There are some that take all freerolls seriously, I am one of those players, every game I play regardless of how much it cost's me, I take very seriously, Why? because every game is an opportunity to learn, it is that simple.
Learning from your own mistakes, or trying out new theories, Freerolls gave you that opportunity, without it costing you anything, but with the added advantage of a cash reward at the end of it, but it depends on how you use that cash that becomes a bit of a grey area, I finished on the Final table in one Freeroll, so was already in the money, but when it got to Heads up my opponent messaged me and asked if I would Split the Prize money, I really didn't care that much as I had already got what I wanted from the game, so I replied " Sure, Equal split? as I was the chip leader I think he was a little surprised because I could have gone with the chip count and got a bigger slice, but that didn't bother me.
He sent me another message "your very kind, as I have a bill to pay next week and I need the money." This stunned me for a second because if I relied on Freerolls to pay my bills, I would be in a lot of trouble.
Any money I win, regardless of it coming from a Freeroll or Buy-in game, all stays in my Account and becomes part of my Bankroll, I really don't need the money I make from playing on-line Poker, Some would consider me rich already, as I live a retired life, on my Pension and Investments, which cover all my Bills and Expense's, and can on occasion blow a couple of Hundred £s/$s at the race Track or Casino if I choose.
I never have to budget or plan to pay for vacations etc, We just do it, the money is there and If I didn't spend it, my Kids will get it all. So generally I live a pretty good Lifestyle,
Poker for me is just a Hobby, something I can Take or Leave, Do I miss the Freerolls? Certainly, they were a lot of Fun! But I never needed the money I won from them, Certainly not to pay Bills etc. My only regret is Players now have less opportunity to build a comfortable Bankroll for free, and learn from them as I did. Maybe
pokerstars will bring them back one day, but I am not going to lose any sleep over them,