I’m going to talk you through a step by step account of a recent free poker tournament I played in. My intention is making you think and question future plays of certain scenarios.

The game was ten of thirty one paid- decent odds of three to one so my decision is to play smooth and take a back seat as the games commences. A few of the cards I used at the start were fifty two suited in the small blind & K9 off with six to one pot odds. AJ off I fall pitiless- the odds are purely the difference between the cost to call to the size of the pot e.g. one hundred dollars to see six hundred dollars would be six to one.

Up about 1k playing the K9 aggressive with Q9Q flop and hitting a free A on the river with AJ. I tell people this countless times that they have to bet in these unsure situations if no one else has either wise you have nothing else to go on.

I gamble with three times my bet with a King / King and have one caller- the flop happens at five, eight, ten, and he bets so I blag his J10 for another grand. The generalisation of slow play is when you’re holding unstoppable cards; however the game here is far too tight.

An example of cards I have had to limp off with are: A2, A3 suited, and 88 due to the poor odds. By poor odds I mean to work out how much cash your opponents are holding and to know if it’s possible to bankrupt someone with good cards calling five dollars with junk may not seem as bad if you can take their fifty dollars in doing so.

There are certain cards I have passed on now that the blinds are higher and pot chances even smaller, such as, K10, J10, Q8 suited, and the Q8 ended up being a very poor fold. I’m now around an hour and a half into play & my wallet still holds two grand which I had built up before- plus a further five hundred and sixty dollars with other minimal pot plays.

It’s too early to go flat out so I fold an ace / queen as I can smooth play to the final table. Being able to fold a decent hand has taken a lot of time, practice and control before the bubble- like all things- time helps master this habit. The bubble means the last person to leave the game before pay out. I finally finish in sixth place and I’m pleased with this- if you can regularly find yourself in these positions you can earn a wage. The idea is to start small, play free poker tournament sites and climb the ladder as you become more experienced.

1. Free Poker Games Guide to Hand play Techniques
2. Free Online Poker Tips – You’ll Never Win a Tournament Until You Read This
3. Free Poker Guide – Poker Tournament and Online Play with Big Pairs
4. Free Poker Online Tips – Tactics When Might You Want or Need to Fold a Great Hand
5. Free Online Poker Guide to Poker Player Types and How to Beat Them

FreshAire