3 years ago I embarked upon a journey to find out what was all the Hoopla about online poker. I was in between jobs and had a lot of time on my hands anyway and figured what the heck. An internet business briefly flashed across my radar screen but flickered and died when I realized that this would require way to much Time and Thinking.

I googled up a few rooms and soon was online playing for real cash in my first freeroll.

I finished 120th out of a field of 1000 and was hooked. I didn't finish in the $$ but I was close enough to smell glory and the rush that comes with knowing I was better (or luckier) than most of the other players. I was a former online Unreal Tournament nut before, but never winning any money at it trivialized it now.I then went on a freeroll rampage that has spanned 3 years and put mucho denero in my Neteller acct.

The Freeroller is an odd character of sorts. He's keenly aware of the odds involved with freeroll play versus buy-in tournament play. He knows from experience (hopefully) that play style changes when a player shifts from "freeroll-mode" to "my friggin $$ is on the line"-mode. Loose players will make huge pre-flop bets with an "I don't care" attitude. The savvy freeroller will be patient and let these "all-in storms" pass, maintaining a disciplined and measured strategy throughout the tournament. Remembering that the Goal is to finish in the money, its fairly obvious that you must lay down some hands that you don't want to. In fact, folding 80-85% of the time is recommended. A good pre-flop strategy is a must no matter what type of table your at.

Internet Freerollers are the backbone of the online poker industry. They keep the juices flowing and bring fresh meat to the tables. They invariably deposit eventually becouse most rooms require an initial deposit as a means of positive identification. They create rake and spur activity where there would otherwise be none.