Do you believe someone can practice with play money?

Squanchy

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Hello!

I started playing poker a few months ago and the last two weeks I've been watching videos and reading articles here and there, trying to understand this complex game. I decided to add 10 dollars to my pokerstars account a few days ago, but I play horrible (for obvious reasons) and I lost everything in three days, playing cash games (micro limits). Right now I think it would be a good idea to try to reach an "x" amount of fictional chips, before re-depositing. What do you think? What experience do you have on the subject? Is it a good idea to practice with fictitious money and then go to micro limits, or it is a differente game, since there is no real fear of losing money with fictional chips?

Also, these last days I have played Sit n 'go tournaments of 9 players (fictional chips), and I am always among the first 3 places (which receive a prize). Maybe I should have invested my money there and not in cash games! lol. What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english.
 
albosaltenio

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If you are starting to play this game I recommend that you do not deposit.much less play at cash table.
I advise you to play a lot with fictional money.
if you want to play for real money try to make money with the freerolls.do not put money because you're going to lose
 
dj11

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We actually call it Play Money. 'Fictional' money seems too formal.

The answer is yes. Every conceivable poker situation can be figured out via play money games except one. You can never figure out how much stress real money causes you without actually playing with real money. We often refer to this as 'scared money'.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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Play money games are not the same as real money games. You would be much better off playing some freerolls and then getting involved in micro games and build yourself up.
 
frnandoh

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More or less

New players have to learn actions (fold, check, call...) and how to handle the platform and the play money mode can be very useful. But about improving skill, freeroll tournaments more pedagogical and exciting. Freerolls has real money as prizes, because that they are closer from real game. Try to reach higher positions as much as possible and at each defeat, learn how you can be better than your opponents. Freeroll is my coaching and believe, we can learn a lot playing them.
 
grumblbrumbl

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I also met poker a couple of months ago. At first, I played only for the fictional chips. I thought that for a start such games will help me understand poker better. But I was wrong. Fictional chips do not give a sense of real danger. And poker is a constant danger. It's better to start with freerolls. There's better. If you're lucky, you can win real money. It motivates.
 
quick

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New players have to learn actions (fold, check, call...) and how to handle the platform and the play money mode can be very useful. But about improving skill, freeroll tournaments more pedagogical and exciting. Freerolls has real money as prizes, because that they are closer from real game. Try to reach higher positions as much as possible and at each defeat, learn how you can be better than your opponents. Freeroll is my coaching and believe, we can learn a lot playing them.

This is spot on.




I'll also add that no matter how "good" you become at "play" money you'll struggle to beat opponents in any game where real money is on the line because players will play differently when the chips are worth nothing and mean nothing. So play money to learn basics of action, software, hand rankings...but micro stakes or free rolls to learn actual poker.
 
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AlbieTross

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No. With play money you don't have the fear of losing anything significant because it has no real value. The only true way to improve at poker is by playing... with real money. Start with the lowest blinds and buy-ins and work your way up from there as your bankroll improves... if it improves.
 
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titiduru

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We actually call it Play Money. 'Fictional' money seems too formal.

The answer is yes. Every conceivable poker situation can be figured out via play money games except one. You can never figure out how much stress real money causes you without actually playing with real money. We often refer to this as 'scared money'.

The term "fictional money" is also pretty confusing, since after giving up the gold standard all money in the World are essentially fictional.
 
This Fish Chums

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Play Money teaches false positives

The problem with learning poker from true play money is that people just don't care what they do. If you do well, you falsely learn how to do well because people play so loosely. Real money and even freeroll players don't play that loosely.
If you don't do well, it doesn't mean you're a bad player. You could be a really good player who sits back and waits for premium hands, but when you play them you've got 3 or 4 people going all-in and you just get sucked out on. This can teach you to be hyper-tight which is not good for your game either.

Freerolls are better, but in freerolls you have to wait a round or two before the all-in monkeys tend to calm down. Then it's very comparable to real money games.

If you make a freeroll final table you're essentially playing at real money game poker level skills.

My advice, play in real money freerolls. After you place high or win in 5-10 then move back to real money games, but stick with sit-n-gos or tourneys to start. Cash game requires a very different skillset and should be dabbled in lightly at first.
 
eberetta1

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Agree, just because someone can kick your biscuits at monopoly and bring you to zero dollars does not mean they can outlast your real life bankroll.
 
MoryMorte

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It will be really hard. I would deposit $10 and play sit n goes or tournament with buy ins of less than 10 cents. That’s 100 tournament if you loose every single of them
 
mtl mile end

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I am amazed at how little respect playing without real money is getting.

Learning is not a switch you flick so that knowledge and understanding pour into your mind. Such a switch is not available whether you are playing for gumdrops or millions of dollars. The experience of playing Tournament NL Hold 'em for example must be taken in its context - always. If you are playing against a bunch of donks for play money or if you are playing against a bunch of donks for real money, the learning takeaway should be about playing against a bunch of donks, not how much you won or lost.

