Playing "Play" money (bad for poker skills?)

Does playing exclusively with play money likely to hurt my poker skills?

Hoping this hasn't been asked too much previously.

I won't be able to fund my accounts for a while and getting an itchy seat , but geeze these people aren't really playing poker!!!

Thanks for any advice.

As long as you play poker, and dont get dragged into the crap.

Remember this..

You cant argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Good practice for micro stakes and freerolls imo.

But seriously, it is different. Years ago my son was playing for play money and built up to millions of play chips. He got to thinking "this is easy". I got nervous about him underestimating the risk involved with real money and overestimating his skill level so I staked him with $200 which he then proceeded to lose in a few days. Lesson #1 complete.

We talked about BRM and learning poker, so he started studying the math and reading up on strategy. I staked him again. He played lower stakes and quadrupled the money in a week, paid me back and continued to play a little. Lesson #2 complete.

He stopped playing when he went to college, just too busy. And now he's lost interest.

That story might be a little off-topic, but it makes my point. Just the fact that there are free reloads in play money makes it a whole different world. And while I'm sure there are some players who try to play as if it is real, there are way too many who just don't care.

Play money is good for learning the mechanics of online poker, ie how to physically bet, how the software works, etc. if you've never played before.

There is no 'skill' at the play money tables. Its bingo with cards.

Have fun, but dont take it seriously, not even for a second.

stg1969 said:

Remember this..

You cant argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

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ROFL... have heard someone say that before but it never gets old.


play money should only be used to get familiar with the software or maybe just for fun with a friend.

play money "and bingo was name oh'' but yet you can't really practice poker with play money, it's useless/

Great post Char, thanks. All good advice here. Was hoping if I play tight/agressive maybe it would be good practice for low stakes MTTs. But the psychology of play money can't be overcome, thinking "if I lose this hand I may not make it to the money" is just too different than "if I lose this hand I might have to re-load my fake money".

thanks all!

Charade You Are said:

Good practice for micro stakes and freerolls imo.

But seriously, it is different. Years ago my son was playing for play money and built up to millions of play chips. He got to thinking "this is easy". I got nervous about him underestimating the risk involved with real money and overestimating his skill level so I staked him with $200 which he then proceeded to lose in a few days. Lesson #1 complete.

We talked about BRM and learning poker, so he started studying the math and reading up on strategy. I staked him again. He played lower stakes and quadrupled the money in a week, paid me back and continued to play a little. Lesson #2 complete.

He stopped playing when he went to college, just too busy. And now he's lost interest.

That story might be a little off-topic, but it makes my point. Just the fact that there are free reloads in play money makes it a whole different world. And while I'm sure there are some players who try to play as if it is real, there are way too many who just don't care.

Play money is good for learning the mechanics of online poker, ie how to physically bet, how the software works, etc. if you've never played before.

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There is some skill to play money. In the beginning levels it is a shove fest, but once you run it up people start to try a little. Still bad play, but if you can win a lot at play money you can win at the micro stakes for real money. If you can't beat play money, you can't beat real money either.

Reptar7 said:

but if you can win a lot at play money you can win at the micro stakes for real money. If you can't beat play money, you can't beat real money either.

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Totally disagree with both comments (especially the first one).

Definitely bad unless you do get something out of it at the end. I play on club wpt and ya you get the all in donkeys but once you get deeper people are alot more serious.

Reptar7 said:

..... If you can't beat play money, you can't beat real money either.

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Rep, your's is the key point I think.

If true then play money is a good "proving ground" and worth playing. Even with the unrealistic play by donkeys that don't care about "play" money.

If these same types of donkeys are at the microstakes levels then play money tourneys could be great training... (not so sure if this applies to table play).

Alternatively, if folks all play differently even at micro stakes vs. "play" money then it could be an unuseful tool for training.

Stay away from play money except if your basically a complete beginner, and even then, just play long enough to familiarize yourself with the software.

There's little productive purpose to staying there in order to learn to beat players whose comfort level is playing with nothing at stake. If you aren't comfortable bankrolling yourself for a few bucks, then hit the freerolls and work your roll up from there. It'll be very slow, averaging pennies per hour, but if not having any money from your pocket at risk is what it takes for you to feel comfortable, NP.

I agree with arhonius. If you are a complete beginner and learning the rules and such, then play money is good for that. Otherwise nothing too great can come from it.

You will find a lot of "calling machines", people that will just call and call and call every bet. It is very unrealistic, even in most freerolls. The other thing you'll see is the people that push all in pre flop on literally every hand.

As a couple people above me said, it's like playing bingo. Play chips can help you learn the basic rules and stuff, but as far as advanced strategy (and even basic strategy) it won't be too much help.
Just my opinion...

to me there is absolutely no reason to play for play money other than maybe to decide if you like the software on a certain site

it's fairly easy to freeroll up some real money and then play for real ... yes, micro stakes for real, but still for real, which will do far more to help your game, IMO

take merge, for example, they have funsteps ... where u can get a $1 if you win ... win ten and you got 9 buy ins for $1 SnGs ... im up to $175 on carbon in 9 months and i like to have a few beers when i play, so it's not like im always playing my top game

oh and i probably have only averaged about 1 hour/nite in those 9 months, so it's not like you have to lock yourself away to rack up some $$


and finally funstep 1s are exactly like play money, but once you get to a funstep 2 .. now you have about 2/3rds of the table really trying, so you are already ahead of the game

fugitive67 said:

to me there is absolutely no reason to play for play money other than maybe to decide if you like the software on a certain site

it's fairly easy to freeroll up some real money and then play for real ... yes, micro stakes for real, but still for real, which will do far more to help your game, IMO

take merge, for example, they have funsteps ... where u can get a $1 if you win ... win ten and you got 9 buy ins for $1 SnGs ... im up to $175 on carbon in 9 months and i like to have a few beers when i play, so it's not like im always playing my top game

oh and i probably have only averaged about 1 hour/nite in those 9 months, so it's not like you have to lock yourself away to rack up some $$


and finally funstep 1s are exactly like play money, but once you get to a funstep 2 .. now you have about 2/3rds of the table really trying, so you are already ahead of the game

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This is very true. You are better off just trying to run up from freerolls instead of messing with play money, which basically makes the whole "is play money poker" argument pointless.

