I just played a freeroll and my first hand was AKo. Two limpers and a raise. I 3bet, the guys shoves and I call. I was expecting at least a pair or AK, AQ or some sort of strong hand. Instead I see the guy has 68s.

The board: 6632K THE END

Tournaments are tough to play, especially if it's possible to re-buy because people take crazy risks to build a stack. And almost everyone at the table limps in the first 2-3 blind levels, in almost every hand. It's cheap to see a flop I guess and if they hit the flop hard, they may get payed off.

I have no idea if my AKo play was correct but I think it was. And the limping in every hand in the beginning of a tournament, I have no idea also if that's correct play.

Cheers,
Kris

Hi Kris,

My experience with Freerolls started out much the same, I have learned to be very patient for about the first 30 hands depending on the depth of the field.

Most people will go all in on freerolls with whatever cards they have in their hand because it is like play money. Some build a stack early, but most are simply thinning out the field so that you can play poker with between 50 to 75 of the original field.

I watch the counter on remaining players drop like a rock in the first 10 hands, it will slow down, but not much. you were luck to have only one opponent heads up, I have been at tables where 8 out of the 9 players are all in on the first hand and I am usually moving to the next table pretty quick...

Pete

Yeah, what can you do. But I mean if I can't play my good hands like AK then I don't know. I hate to slowplay it and limp in with it or just call and see the flop. Folding was not an option there.

Cheers,
Kris

just an fyi

freerolls are a crap shoot since the risk reward is infinite, the penalty is zero $$$$

when i occasionally play a freroll for shits and giggles i do try to find a reasonable hand, but i try to get as much in preflop as i can with whatever hand i decide to play, i want to double up or go home. Taggy play in freeroll will ensure you play a relatively long long time w/ a smallish stack and virtually no chance to win. ie wasted time

I have won a few free rolls and finished in the top 5 in quite a few others after i adopted the semi maniac style. You will need to get lucky a few times to win a freeroll and you cant get lucky unless you give yoursels a chance to get lucky and get a big stack, once you get a big stqck you can bully tags and also afford to get unlucky and lose some chips. Taggy play in a freeroll depends on not getting unlucky and generally when you do your stqck is so small you are out.

besides it ifun to get it in w/ J8o and bust a guy AA, so embrace your inner maniac and have a good time
Freerolls are just another example of you adjusting your play to give yourself a chance to win, rather than complaing other players all suck. The former strategy works, the latter doesnt.

gl hg

Much like hockeyguy said really... the only thing I'll add is that freerolls are not normal poker at all.

Much like playmoney games, they are really no judge as to how well you will fare at real money tables and games.

Your much better depositing $50 and seeing what you can do

Good points guys!

I do play some MTT's per month as well with different buy-ins and it's good to know that this type of play is not as usual when the MTT involves real money.

At the same time I do see a lot of maniacs in the first number of blind levels where the MTT has option to re-buy in the first hour. Players take big risks to double up because they know that they can always re-buy if it doesn't work out. I see some re-buy like 5-6 times during the first 20-30 minutes. Some even re-buy before the first hand, just to have more chips to play with. So I would say that some MTT's with real money are just like freerolls in the first couple of blind levels. But as you say in your videos Matt, you are also a big fan of taking risks early in the tournament. Just maybe not as much as some I've experienced. Some players are just crazy.

Cheers and thanks!
Kris

[quote="kcapson"


At the same time I do see a lot of maniacs in the first number of blind levels where the MTT has option to re-buy in the first hour. Players take big risks to double up because they know that they can always re-buy if it doesn't work out. I see some re-buy like 5-6 times during the first 20-30 minutes. Some even re-buy before the first hand, just to have more chips to play with.

[/quote]

And so they should aswell... I've rebought upwards of 20 times in the rebuy period before.
The rebuy period is all about getting as many chips as you can in the first hour because as I have discussed before,having a large stack going into to the mid stages of play is only going to help you in your quest for the final table.
Also, rebuying before the frst hand is a must. Take as many rebuys as you are allowed before play starts. If you can get 10 rebuys before the tournament starts (party poker used to have a flaw where you could rebuy and get chips everytime u shove in regardless of your stack size and if you are called) then you should do just that!

This is all new to me. Great tips thanks, I'll use them