Overall level of play in play money tournaments seems to increase as the play money stakes increase - the same as with real money. Isn't this a valid learning tool to step up your skill level - especially as a beginner?


Bad players can be found on real money tables. Do you know how to handle them in every position? Doesn't the experience from play money give you insight into the situation in real money?


If you kill it at any stakes level and come away thinking you're a poker genius, you are probably not. If you win a million play money dollars and think you're ready to go heads up with Phil Ivey for a million real dollars, you haven't really learned anything have you? It must be the play money's fault!
 
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dj11

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I like that the thread title was changed.

Like I said, the ONLY thing you can't learn is everything that goes into the scared money category. If you play at stars, you can set yourself a goal of a million chips, or a billion. You will quickly find that it isn't that easy, and thus you will put a value on your bankroll. Yes you will only be playing for pride, but all the tactics you will use later you can learn at those play money tables, either ring or tourneys.


Otherwise, you can deposit repeatedly till you are broke trying to beat players who know you are afraid to lose your roll. They are not afraid.


You want to get your skill up to a level you feel comfortable with. Trust me, what ever level you think it is, the level you NEED to get to is a lot higher.


I've been here a long time, and have always championed play money poker. And boy have I gotten grief from the others here who seem to need to have noobs spend money to learn poker.


If you are rich, you can totally ignore my advice, and jump in with your infinitely deep wallet. I'm sure you will get educated real fast!;)
 
Gabinho12345

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Play money will help you learn rules and basic strategy but if you want to improve your game you should play for real money or at least freerolls.
 
N

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I started with play money myself and made it to 5mio chips in a few weeks, then I reset my account and made it to 1.5mio again in a couple of days.

Then I made my first $10 deposit and got totally shafted in no time at all. I think that is totally normal. That said, playing with play money does teach you to read a board, to identify draws, to read very basic player responses, player types, etc.

So: yes, do play for play money to get the basics right, but expect to loose a lot once you switch to real money regardless if you play cash games or sit n'gos. It is money invested in your training as long as you sit down after every session and think about hands that went particularly well/bad and analyze why it happened that way and what you did right or wrong and how you can improve your game.

P.S.: Intellipoker / PokerstarsSchool helped me a lot.
 
whiskers77

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I think, it is better choice to play some freerolls than play money games. I think even partly about them, that players not play seriously, depending on what freeroll. But with playmoney there is no real competition. For learning the basic rules ok, but for improving your game you should play with real money. Therefore, if you are scared to loose money, try to build up some bankroll with freerolls and use this money for real money games. I also would prefer SNG to cash, but this is only my personal preference. Good luck for you!
 
PHX

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Play money games are not like real money games.There is some value for beginners to start off with play money but once you learn basic skills and get used to game on average this takes about 2 weeks max play money will not help anymore. After that If anything when using play money you will start to develope bad habits that if you transfer them to real money games it will hurt you badly.
 
AshK44

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Practice of any kind is what you need. Try signing up for pokerschool I found that was very useful for myself. Play money is a good option as well.
 
Squanchy

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Hello everyone

Thank you all for commenting and showing your views, I did not expect so much activity. At the moment I'm playing all the freeroll that I can, although they are quite difficult because of the number of players and the speed with which the blinds are going up. My favorite mode are sit n' go tho, and I think they are way less loose than in a cash game.
I think I'll keep reading and getting into the forums. How much practice time do you recommend before making another deposit? Now I'm playing 4-5 hours a day (without watching tv or something like that between hands) and I read about everything I'm not familiar.
 
rsimms

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Nothing wrong with play money if you are very new to the game. Use it to get a feel calculating your bet sizing, pot odds, etc. but remember that it is play money so you will be getting a lot more loose action and lots of donkey business. Once your get the feel for play money, make the switch to real money and if you're overwhelmed, flip flop back and forth for a while. Be careful not to get any bad habits from playing play money. Also, if you ever set a daily hand goal for yourself to develop poker discipline, use whatever kind of game you can.

Keep up the reading and playing. What I like to do is alternate between poker books and online learning, like using PS pokerschool, or pokerology, and of course the resources on this websites. Remember that if you are alternating between different types of games to change you strategy for each blind structure, stakes, table size, etc. I find this a little tricky especially going from cash tables to tournament format and from regular speed tournaments to turbos and super turbos. Get yourself a poker journal, have a plan, and study up before you start to play!
 
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I don`t think so, unless u have a lot of responsibility.......
 
MattRyder

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Play money is definitely a good way to start. It's different from real money for sure, but you can still learn a lot.

You will get a feel for the types of hands that people tend to play. It's surprising similar - pairs, two broadway, AX, suited (and less so non-suited) connectors/gappers. Where the differences occur is how they are played. However, at the micro level, a lot of players still play real money as if it were play money.
 
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I think at high enough stakes its possible
 
Squanchy

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Thanks guys for your inputs.
What good book do you recommend?

Greetings
 
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