Basic Free Roll Strategy In Hold'em Poker
A free roll is, in some ways, not even poker. It can be more like hitting the lottery. First, these games aren't great practice for the real money options, so you're playing for the prize. They generally offer real cash and seats to other tournaments. Here is some basic free roll strategy in Hold'em poker. For the most part, cash free rolls are for casual online poker enthusiasts who don't want to invest a lot of money. If you create accounts, even without making an initial deposit, you can enjoy these with real money awards. You can diversify and start building a separate roll. If you're into the challenge of bankroll building, this might be for you. Satellite free rolls are just as common, as almost every site has satellites that can get you into larger tournaments with bigger prizes. The odds here are against you more than in the cash games, because there are fewer "cash" positions.
If you plan on doing well, stick to the basic free roll strategy of being very selective. The more games you play simultaneously, the less attention you can give each, and some of these are just competitions giving you the chance to place in other tournaments. Try games with a low number of entrants, and consider the prizes being awarded. The reason this game isn't poker, is because you are wagering nothing except the chance to win a prize. You're put no money of your own in, so act accordingly: Loose and reckless. People will keep going with horrible hands because they don't care if they bust, and they can win a lot of chips if they get lucky. Only when the prizes are really good, or when players get close to the cash positions, does it start resembling real Hold'em poker.
One basic free roll strategy is to get lucky early. Basically, you try to get all of your chips into a pot, because everyone else is doing the same thing. Even if you play solidly and tight, you may be up against people with 10 times the chips you have. Push on any early hand, with pretty much any cards. If you can create a big stack early, you have a much better chance of cashing.
The converse to this is keeping super tight. Since you know everyone is trying to get lucky, sitting back and waiting for a monster can be a good plan. Use their aggressiveness against them. Bet out against the big stacks, and continue with the top 10 hands, but don't go prospecting with junk.
These games start resembling real poker once you've gotten rid of a third to half the field. There will still be participants playing super aggressively, and big stacks will still make outrageous calls, but mid-level stacks and smaller who have survived the beginning are going to act more traditionally. Remember, time is an investment, like money. If someone has played in a contest for several hours, they're not as likely to push their chips in the hopes of getting lucky, because they don't want their investment to be for nothing.