Switching from freerolls to real money on Party Poker

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Jlinabets

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Hi, yall! I have been playing free poker at partypoker and am up to a 33% win rate and can comfortably play two games, three if I don't chat at all. I routinely give away 50,000 - 300,000 chips a nite because I can't keep them, they're over the 250,000 limit.
Anyone have any idea how this would translate into playing for real money? I know I might clench at real money, lol....and I can't find a site to play at anyway.
But I am curious how this sounds to experienced gamers - I've played for 3 months, started at 15% wins, went through an all in phase, got over it, have no shame in folding and my biggest blind spot is not trying to figure out all the ways I can be beat. I pay attention to it - it's obvious when there's 4 hearts on the board, or the numbers are all in a row, but in general, I find it counter productive to put more focus on that than on how someone else bets.
My boyfriend plays that way and his stats aren't nearly as good as mine.
Any feedback would be great, and thanks for your time in reading and hopefully replying.
Jlina
 
micromachine

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It's not quite clear but it sounds like you're playing SNGs right?

Play money games will always be easier to beat than the micro stake real money games, and I think it's impossible to tell how well you would do based on your play money win rate.

Why can't you find a site to play at?
 
P

Poker_play

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Hey, congrats on improving your winrate!

Honestly, can't recommend that you jump into real money games yet. Sounds like you're Improving but still have a ways to go. It gets much harder when you play for money

Try one of the many sites that offer freerolls~take a shot at a cash prize.
 
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Big_Rudy

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Hi, and Welcome,

I'm kind-of confused as to why you can't find a site to play for real money at. If you are in the US there are still a few options, and if you are somewhere else there should be tons and tons of options.

I think play money games are ok for getting the feel of things and seeing how the software and such works, but as you've speculated, real money games, even for tiny amounts will play very differently sometimes. So it's good that you are getting experience and learning things on one hand, on the other hand some of the things that you think you are learning may not apply so well to real money poker as they do to play money poker.

In the end only you can decide when the time is right, but unless you are really in a money crunch or something I'd switch to very low amount real money games sooner rather than later just because the experience will be so much different. Another option that you'd always have is to find a site that offers freerolls, most do, and take a shot at those with the possibility of winning a small amount of real money with no risk. If you're successful there you can always use whatever you win to begin playing real money games and you will have risked nothing.

Whatever you decide, Good Luck.
 
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Jlinabets

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Thank you all so much, yes I am in the US and I"ve just been leary of the money sites...reading all that it takes a month to cash out, etc. So chose Partypoker cuz it was easy.
I think you all are right, though. I will probably develop some bad habits in play money that will mess me up with real money pots, so best to just jump in there and learn that way. Like the ability to read a bet - it'll be far different in real money I bet and hand strength will have to factor in more. Lots to learn!
I will find a free roll, I know everyone on here asks which sites are best for US players, but no one seems to agree - any suggestions would be great.
And has anyone tried a 3rd party banker thing? How did that work out?
I'd rather not give anyone a credit card number, so I'm guessing you can paypal at some sites?
Thanks so much to you all!
 
Charade You Are

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US Players cannot use Paypal at any sites.
 
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Big_Rudy

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I've always just used a credit card/ bank card but I rarely deposit so I'm not really sure what the best way is now. I have been thinking that if I ever do have to deposit again I'd purchase one of those pre-paid type visa cards from the store and give that a go. Don't really know if this is the best way to go about it or not, but that way the sites don't have your actual credit card number or anything. I'm just not sure if they will be accepted as payments by the sites, so perhaps someone here can offer some insight into that.

For freerolls quite a few people seem to recommend Hero Poker. I don't really play there myself, but I do play on the Merge Network which they are a part of. If you are in the US right now one of the Merge sites will likely be your best bet.

If by third party banker you mean things like NetTeller and such I don't think anything like that is accepted as payment from anyone in the US right now. That's one of the real drawbacks of the situation in the US right now--moving money onto and off of the poker site. It can be done, obviously, but it isn't as easy as it should be or needs to be at the moment.
 
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Jlinabets

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Thank you both - I cannot believe how tightly they've locked down on line poker when they can't do it with anything else on the internet! The nursing mother documentary being used as porn which headlined today for example.
Taxing me is one thing, telling me what I can't do with my money is another! So annoying. I agree I'm not giving anyone an actual credit card number but my bank does issue cash cards which do not attach to your bank account on the retail end so I guess I can try that.
I've begged my friend in canada just to put money in at Partypoker for me, but he's dragging his feet, seems to think I'll become obsessed, lol.
Take care everyone and may all your beats be ones where you are the one who wins! ;)
 
Kenzie 96

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Keep posting here & you will soon qualify for CC's $ added freerolls. Regular freerolls are a tough way to build a bankroll, but the play, while generally pretty bad, is still much better than the play money tables & will give you a much better assesment of your skill level. Good luck at the tables & welcome to the forum.
 
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trolllord59

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I think you'll find play money is vastly different to real money. In play money games people don't normally take these seriously often making bad plays which you will not see so frequently in real money not to say they don't happen of course because they do.
 
Charade You Are

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Play money is not even close. Had a million play chips on AP and 500K on ps before I started playing for real money. I guarantee you I didn't get there with real money.
 
