Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please!

[Speckled Jim]

I have been playing `Mansion 500` freeroll for the past month, with some final table placings (as Rooney1). I am finding my disciplined and patient strategy gets me into the cash , but not regularly top 10. Should i loosen up or just unlucky? Any thoughts?:wall

[chelskired]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please!

I have been playing `Mansion 500` freeroll for the past month' date=' with some final table placings (as Rooney1). I am finding my disciplined and patient strategy gets me into the cash , but not regularly top 10. Should i loosen up or just unlucky? Any thoughts?:wall[/quote'] Have a nose at this http://www.punterslounge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29879&highlight=freeroll mate and especially masterplans post (:eyes Masterplan appreciation Shirts on sale here :tongue2 ) and also look out for Damos stuff, some of it is a bit "Techy" but you can learn from it(at least i have but dont tell him) C.R.

[rippyuk]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please!

I am finding my disciplined and patient strategy gets me into the cash ' date=' but not regularly top 10[/quote'] I guess the key here is how long you persist with your tight strategy - as the blinds go up you've gotta change things up. If you've already built a bit of a stack, you can be raising unopened pots in middle/late position and hopefully taking down your share of the blinds and antes - aim to do this once per round roughly to buy you time until you land playable cards. If you're alreay becoming a short stack, your raises might have to be all in. The key here is definately to be first into the pot preflop, from mid-late position - it doesn't really matter what two cards you're holding. Try to start making your moves whilst you've got some chips to play with, so your stack can still threaten or take a large chunk out of others around the table - otherwise you're going to get blinded out waiting for a monster.. and you'll be forced to pick your moment with any two cards,for an all in you know will be called. It's hard to let go of the tight play that's got you this far, and it's hard to know when to change gear, but you've gotta do it or you'll only occasionally coast into the final 9. A lot of others will still be playing tight/disciplined (and scared of busting out), so by changing your play you're giving yourself an edge and taking chips they're happy to let slip away.

[steveadam23]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please! Sounds to me like its time to loosen up a bit. Your disciplined and patient strategy is fine for the early part of the tournament, but once all the idiots have managed to throw away their chips, you need to play a good bit looser and more aggressive, and build a decent stack. As the money gets closer this is a good time to try a few bluffs and pick up a few blinds and uncontested pots. Many players will tighten up even more at this stage as their mind becomes set on just reaching the money. Maybe even try a raise or fold strategy - that is never limp into a hand by only calling, do not let any of your opponents see the flop cheaply. However, position is important, if there are significant raises before you, I would suggest folding. I generally will fold anything to several all-ins or several large bets that happen before me or even after I make a bet. If 2 or more players want to go at it, let them. I presume you are reaching the money pretty short stacked and not getting a chance to make the final table. My aim is to try and keep at least an average amount of chips, I always keep one eye on the average chip count in relation to my stack to gauge where I am. Good luck in making that final table! Steve.

[Speckled Jim]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please! Cheers for all those ideas! I will try a few out and hope to make abit more dollar. :)

[robilaruk]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please! LOL - you sure - I am generally poor at MTT's (but good with certain situations) tourney strategy - well lets see, you are making it into the money:ok so you must be doing something right!:clap :clap :clap bubble play is the most important thing - remember folks don't want to go out, so watch the table and pick on those who fold their BB, or who limp hands and then fold to a raise - target mid stacks, ones that are comfortable and have 'too much' to lose, don't steal off big stacks as they have chips to keep you honest, and don't steal off shorties as they are desperate. If a shortie shoves and you have something worth playing HU then SHOVE to isolate and pick up the chips. You constantly need to be picking up chips - not every hand, but at least once an orbit, just to pay for the blinds ITM either loosen up and gamble for chips and 1st place - or REALLY tighten up and let others knock each other out before getting involved - and when you get involved make it count - for all/most of your chips - you will be coin flipping a lot of the time and you will need some luck. remember most flops miss hands, so if its limped to you in the BB and you hit bottom pair - bet it and be prepared to shove to a call etc you will outdraw someone at some point to stay in the tourney, and get your chips in when you are behind - thats just the nature of the game best of luck Damo why I am shite at MTT's? well I push any edge early on which means I either double up, or go out - unfortunately I usually go out as I tend to be very active early to get chips to play with and muppets call with any old shite:eyes I am not one for sitting and waiting, I believe you need to accumalate chips to have a chance of winning - I am not interested in limping into the cash, i want a top 3 finish, so I go for it:loon yet on STT's I play entirely differently - odd that :(

Have a nose at this http://www.punterslounge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29879&highlight=freeroll mate and especially masterplans post (:eyes Masterplan appreciation Shirts on sale here :tongue2 ) and also look out for Damos stuff, some of it is a bit "Techy" but you can learn from it(at least i have but dont tell him) C.R.

[Speckled Jim]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please! Thanks for all your help. They really are helping me learn alot and diversify my game.

[ubermonkey1]

Re: Freeroll tourney strategy suggestions please! i tend to start off pretty tight, just playing premium hands and the odd mid pair ,ace 10 sort of hand nearer the button with no action in front usually commiting as few chips as poss pre flop unless i hit a highish pp and someone starts a raiseing war ,then i tend to push. as it a freeroll a high pp usually does the trick vs the sort cards a lot of the loose players will play and if theve got money already in they tend to call. picking out the players you want to play against is one of the most important things in freerolls. so by playing tight and picking off a few of the weaker players i usually stay around the average stack, this is the figure i try to keep up with in a game. i don't get aggressive till i get to 10bb's left then it's time to start pushing as you need to double up, and because ive played tight usually the blinds will be worth a lot more by then, so there's more chance of a nice pot if you do double up. luckily because of the previous tight play and the elimination of a lot of the poorer players your pushes will probably earn respect(the players left are probably half decent and will be watching you not playing much) and you pick up a few extra blinds because of it ,by now these really help. once you get to the last 20%of the field then you start opening up a bit more with a few cleverly timed steals .if you can pick 1set of blinds a round your doing ok ,a lot of other players start tightening up around this point so stealing becomes easier. dont be afraid off getting to the final table with a lowish stack but always make sure you have a stack large enough to make somebody fold ie around 3000 if the top stack on your table has 20000 and blinds are 600 . as players start to drop out luck starts to play a bigger factor as the blinds get serious terrible hole cards and not hiiting on the flop now will take you out quickly no matter what stack you have, so decide where you want to come and your play will depend on that ,if you want to win you need to be aggressive whenever you get something remotely decent ,if you fancy 3rd place tighten right up and see if you get a few premium hands to keep you going. i don't always play this way but it's my basic plan,if however i get lucky early on hit a few nice holecards and get a nice stack together i will start bullying and trying to pick off the fish again. if i lose a bit playing aggresssively i revert to plan a ,if not i just keep hammering away at peoples blinds ,but now im after the tight players and the ones on the bubble . again like i say be aware of the type of player your playing and you should'nt go to far wrong if they reraise you fold ,you can afford it after all :D and you'll pick up more than you lose at this point coz nobody wants to go out. most of all though you need some luck especially near the end of a tourney so good luck and remember you wont win every game so dont get disheartened by a few bubble finishes ,it means your on the right track:ok