Qualifies for:

Round 2

Seats to next level:

36

There’s only one thing better than playing in the World Series and that’s getting there for free. If that’s your aim, Full Tilt is the place to go – it’s freerolling 100 seats, worth a chunky $1m. Expect a lot of competition. There might be six freerolls a day but the places are gone in minutes and you need to register as soon as the tourney opens for business. We were a little slack on the uptake and slid in at around number 1,797.

As a rule of thumb the lower the buy-in for an event the looser and more cavalier the play will be. In a deep field freeroll like this there’s a going to be a lot of people looking to double or treble up early on. These players want to accumulate chips quickly and painlessly or get knocked out so they can go back to watching TV. You’ll find a lot of maniacs willing to take an all-in punt when they’re dealt a low pair, Ace-rag or a couple of court cards.

Thankfully you don’t need to worry about early freeroll chip leaders. They’re the sort of players who can’t hold on to chips, and don’t know that they need to alter their play over time. Let the chancers tangle with each other and only go all in pre-flop with a pair if you’re prepared to face an over-card caller. To give you an idea of the carnage you can expect, over 150 players fell within the first five minutes and over 600 by the 20-minute mark!

Almost every deal will either see multiple flat-callers or at least two people all-in before the flop. Any raise will see someone click the allin button. If you find yourself with suited connectors or a low pair then get involved with a cheap flop, because if you hit you’ll probably take someone’s entire stack.

Freerolls have such a varied standard of player there’s almost always someone that will call you, so it can be worth paying (slightly) over the odds for drawing hands if you can hit the nut flush/straight. Your implied odds are also huge if you get a favourable flop with suited Ace-rag hole cards, but fold if you face a pre-flop raise.

Finishing in the top 36 will put you through to a second round freeroll, which you’ve got to place in to reach the monthly 20 WSOP seat giveaway tourney. Titanic odds? Yep, but it won’t cost you a penny.

FERGUSON’S FREEROLL TIPS:

Follow Jesus’ advice and you’ll have an edge in the free-for-all frenzies

1. Don’t get too tricky Since they’re free, a lot of inexperienced players play these to hone their skills. Against beginners it’s very important not to get tricky. The only player you’ll end up confusing is yourself.

2. Pump it or dump it Aggressive poker is winning poker. Raise before the fl op. Never limp in if you’re the first to enter a pot. And remember, if your hand isn’t worth a raise, it’s too weak to call.

3. Don’t bet middling hands on the river The problem with betting an average hand is you can’t get better hands to fold or weaker hands to call. Check it down and hope you’ve got the best hand.

Difficulty rating: ♥♥♥♥♥