True, player c has the best odds, but since when does poker play out exactly how you want it to? There are so many options for player A that I think I would most like to be that player. Spades, straight, etc. I think if I were player A, I would be quite cautious with my betting because of the two spades. Picture this as well... lets say you are player c, and you bet big to try and take control of the pot and only keep the serious players in and weed out the fisherman looking for that fifth spade or fifth card for their straight. Then let's say some big stack with a prayer for their flush/straight calls you and won't let this hand die for them, and then they hit it on the turn or river! This has happened to me quite a bit where, technically, the odds are not in their favor but they still end up having so many options that they speculate rather than bowing out to a high two-pair hand. Being player C would make me too cautious, hands down.

Player c! Tow pair on the flop, I'm going all in! Gimmie my money. Anyone would agree with that.

Poker Freeroll Strategy

So to place in poker freerolls, you have to have a strategy which ensures you stay the distance but still have enough chips left to be able to go for the win. As freeroll payout structures are generally very top heavy, you need to go for the top positions as you will only be winning pennies if you finish anywhere outside the top 5. Although to reach these positions you will need a chunk of luck, a lot of skill is required. The biggest challenge is to just outlast the first hour in a freeroll, so to start we will go through your opening hour strategy.

Opening Hour

In the opening hour, play is at its very worst. You will be facing numerous opponents, happily risking all their chips each hand as they know they have nothing to lose. At this point in the tournament, you need to keep it tight and play much fewer hands as you normally would when you are out of position. Only call an all-in with one of the top 5 hands as it is likely you will be facing more then one opponent which dramatically slashes your odds of winning the pot. You should also try to call as many cheap flops as you can but only when you have position on the rest of the table. Optimum position is the dealer button, where mediocre hands become fairly strong and worthy of a call as long as the pot hasnt been raised. Hands are more worthy of a call at this stage as if you hit a monster hand; you will more then likely be paid off. I would especially call suited connectors in late position, as any straight or flush is very likely to double or even triple your stack. Around 30 minutes into the tournament most of the bad players will have been eliminated and play should be of a higher standard. Blinds will be higher and may even be worthy of stealing depending on the blind structure. You want to be collecting as many chips as possible coming up to the break as they will be crucially needed in the next stage of the tournament. You can start to loosen your play when you are in earlier positions now and hands such as AJ are playable. As you are nearing the break you may find play on your table becomes much tighter as players do not want to be eliminated just before the break. This is the point in which you need to become the aggressor of the table. Start raising more pots and try bullying players with less then average stacks. You will find your stack increasing all the time and you will also be heading up the leader board. When the break approaches, take a rest and refresh yourself. The next part of the tournament really makes or breaks the game and you need to be fully focused if you want to reach your aim of the top 5.

Middle Stage

The middle stage of the tournament starts after the first break and finishes on the bubble. This part decides whether you will be making money from the tournament or be leaving empty handed. You will notice play directly after the break is much looser the that immediately before it. You may want to settle down and be prepared to fold hands and watch the other players battle it out. Of course you still need to be taking down pots, but you need to be much more skilful and not jump straight in. Steal pots whenever you can and by now you should know the weaker players on your table. Use this to your advantage and try to exploit them. You want to be above the average players chip stack.

As the bubble approaches play will change very much like when the break was imminent. US Poker Players will tighten up and pretty much stay out of all hands giving you a great opportunity to steal more pots then usual. I would advise you steer clear of stealing a pot which involves the highest ranked player on your table as they wont be bullied off a pot as easier as others and you will likely become unstuck in your efforts. Lower stacks will practically fold any hand deal to them and they are the premium target of your strategy. Your stack will take a huge boost from just a few pots due to the limit the blinds will have reached in this stage of the tournament. You will find yourself shooting up the leader board and it will not take many hands to put you into your goal of the top 5.

After the bubble has been passed all the players with low chips stacks will be ready to go all-in with almost any hand. This is a complete turn around from their pre-bubble strategy as they are happy to have made the money but know they will need to double up in order to finish in a position which pays a decent amount of money. You again need to tighten up and only play your premium hands, but also picking your spots and using your position to take down pots. This then will take you up to the final table which is the final stage of the freeroll.

If your playing buy odds of course you want to be the guy with the best hand. but my pick i think would have to be A because you have alot of outs and it is a potential to be a monster pot. I think the guy with the straight draw would just fold if there was any sort of big betting. Then the Royal flush draw would be a 50/50 or maybe even a favorite.

I didn't get what type of game this was, limit or no limit because that would greatly influence the play of the hand!

No Limit... I'd have bet hand C extremely hard post flop.

Limit... I'd be much more cautious, simply because limit players will go to the river on just about any good drawing hand.

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Donald Bly
Director of Operations
Global Poker Federation

From poker hands to helping hands. Visit www.charitypokeramerica.com

Didn't you bet huge on the flop and after the turn? Hopefully, you saw the draw and straight possibilities, realized you had the best hand and either made a gigantic bet or even pushed all in to try and take it down.But medium sized bets won't do at this point because it only makes the pot more appealing to the chasers if they catch their cards. If you were making big bets and they were still calling you then you played it right and there is nothing you can do about it.

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The Chaulk

Yeah i Agree should have just pushed and pushed. you had a great hand and should have went with it. unless you know your beat then push and dont let them catch up on a draw heavy board