Playing my first freeroll in a few minutes

[Absolution]

Wish me luck. I only have about a week and a half of hold'em experience (or any other kind of poker for that matter), but I hope to do well. The field is about 1500. The top 50 get points and a tournament entry chip (invite into a real money tournament). That is my goal.

[Absolution]

Well I finished 242 on a bad beat. I was getting down on chips so bet about half my stack on KQ. One guy calls me with 44 (what's the thinking anyway). So the flop comes KJx. The idiot goes all in with absolute dirt (bottom pair and overcards showing on the flop) so I immediately call and have to go all-in. Ya, turn comes 4 and I lose. The guy talks smack after too about how good a call it was and how he was bluffing. Yes, bluff someone who bet half his stack and probably has at least a king or jack. I'm already committed by betting, the blinds are huge and I'm down so I'm OBVIOUSLY going to call. Good call buddy, you really have a grasp of the game. Oh well, I told him no big deal as long as he keeps making those calls. It's just annoying to go out to someone who obviously doesn't have a clue. I wouldn't have minded going out on a good call by my opponent.

Anyway, I did it to myself. I was tight, but almost too aggressive. I think I got that from playing too many free games where it's hard to get people to fold. I didn't get many good hands, but I think I got enough that I could have done well. I just bet too big and most people are pussycats and fold on anything. I'm just not used to people folding so easily. I have to slow play my hands and make much smaller raises next time. It's so hard to get going though. Everybody is scared to go in. Even a small bet gets them all to fold.

In conclusion:

1) play money tilted my game and I wasn't getting even close to the most out of my hands.

2) really bad players make it to the end.

[Ninja]

Well, I can see that there were over 1400 people in the freeroll you entered-absolutely ridiculous if you ask me, but you didn't do badly, you ended up in about the top 15%, which is not bad, especially for a first freeroll. Don't worry about the bad beat, this guy will get his due.

[Absolution]

No doubt. I'm sure the guy wasted my chips in the next five minutes. I learned a lot though. I just have to be less scared of getting beat by lucky draws like you get in play money tables. I need to string along one or two people so I can get some action and make more big pots - at the risk of getting outdrawn and knocked out early.

[Absolution]

Man, it happened again, exactly the same in my second freerole. I wasn't getting anything for cards. 40 minutes in and I only played one hand and won it to get me back to about even. A few minutes later I got pocket Kings. Finally, right? Some maniac before me bets big and I call it of course. He's been making questionable bets so I'm sure I have the best hand. The flop comes up and it's Jxx. I think I'm in good position. Well, the guy raises just enough to make me go all in. I put the guy on big slick or AJ/Ax at this point. So no problem right. The cards are flipped over and he has POCKET 9s. Another moron betting big with a middle/low pair against someone who is obviously going to call and is showing strength. Yep, you guessed it, turn comes 9 and lucky punk wins and I'm out in exactly the same fashion as before. Where is the justice? I was really playing a good game too. I had just won a few sit-and-gos and was feeling good. It's about 10 minutes since then I guarantee the moron has lost all of my chips too. Agrh.

These freeroles are great in principle, but then you realize just how much they try and make it about luck. Do you think someone would continue to bet big with pocket 9s after a bad flop if they were skilled? Maybe they would if they thought it was worth the very bad odds to try and knock me out of the tournament, but I doubt his reasoning was that advanced (and that's more likely a tactic to be used near the end of a tournament). I would have doubled up and he would have been hurting. It's not like the guy had a 10-1 stack over me (more like 2.5-1). I think I might just throw everything away but nut flushes and boats for the first hour of the next freerole. It doesn't matter if you think you're playing well because they will throw it all away on a whim and eventually get you.

[Fat Tony]

i like to play pretty tight at first in a freeroll. so many jackasses go all in on the first hand with something like K 10, or low/mid pocket pairs with overcards showing. not much you can do.......that's always gonna happen in freerolls. guys trying to get lucky and double or triple up at the beginning.

[nicthestick]

with KK against a big raisw, you need to raise, or fold. Either the guy has AA and you are beat, or he has a smaller PP ang you have have him at the disadvantage, or he is drawing with an AK or another kicker. I think that with KK you are looking for a chance to "get your chips in the middle" preflop. Dont be afraid to get involved with "the fellas", as they are one of the 3 best starting hands.

[Absolution]

I agree with what you are saying, but that's way overthinking it for the guy who beat me. Maybe I should have went all-in after his raise instead of seeing the flop, but he was so committed from that big raise he made that he would have called anyway and the result would have been the same.

[nicthestick]

if your table image was "tight" He should have folded to an all in preflop raise with pocket 9's. if not, that is the kind of player you want in the pot with you if you have KK. Unfortunatly, he hit this time, but he wont most of the time. I really think that an all in reraise was the play at this point.

[Absolution]

Yes, you are right. The more I learn about this game, the more it seems that calling is usually a last resort option. Most advice I read says that if your hand is good enough to call, you should probably raise instead.

[Sente]

Welcome to tournament poker. A majority of the time when you get knocked out of a tournament it will be due to a bad beat, as you have found out first hand. Get used to it.

Just keep playing good smart tight-aggressive poker and have your chips in pot when you've got a large advantage and you'll be do for some better results soon. :D