggressive. I think I make the podium relatively more often with max late reg than I do with regular/slightly late but cash less.
 
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  • #14
BigLemory777 said:
Freeroll requires a lot of patience. In the beginning, a lot of people play any hand and end up being eliminated quickly.
How to play at the start to perform better?
I play freeroll s always ultra aggressive
if it’s your tournament it’s your tournament
you wil win a lot of stupid flips when behind etc
and you end up winning the freerol

, if you play extra tight because it’s a freeroll
ypu endup just itm and see no final table that’s to difficult
like i said
if it’s your tournament it’s your tournament and you wil win it with aggressive play .
 
frost234

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  • #15
I advise you to play strong hands aggressively and not to get into the game with all the garbage.
 
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