Freerolls can Cost You

They call them freerolls, but are they really free? Many times they are in terms of money, but these zero dollar buy in online poker tournaments can still cost you in terms of time and resources. Read on to learn a bit more on the right way of approaching a poker freeroll.

What is a Freeroll? A poker tournament that does not cost any money to play but offers something of value in return is a freeroll. A poker game that is free to play and does not offer cash or prizes is just a free poker game, or a play for fun game. Freerolls are offered by online poker rooms to reward players and keep them coming back. While they are free in terms of money, they can cost you in other ways.

Player Points
Many times a freeroll requires a certain requirement be met in order to play. It may not cost you cash, but it could cost you those loyalty points you have been saving up for a big screen TV. Many poker rooms won't actually take those points from you, thankfully, but you often still have to attain a certain amount in a specified period of time. This can cost you terms of what you lose while trying to earn your "free" roll.

Time
You have to ask yourself – is my time better spent elsewhere? If you are playing a freeroll that is only going to net you less than a percent of your bankroll, for example, you may want to just move along.  On the other hand if the reward is valuable to you, then the time is well spent.

Effort
The worst way a freeroll can cost you is in the effort you spend on it – IF you do not take it seriously. If you don't care about the reward then you will not play your best, and you will wind up detracting from your game (by learning wrong habits) when you DO care about the prize. If you are going to play, then play. Otherwise go do something else.

(Editor's Note: Check out Doyles Roomfor their new Quick Draw Freerolls!)