Casinos and card rooms both online and real world will at times offer players a free entry tournament usually as a reward for patronage in the card room. There are a few things you should know about freerolls. First, they are not exactly free. Oh sure the entry to a freeroll tournament is zero but the prizepool comes out of rakes and tournament fees paid by players just like you and if there is a “bonus” drop in your cash games that helps to fund the freeroll prize pool. So the prizes comes from the players. We are not trying to be cynical here, in fact, you should play freerolls, afterall, you paid for them!

Now about actually playing in a freeroll. These tournaments play very differently then other events. Because they are “free”, online they often attract huge fields and play in the early rounds is very loose; players will move all in with practically any above average hand. You can expect the first half or more of an online freeroll to be a wild affair.

Live freeroll events tend to play differently. The qualification for a freeroll in a card room is usually a set number of hours over a period of time. Perhaps 10 hours in a week or 40 hours over a month. Live game players often see freerolls as a bonus to their game and treat the freeroll as an opportunity to recoup losses or grow their bankroll. You already know these players have played some hours to qualify for the tournament, you should treat a live freeroll as a gathering of experienced players who will play the tournament solidly, not at all like the online freeroll.

-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #135

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