-poker school-
Common conception of a game in freerolls
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Many of novices begin to get familiarized with club poker playing freerolls. Most of players think about such tournaments that they are not serious, and that as long as the number of participants is large, they don’t have a real chance to win a prize winning places. But it is not so! If you play carefully and without excess risk, you often become a prize winner. Thanks to money won in freerolls, you have an excellent possibility to begin play poker for money even not making a deposit.
Also note that a freeroll game learns to be self-possessed and quiet and these are very valuable qualities of a poker player.
And now let’s look into the stages of the game.
Stage 1
Approximately half of the number of players gets out of the game in the first 30 minutes of a tournament. As long as entrance to such tournaments is free, many people become a party to the game for pleasure only; they play all-in at any, even the weakest hand.
It is desirable to increase your bank three times at this stage. But even the number of your chips is much less than one of your opponents, it is not bad – you still have a chance to get a prize winning place.
At this stage bluffing doesn’t fit the situation, because there will always be a kamikaze which will answer. Pay attention to the game style of your opponents: if you know that a player often bluffs and stakes at weak hand, you may play him bravely and perform high stakes at nuts hand, he will certainly keep your stake.
Pre-flop
There are many maniacs which play all-in. In this situation you should answer only if you have AA KK QQ
You should perform raze if you have AA KK QQ JJ AK AQ AJs A10s (where s is the same suit).
* If the number of chips is small, at AA KK QQ JJ AK AQ you may “throw a deer” (to stake all the chips). At such a hand you may a good chance to increase bank considerably, and in case of loss you wont’t be upset: you haven’t wasted much of time, you will be lucky the next time.
If your stake is no greater than 5% of your bank, go in if your hand is one of the following: the pair of 66 and higher, two master cards (A-K-Q-J-10), the cards of the same suit A-2,3,4,5, the same suit street connectives without a gap (10-9s 9-8s and so on).
At the minimum stake you should go in if you have one of the following: any pair, any cards of the same suit, А-2,3,4,5, K-9, Q-8, any of the street connectives without a gap.
Flop
If the flop is yours and you have three, two pairs or higher, you should perform a stake and answer to the high stakes (more than 30% of your bank).
* Only if the flop doesn’t consist of three cards to the street or the flash.
If you have the highest pair with a good kicker, or four cards to the street or the flash, you should make a minimum stake.
If you have a combination that is highest or near to the highest, you shouldn’t scare your opponents, you may even perform a check and in the sequel wheedle them to the maximum. If somebody performs a serious stake for your check – you should stake all that you have, he will certainly answer and you will hit the jackpot.
In all other cases you should discard.
Thorn
All is the same as in case of flop.
Reaver
Do estimate possible combinations of your opponents, especially probability of streets and flashs.
If you have middle hand, you should open only at not high stakes.
If your combination is the highest one or a bit worse, you should bravely stake a half of your bank – opponents, as a rule, will answer (many people at the first stage of freeroll in case of nuts combinations stake all that they have, therefore your stake at a half of your all will be considered as not very strong hand)
Stage 2
This stage begins, accordingly, after the first stage and lasts an hour or an hour and a half. At this stage all the weak players get out of the game, so approximately 10% of tournaments participants get the end. There are no principal distinctions between the first and the second stages. You should play a bit carefully and slowly increase your balance.
If the number of your chips is not very high (less than 1000), you should go in only if you have AA KK QQ JJ AK AQ AJs A10s.
If you have luck and the number of your chips is much greater than one of your opponents at the average, you shouldn’t relax – prize winning places are still far away, therefore you should continue to play carefully.
If it’s OK with your chips, your strategy is like the following:
Pre-flop
It is undesirable to answer all-in, you may answer only with the highest pairs, and only in case your stake is no greater than half of your bank.
You should perform raze if you have AA KK QQ.
Play with pairs 66 and higher, with two master cards (A K Q J 10), and also with street connectives (for example, 9-10 or 10J), beginning with 7-J and higher.
It is desirable to throw off all other, including A-2,3,4,5.
Perform the further match as well as at the first stage.
At the end of the stage, when it is quite near to the prize winning places, the game stops. At this moment, as a rule, some people have very small number of chips and they just try to stay till the prize winning places. It is be better not to risk and to wait when such players get out of the game.
Stage 3
The paid places began. Congratulations! You already have a guaranteed winning!
The third stage is the shortest one, it lasts fifteen minutes. During this time those players which didn’t hope to join the first ten get out of the game. Many people have just stayed till the prize winning places with very small number of chips and feel happy to win even small prize.
If you have come to this stage with large number of chips, your strategy doesn’t change.
But if the number of your chips is not great (less than 1000), and your game is off, you may just stay till the more paid places. As long as stakes at this stage are great, you should stake your all. Then, in case fortune doesn’t show you its back, you will considerably increase your bankroll, and you will have a good chance to join the first ten of winners.
Stage 4
Approximately three hours have elapsed since the beginning of the tournament; approximately forty people are still in the game. Within an hour there will be only ten people remaining in the game.
At the fourth stage you should go the same way, but pay attention that there are only strong players remaining in the game, and they will answer to the high stakes with strong hands only.
At this stage you already may use check-raze and half-bluff, and as long as opponents are very careful, you have a real chance to steal the bank.
Stage 5
The third or the fourth hour of the game.
There only ten people in the game
You have got the final table!!!!!!
The tactics of playing at the final table is the special one, but let’s talk about it the next time.
Oleg Denisenko