Panamajoe said:

Rep, your's is the key point I think.

If true then play money is a good "proving ground" and worth playing. Even with the unrealistic play by donkeys that don't care about "play" money.

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Big sigh that you chose that one point out of all the others written on here (because it is 'wrong').

The only reason I can think of that would make play money tables worth anything would be when playing on a site that is new to you & you're hoping to familiarize yourself with the software & setting up your features/options/layout, etc.
Only other time I'd suggest for anyone to play on the 'playmoney' tables would be if they're playing in a game vs. friends & there's bragging rights (or something at stake). Occassionally I'll play a handful of HeadsUp SNG's with friends on Stars in HomeGames (sometimes there's something at stake.... other times it's just bragging rights, but it's always a fun game as both players are trying their best to win it).

imo, expecting to get anything from playchip tables would be similiar to taping my cats paws to a numeric keypad & then challenging him to a game.

Poker Orifice said:

Big sigh that you chose that one point out of all the others written on here (because it is 'wrong').

The only reason I can think of that would make play money tables worth anything would be when playing on a site that is new to you & you're hoping to familiarize yourself with the software & setting up your features/options/layout, etc.
Only other time I'd suggest for anyone to play on the 'playmoney' tables would be if they're playing in a game vs. friends & there's bragging rights (or something at stake). Occassionally I'll play a handful of HeadsUp SNG's with friends on Stars in HomeGames (sometimes there's something at stake.... other times it's just bragging rights, but it's always a fun game as both players are trying their best to win it).

imo, expecting to get anything from playchip tables would be similiar to taping my cats paws to a numeric keypad & then challenging him to a game.

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I think he was more saying that what I said was the core to the debate, because he then lists off if true and if false statements. He wasn't agreeing with anything that I said.

Truly I do not think many of us are really well qualified to answer as probably many do same as I did, went there and left asap, just could not stand it.
It just does not feel like poker - for my play or for the table partner's play.

However I can think of one other instance in addition to "familiarize yourself with the site" mentioned where there could be useful to play in play money. That is if you learning a new game. For example if Badugi or OmahaH/L is new to you. You cannot learn how to play... but you can get a "feel" of what the cards produce generally. A bit of a guide to what is a better or weaker hand.

vegasjj said:

Truly I do not think many of us are really well qualified to answer as probably many do same as I did, went there and left asap, just could not stand it.

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I ran up 2k to 2m in play chips. Sounds like a lot but it only took like 3 months playing an hour or two a day. At the time I was new to poker and trying to run up from freerolls. I played for play money in between and during freerolls. I used it to teach myself how to play better and familiarize myself with how to play standard. That was like at least six years ago now so things have probably changed. I did play for play money on Full Tilt when Rush first came out, but that was basically wait for aces and get half the table making ridic dumb calls. I ran up from like 5k to 100k doing that easy. That wasn't poker at all, just a waiting game. Still, if you can't beat play money over a large sample, I don't think you can beat real money. Doesn't work the other way around tho.

Play money is a good place to learn fundamentals without risking money. I remember hearing about players on full tilt that would run their play money up then sell the points for cash and run a roll up.

Look, playing poker with play/fake money isnt playing poker at all, in my opinion. how are you supposed to play and take poker seriously when you arnt even taking poker seriously? People will play alot looser playing with play money because they dont care if they lose? what will happen if they lose, nothing...theres no conciquence. So basicly there going to be playing alot of junk hands and their gonna be sucking out to you bad. when you've got A,K and raise it pre flop your gonna get callers with 2, 3 suited because there just ****ing around. now when the flop comes A,2,3. with the raise pre flop your gonna think your A,K is good, but theres gonna be a player with 2 pair or even a straight at this point, so again how are you supposed to play properly. You need to be playing for a legit reason, whether its for money, or a championship title, or even just bragging rights if its for friends. But trust me when i say playing poker with play money will not improve your play at all, it will make it worse, because when you start going to the casino and playing properly your not going to know what to do with yourself. To become good takes alot of money and time with playing against professional or even good players. then and only then you will learn how poker it ment to be played. and you will learn alot more loosing money at a casino that you ever will winning millions of play chips. good luck keep at the work.

if you have any desire to play poker for real money (and play well) then avoid the play money tables at alllllll costs...they're nothing but detrimental to a real poker player's strategy and when you see people winning with hands they'd never dream of playing in a cash game, your strategy and approach to the game gets completely undone...playing the play money tables is nothing more than a sure way to ruin how you play successfully...i think the only people who should play that ish are like stay at home moms who have nothing better to do but wait for her kids to come home so she can tell them how many millions of chips she won throughout the day

Unfortunately, play money is all I got right now. I know it's nothing but a video game - but it satisfies my poker fix. No, I'm not depositing on Merge or other networks until the real money stuff gets figured out by the US Govt. I don't have the time to wade through massive donkament freerolls either.

I don't have the roll to play more than a couple times a year live either... gonna take a swing for the fences in a state championship satty this August.

Forget play money, you know how to play the basics of poker which is the only thing play money will teach you.

There are plenty of freerolls out there where you still get to play but with a real money goal.

Bad as most freerolls are, they are much better for your poker skills than the play tables.