Freerolls are a very common online poker bonus which numerous casinos offer to loyal clients. Although they are non-cash incentive, they can bring you into exclusive tournaments where you are eligible to make handsome winnings. Think of freerolls as VIP passes to free poker tournaments. To help you make the most of this opportunity, we introduce freerolls, offer you our top poker freeroll tips, and discuss several strains of viable freeroll poker strategy.
How do I get a freeroll bonus?
Freerolls are the casino’s way of rewarding dedicated players. To get that special kind of poker bonus, you have to spend a particular amount of time playing one online poker room. Different casinos log your play time differently, varying from a minimum number of hours per week, fortnight, month, or even a year. Regardless of the time window, know that getting into one of those coveted free poker tournaments will take commitment and some hours you dedicate to a single poker room.
What is my freeroll tournament bankroll?
Before we start with specific poker freeroll tips, we need to determine your bankroll size. Like the tournament entry threshold, the bankroll can vary between different casinos: some will start all players with the same stack of chips, while others will reward more hours with a higher starting bankroll. You will do well to inform yourself about your casino’s policy beforehand, so you know how much “free money” you will get.
General freeroll strategy
So, you have done your background research, you have put in the hours, and you have qualified for the free poker tournament. Now it’s time for some overall freeroll poker strategy. Some experts recommend that you treat the free poker games as any other and play as you usually play. This conserves your energy and allows you to follow your tried and tested decision-making patterns. However, freeroll poker tournaments are a slightly different animal, and we would rather you follow a more sophisticated path.
The early stages: Play conservatively
Our first trick from the bag of poker freeroll tips is, Be tight early on! Understand that a decent free poker tournament attracts hundreds of players who are gambling essentially “free” money, so they are willing to be very aggressive and borderline reckless. The house knows that well and encourages this behaviour – after all, this is what fills the pot which the conservative and smart players collect at the end.
By extension, steer clear of the abundant all-ins in the early tournament rounds. Unless you have a truly strong hand or you somehow managed to get a read on your adversary, do not call the all-in. In general, bet wisely and avoid extremes.
Ramp up the power midway through the freeroll tournament
If you follow the freeroll poker strategy above, you will soon see a significant portion of opponents cash and burn. As the player pool gets culled, you can slowly turn up the aggression. At this point, the most crucial tip is to ignore the average stack size; instead of obsessing with keeping up with the mean, focus on conserving what you have earned and maximising your winnings.
The best freeroll poker tips here are to bet aggressively when you have a strong hand and to stay humble and conservative in all other situations. Bluffing at this stage injects unnecessary risk into the equation and is likely to do harm in the long run. If you cannot help yourself, try semi-bluffing instead: calculate your bet size wisely to make the right impression and have a number of outs ahead in case the opponent calls.
The final stage: Time to bring the pain
The closer you get to the final of the free poker tournament, the more strategic and aggressive you will have to be in order to bag that money. While we discouraged bluffing in the earlier stages, it is almost imperative now. Crucially, do not lose your cool as you get aggressive: pick your battles carefully and exploit opponent weaknesses effectively. Avoid bluffing the chip leaders: they stand to lose much less than you when they call your bluff.
In addition, be wary of small-stack players: they – like you – are prone to bluffing because they are out to score bigger winnings, which makes them slightly less predictable. If you have a strong hand, however, do not hesitate to butt heads with a small stack: they often go all-in on mediocre hands or less. As you come closer to the pot, take charge of the game and hit harder until the victory is yours!