How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 2

How to Succeed in the Poker Freerolls Part 1 looked mostly at what cards to play and when to play them, in Part 2 we take a look at other factors that you need to be aware of in order to succeed in the freerolls.

7. Watch your opponents and learn their playing style. You can learn a lot of valuable poker information just by watching your opponents playing style and habits at the table. Do they bet almost every hand, do they sit back and wait for a good hand (like you should!), do they fold easily at the first sign of a raise, do they just want to see a free card, is there a "maniac" who raises every hand?

8. Concentrate on the game. If you want to find out how your opponents play, you need to concentrate fully on what you're doing. Don't write emails while your playing or surf other sites, and turn off that TV!

9. Avoid hesitation. If you hesitate before you make your move then it is seen as a sign of weakness. In the freerolls you don’t have the luxury of watching your opponent's reactions and one of the few "tells" that you have is the speed at which your opponent makes his move. The worst sin here is to hesitate for a while then check, you have just told the table you don't have a hand but you want to see the next card. You will simply be raised straight out of the hand.

10. Don't chase draws. It can be very tempting when you see that you have a straight draw, (eg you've got a 6 7 and there's a 5 and 8 in the flop) but the reality is that this hand rarely produces a winner. If you can see the other cards free or for a cheap call then by all means take a look, but remember at this point you have absolutely nothing and your opponents have almost certainly got at least a pair.

11. Remember that your opponents will play different cards from you. Just because you are doing everything right doesn't mean that they will too! People will play all sorts of hands, especially in a freeroll and you can expect some crazy bad beats. Particular attention should be paid to the possibility of straights, if there are three cards on the table like 5 6 8 for example, there's a good chance somebody might be playing with a 7 4!

12. Treat the freerolls seriously. Although you're not investing any money to take part in the freerolls, you are investing a chunk of your time so take them seriously. They are a good training ground for learning tournament skills and to win one is a very good achievement. Not to mention you could win some money!