Freeroll Strategy Blog from a beginner

First of all, let me start by saying that I am in no way an expert in on-line poker. Not even close. I consider myself a beginner who has improved a great deal since I joined Railbirds about 3 months ago. I am here to explain why that is.

When I started playing Poker I pretty well figured it was 90% luck and 10% skill....uhhhhh....nope!!!! You tend to learn that pretty quickly. I have been playing poker for a couple of years now and figured I knew the game pretty well. That is until I joined Railbirds. I have deposited monies on poker sites in the past. Have won a few bucks. Even cashed out for $100.00 once. But Lost a lot more then I won. Once I joined Railbirds I started to realize that in order to be good at the game you have to become a student of the game.

As we all know, Railbirds have a fantastic selection of Freerolls. I played in most of them in September. I think I cashed in on 2 of them for like 30 cents. The other 26 I played......NOTHING!!! That is when I realized that In order to do well in tournaments you have to learn how first. So, I started studying the game through the railbirds communities. I would read blogs, watch people play and ask questions. In September I cashed in on 9 tournaments for a few bucks and finished in or close to the top 300 for the month in monthly rankings. A great improvement on my part. And I hope to do better in November.

I am going to give a few tips that have helped my game since joining Railbirds.

1-Be prepared to sit down and play for 4 to 5 hours:
If you don't have 4 or 5 hours available to play then I suggest you don't enter because it will probably take that amount of time to make it to the final table. A number of times I have found myself playing for a few hours then getting restless. What happens then is you start making stupid moves. So if you want to make it to the money then sit back and relax...It will take some time.

2-Know when to fold em:
Positional play is very very important. I never really used to pay that much attention to where I sat at the table. Didn't matter if I was in early position or big blind...I was betting with a good hand. I have since learned that knowing where you are at the table is the most important thing. One of the hardest things to do is fold an ACE JACK...but sometimes, it is the right thing to do and that is a hard part of the game to learn. You have to know how to fold. Sometimes Pride takes over in poker...well....There is no pride in poker!!!!! If you are not sure your hand is best then...fold or bet wisely.

3-Watch and learn from the people at your table:
Now I realize there is a big difference between live poker and on-line poker. But you can still read your opponents on-line. I think this has helped me most. Some players are free and easy and will bet anything. Some are very skilled players and will drag it out to get the most chips possible. After a few hands you will start to get an idea for who is at your table and how you should play them. Trust me....it makes a difference.

4-communicate:
Railbirds has fantastic communities. It is a lot of fun to play these games because most of the time you are talking and enjoying your game. If you are going to sit there for 4 hours then get involved in the communication at the tables. You get to meet some great people and it makes the game more interesting. Getting involved in the Railbird communities is without a doubt a great thing to do. So have fun at the tables. Talk!!!!

5-Study up on the game:
You can read 100 different blogs on poker and get 100 different opinions. The key is to figure out what is best suited to your game. Do not try an learn the game in a week because it will not happen. But take some of the ideas and try them out. I really enjoy the daily poker quiz on railbirds. It has given me plenty to think about at times. I don't always agree with there answers but that is probably because....I am just learning.

6-Expect to loose:
It is going to happen. Your aces will be beat by a 7 3 at one point. You will get donked out of a tournament. Try not to beat the hell out of your computer. Trust me...I have yelled at my computer screen enough to make me think it is my ex wife!!!!! (only it doesn't yell back....Thank god) Try not to let the whole table know how upset you are. It really doesn't do any good at all. Shake it off and come back another day. Playing poker angry does not mix well. Calm down and hop back on the horse. No matter what...No matter where you play...bad beats will happen. Or you will be donked out!!!!

Ok...So I have written down a few of my ideas. Again let me say that these are my basic ideas for beginners. I have no big technical terms. I am just learning the game also. But I thought that these basic things may help any new Railbird who is starting out in the game. I have so much more to learn but these are starting points. They helped me....they may help you.

People may read this and not agree with any of it and that is fine. But someone may read it and it actually may help them. I hope that is the case.

GOOD LUCK AT THE TABLES AND ENJOY RAILBIRDS!!! IT IS THE BEST!