Strategy tips for playing freeroll tournaments.
Freerolls play a little bit different than regular buyin tournaments. There are many weak players that can be exploited, which is what we're going to try and teach you in this strategy tips series from FreePokerBankrolls.
This week : Abuse the limpers
Limping is when you call the big blind bet without raising. A lot of freeroll players like to just call the big blind, even with huge hands like pocket aces or kings. They think if they raise they will not get action on the hand and they can earn more chips by just limping. This is extremely bad play and you should be looking to abuse this.
When you are in late position and there are several limpers in front of you, you should call with any decent hand. Especially suited connector hands are valuable at this point, as they can 'flop big' and you can crack those aces or kings. Do NOT attempt this from early positions though, as you might get raised out of the pot and most hands are difficult to play after the flop if you are out of position (the first to act).
Example hand :
Suppose you are on the button with 5s6s and there are 2 limpers in front of you, you call the big blind and the small blind also completes the bet. The big blind checks and 5 players get to see a flop of Js3s4d. This is a great flop for your hand ! You have a flush draw AND an open ended straight draw to go with it. Now as long as the bet is not bigger then the potsize, you should just call and try to hit the flush or the straight. If you hit your hand, try to bet a number that you think the opponent will call. This means do NOT push-all in when the 3rd spade comes, but make a small bet of about 1/3rd of the pot. If your opponent has pocket aces or kings in this hand, they will likely raise and you can get their whole stack.
It is important not to step into this trap yourself. If you get dealt a powerful hand like aces or kings, ALWAYS make a raise before the flop. You do not want to see a flop with 5 other players as your hand will no longer be a huge favorite if this happens. With 5 players to the flop, chances are big that someone will flop a made hand like 2 pair or better. Don't be afraid you won't get any action when you raise pre flop, it's a freeroll and people call too much in freerolls. A lot of players still call your raise with J9 and will not be able to get away from their hand if the flop comes 9 high.
We hope you've enjoyed this strategy article. Stay tuned for next week's post where we will be discussing : How to play pocket Kings