Play money...

[Poker_Vendetta]

I've really been thinking about it and I really have to ask the question...does play money really help you? And can you be a consistent winner at it? I do not really know what it takes to be a consistent winner in real money games but I just have to wonder if you can employ it to play money. I have no real thought behind this whole question, just wondering...So what do you think?

[ballbp]

What's up man? Since I predominantly play for play $ I'm not the best judge, but since this is a betting game think about it. Things tighten up when it's the rent on the table. Everything I read says learn how the game works then move to real $. If I remember right though, you can't play for real yet right? If I'm thinking of someone else sorry. $ talks.

[Neekburm]

Play money can cause you to develop so terrible habits if you let it. Since your opponents aren't betting with real money, let alone their own, they are completely unpredictable, they can just call or raise on a whim, it doesn't matter what they have.

So practicing reading opponents is impossible so it can't help your game in that sense. The only possible thing you can get out of a fake money game is practicing your discpline on your starting hands, since it will be so tempting to play any hand.

You could probably win on a consistent basis by only playing the most premium hands, just like you would do at a super aggressive loose real money table. But in reality play money games do more harm than good to a persons real money game.

[highscty]

in essence, play money games can be beneficial for experimenting. In freerolls people tend to be quite loose and unpredictable and so trying to read them is difficult... but not impossible. If you can succesfully bluff people in freerolls, you know you've figured them out especially because people tend to call with anything.

[Poker_Vendetta]

Yeah I'm not even close Ball, yikes! That was basically what I wanted to hear from you guys...I want to hear that in real money it's at least a TAD bit easier to play the man since he has more respect for his money and will not play 72o UTG. I feel I actually do a reasonable job reading people's hands and what not but sometimes when I put down a HUGE raise people will call just b/c they are in the blinds with 35o (seen it happen) and will beat my AK b/c I continue to bet with the low cards on the board. Sorry to be so whiny but I just want to get your opinions on these subjects.

[xStratePhlushx]

Playing play money tables, as said before, is about the worst thing for your poker game. Every once in a while you will find that table where everyone seems to be playing seriously but you will still develop bad habits from those (i.e. calling big raises to the river with a bellybuster draw). Your best bet is to put some money in an account and play 2-4cent tables (not the greatest but much better than play). When there is actual money on the table, even if it is 2 cents, people really try to win instead of betting a lot and hoping.

When I play at play money tables I just wait for a hand and go all in untill I build a bankroll. Once I saw a guy go all in on EVERY hand for 30 minutes at an Omaha playtable and won EVERY ONE!!! would this guy have done this in real money? HELL NO!

But be aware, even in money games people will still call a raise with 72o UTG. Some people are just generally unpredictable and dumb.

[karasz]

I am a consistent winner at the play money tables... just because my cards are better than the other guys...


is basically what it comes down to...

i play at pokerroom: i went from the starting 1,000 to 15,000 in 2 months... then my head got big and i went from 15,000 to 4,000 in 2 days... cuz i had decent cards but the other guy raised, and he had been raising the whole time... now im back at like 12,000...


i play it like its real... although there are times when i just wanna be irrational and play my 35o just cuz i can...

although a buzzer goes off in my head whenever i see those cards or anything else that no one would wipe their ass with

[HalfSugar]

I have started a play money game on $1,000 and got up to well over $500,000 within 2hrs but only cos I played like an a**hole and got lucky....

I agree with most of wot has been said, especially the comment about play money tables damaging ur real money play. It's dead true, it happened to me, I no longer bother with play money cos I don't want it happening again!

Most importantly, play money takes the patience of a saint if u want to learn anything. If u can discipline urself to play only the best hands, u r going to be sitting watching the dumbest shite u've ever seen for many hands in a row until u hit one to play. Often, when u do, u lose it to an idiot (eg AKs to 35o) and u become so frustrated that u start playing like the rest of them too. Train urself to be patient and stick to ur strategy or u will unfortunately learn nothing.

If u have the patience, give it a go, but in my opinion it's totally detrimental to ur poker progress (other than learning how a new site physically works) and should not be played by anyone with any ambition to be anything other than a bad player.

[PokerGoblin]

everyone basically agrees play money is just to get your feet wet online..... You can say you play it like it's real but think of how many times you call a bet you're sure to lose just to see if they have it or not... but would you bet your hard earned money to know what they've got? Usually not.

That's my 2 cents... everything else has pretty much already been said.

PG

[Poker_Vendetta]

^ So very true.

[ORGrinder]

Play money can cause you to develop so terrible habits if you let it. Since your opponents aren't betting with real money, let alone their own, they are completely unpredictable, they can just call or raise on a whim, it doesn't matter what they have.

So practicing reading opponents is impossible so it can't help your game in that sense. The only possible thing you can get out of a fake money game is practicing your discpline on your starting hands, since it will be so tempting to play any hand.

You could probably win on a consistent basis by only playing the most premium hands, just like you would do at a super aggressive loose real money table. But in reality play money games do more harm than good to a persons real money game.

very nice comments. i agree... i think play money games can really help you with your discapline at the table. i'm lucky in that i have found a group of people that play conservatively (i.e. like real money) at the play money table, however, in the end it's still not as tight a game as real money.

i think play money games though are a great way to get your feet wet, however, learn some basics of the game, and make friends (less competative at play money tables, so ppl tend to be more talkative and friendly). i enjoy myself a lot at the play tables over on truepoker.

[Hank]

I have yet to venture into playing online for real money. But I have played a couple of times in a casino. Here is my thought on play money.
Play money games will always be looser than the real thing. But High stakes play money games might play similar to the lowest stakes of real money games. Mainly because high stakes players had to work at amassing a bankroll to play high stakes and may be inclined to protect their bankroll. Playing the lowest stakes of play money is more like playing craps with cards.

[Bikerfish]

Play money tables are most useful for learning how the software on a site works.

After that they are good for a bit of fun/passing time, but not for learning how to beat a real money game.

The freeroll tournaments with cash prizes are good to play though, as more players will try to play better because there is real value in winning.