This has to be the worst way to go out - 3 hours of grinding in a UK-only freeroll on Full Tilt. There was about 1700 entrants and I made it to the last 40. 27 places got paid.

I really don't like MTT's for reasons like being moved from table to table constantly. For example, towards the end I had about 10k over the average stack with 40ish players left. I got a really good feel for my table which I'd been playing on for about half an hour. I basically knew all of the players' betting patterns etc. and then I get moved. So, one player stands out as the aggressor instantly, constantly raising. It turns out the player was really lose, raising UTG with hands like 76o. After about 10 mins I was getting shorter and shorter due to missing the board almost every time I got involved in a hand. Then, on the button I raised 3x BB and this aggressive guy on BB 3 bets me. At this point, (I have AQs btw) I decide he's just trying to get me off of the hand and I know how loose this guy is so I re-raise all in which was about 20k more. The &*^% insta-calls with QQ. And, as always with races, I rarely win.

Even though in freerolls the cashes aren't that great, it is so frustrating when you've spent 3+ hours playing (really well) and then just make 1 bad move. I realise this isn't strictly a bad beat but I feel cheated nevertheless. This is the furthest I've made it in freerolls since I started a week ago and I just don't think it's worth trying anymore so I may quit my 'starting from $0' mission.

Can you guys tell me what I could have done instead, because, it's clear to me there were alternatives at that point. But then again, my button raise kinda made me pot committed and there's no way I'm laying down AQs in those circumstances. But generally, playing on the bubble, should I only be playing hands like suited connectors over 10 and hands like AK? Looking back I probably could have just sat out and made it into the money but it's not my style. So, so frustrated though. With myself, and the bluddy game.

Anyways, got that off my chest

Simon

At least it was a freeroll...

I hate when that happens. You watch them steal blinds and splash around the whole game until you get it in, and then all of the sudden they have a decent hand. I like to play multiple tables and shorter tournaments so that when I do bust out it is a short lived frustration.

I personally dont take Freerolls that serious because i dont believe MOST players do therefor they tend to make more risky or bs calls just because its so easy just to hop into the next freeroll.

True man but at that stage of the tournament you would expect players to tighten up - at the start people may not take it so seriously but I know I wouldn't make risky moves after hours of play and only a few places from making the money. I really regret my shove just because of the outcome but I don't think it was a bad move by me. I could have easily hit an ace or perhaps even made a flush if lucky but it didn't happen when I needed it too.

Something similar happened to me a few weeks back. I was playing great poker in a freeroll and had about 25k in chips (about 9k more than the average stack). I wasn't getting involved in too many hands unless I had something worth player, and then I got involved with the only guy on the table who had me covered by about 2k. We went all-in pre-flop, I had AA and he had JJ. Of course, he hits his set on the flop and left me felted after playing for a good two hours. I wouldn't call it a waste of time, because I only play freerolls to get some multi-table tourney experience.