Hey all, been diving into freeroll tournaments lately and wanted to share some thoughts. I’ve been playing these pretty regularly over the past few months, mostly on a couple of the bigger online platforms. They’re obviously free to enter, which is a huge draw, but I’ve been wondering if they’re worth the time investment or if they’re just a casual way to kill an evening.
On one hand, the prize pools can be decent—sometimes you’re looking at a few hundred bucks or even tickets to bigger events. I’ve managed to cash out a couple of times, nothing life-changing, but enough to make it feel rewarding. The competition’s usually a mixed bag. You get a lot of newbies who are just there to mess around, which can be an advantage if you’ve got some basic strategy down. But then you’ve also got the grinders who treat every hand like it’s the WSOP final table. Makes for an interesting dynamic.
The downside? Time. These things can drag on for hours, especially if the field’s big. Last weekend, I played one with over 2,000 entrants—took nearly four hours to get into the money. By the end, I was exhausted, and the payout was barely enough to cover a decent dinner. Plus, the variance is wild. You can play perfectly and still bust early because someone calls your all-in with junk and hits a miracle river.
I’ve been keeping a rough log of my results—hours played versus winnings. So far, it’s averaging out to maybe $2-3 an hour if I’m lucky. Not exactly a goldmine, but I do enjoy the challenge of outlasting the chaos. It’s also been a good way to sharpen up my game without risking anything. I’ve noticed my patience improving, and I’m getting better at reading those loose players who overplay every pair.
Curious what you all think. Do you grind freerolls for the potential upside, or just jump in for the fun of it? Anyone tracked their results long-term to see if it’s actually profitable? I’m torn—part of me loves the free shot at something bigger, but another part wonders if I’d be better off putting that time into low-stakes cash games instead.
On one hand, the prize pools can be decent—sometimes you’re looking at a few hundred bucks or even tickets to bigger events. I’ve managed to cash out a couple of times, nothing life-changing, but enough to make it feel rewarding. The competition’s usually a mixed bag. You get a lot of newbies who are just there to mess around, which can be an advantage if you’ve got some basic strategy down. But then you’ve also got the grinders who treat every hand like it’s the WSOP final table. Makes for an interesting dynamic.
The downside? Time. These things can drag on for hours, especially if the field’s big. Last weekend, I played one with over 2,000 entrants—took nearly four hours to get into the money. By the end, I was exhausted, and the payout was barely enough to cover a decent dinner. Plus, the variance is wild. You can play perfectly and still bust early because someone calls your all-in with junk and hits a miracle river.
I’ve been keeping a rough log of my results—hours played versus winnings. So far, it’s averaging out to maybe $2-3 an hour if I’m lucky. Not exactly a goldmine, but I do enjoy the challenge of outlasting the chaos. It’s also been a good way to sharpen up my game without risking anything. I’ve noticed my patience improving, and I’m getting better at reading those loose players who overplay every pair.
Curious what you all think. Do you grind freerolls for the potential upside, or just jump in for the fun of it? Anyone tracked their results long-term to see if it’s actually profitable? I’m torn—part of me loves the free shot at something bigger, but another part wonders if I’d be better off putting that time into low-stakes cash games instead.