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Jlinabets

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I hear you....last nite a real money player at the play tables said they are more difficult because they are so erratic. It's like an alt. world poker which other than letting me learn to quickly identify the numbers and colors probably doesn't have much use. Charade where do you play then? have you ever tried to cash out?
I had no interest in poker at all until I found it on the computer, I love to beat computer games. Not multi player but things like Montezuma III are incredibly difficult unless you can click and move and identify colors really fast - it just gets harder and harder and you only get 60 seconds no matter what level you play at, although you do get power ups.
I think that's why I like the online poker - two tables keep it fun and rarely boring, 3 makes it a bit like Montezuma - you have to take everything in really quickly.
The book I have recommends doing all kind of random things on a schedule, lol, not random at all but designed to look random to others, I guess that's my next level up - to start tricking people. Generally anyone's that played with me folds if I bet lately...no fun. I'm what they call a tight player but with big bets on play money.
I bet I'll be the same with real money as long as it's in dollars and not hundreds. Grin....
thanks, everyone!
 
Charade You Are

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Use to play stars, FTP, AP, aced, bo, cake, carbon, doyles, gohard, power(now colt), feltstars and UB.

Cashed out at most places at one time or another, but since black friday have only cashed out of doyles (before they went to ACR).

Now I have accounts at Aced, Americas Cardroom, Black Chip, Bovada, Cake, Carbon, Feltstars, intertops, and Lock mostly started with freeroll winnings.

Just keep in mind that with the state of online poker in the US, don't have any money online you can't afford to lose. Most of us have lost money at sites that just shut down to American players and didn't refund our money or went bankrupt or their owners were thieves. You have no recourse if that happens.
 
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BlueNowhere

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Just bet a lot and you make money, simple game brah.
 
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trolllord59

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Just bet a lot and you make money, simple game brah.

Bet a lot with a purpose. Your ethier value betting which means you think worse will call or your bluffing attempting to get better to fold. Of course there variations in these bet types EG a blocking bet which is for value but is more of a defensive bet to avoid a bigger on the river if you were to check which to control the size of the pot. Very basic stuff i know to most above but to beginner it is vital.
 
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Jlinabets

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My friend put money in my partypoker account from another country...and it won't let me play because of my IP address. Dammmit. Should have known....oh, well, maybe he'll take up online poker as his new hobbie.
I agree it's a gamble anyways, but that stinks. I had emailed them and they didn't way anything about checking IP addresses....
anyway, I think I know what you mean about the bet - like if you bet after the flop because you have 4 diamonds and want to get a feel for if anyone is going to squash you out? or if you have a 3 of a kind but there's a possible straight - you bet and if they think they've got you and aren't slow playing you they come back hard, right?
Thanks yall....been a darned depressing nite since I had my hopes up!
 
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Big_Rudy

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My friend put money in my partypoker account from another country...and it won't let me play because of my IP address. Dammmit. Should have known....oh, well, maybe he'll take up online poker as his new hobbie.
I agree it's a gamble anyways, but that stinks. I had emailed them and they didn't way anything about checking IP addresses....
anyway, I think I know what you mean about the bet - like if you bet after the flop because you have 4 diamonds and want to get a feel for if anyone is going to squash you out? or if you have a 3 of a kind but there's a possible straight - you bet and if they think they've got you and aren't slow playing you they come back hard, right?
Thanks yall....been a darned depressing nite since I had my hopes up!

Yeah there are limited options for US players and, as you've discovered PartyPoker isn't one of them. I'm kind-of surprised that they even allowed the transfer to a US player, actually. If it's any considerable amount of money, hopefully they'll just let you transfer it back. If you are going to go this route, you need to find a friend on the Merge network to transfer for you;) .
 
LeanAndMean

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Play money games are indicative of nothing. Stop playing them if you want to be a serious player. They are good only for getting used to a software when you start a new site.

Merge is hard to get money on. The best option now is to use Western Union. I have done this several times and it works. Costs you $12.50. I have heard that a prepaid Visa works, but read the fine print on the back, it costs. Hero does have the best free rolls, if you don't mind playing for hours for a buck return.

Avoid any cake sites, they happily take your money but when you want to cash out you need a $500 min withdrawal and they will charge you $50. But the checks come within a few weeks. Cake sites would be Intertops and Cake and a few others.

i think the best site now for USA is Bovada. When you request a payout there is no minimum and was no charge last time I did it. It will come within a week. Anyone have an update on that? In addition, CardsChat has nice money added tournaments and free rolls on Bovada. There are downsides, the software is klutzy and you have no player ID at the tables. But they have beginner SNGs that pay more places and can be used to build a BR. I like Bovada, but am in the minority here at CardsChat.
 
kidkvno1

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It's not quite clear but it sounds like you're playing SNGs right?

Play money games will always be easier to beat than the micro stake real money games, and I think it's impossible to tell how well you would do based on your play money win rate.

Why can't you find a site to play at?
lol... I find higher levels of play money just as hard as micro stakes, well for SNG's anyway.

It all depends on what type of game you like playing SNG's, Ring, MTT's, to find the site that's right for you.
 
BigCountryAA

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Play money games are indicative of nothing. Stop playing them if you want to be a serious player. They are good only for getting used to a software when you start a new site.

Merge is hard to get money on. The best option now is to use Western Union. I have done this several times and it works. Costs you $12.50. I have heard that a prepaid Visa works, but read the fine print on the back, it costs. Hero does have the best free rolls, if you don't mind playing for hours for a buck return.

Avoid any cake sites, they happily take your money but when you want to cash out you need a $500 min withdrawal and they will charge you $50. But the checks come within a few weeks. Cake sites would be Intertops and Cake and a few others.

i think the best site now for USA is Bovada. When you request a payout there is no minimum and was no charge last time I did it. It will come within a week. Anyone have an update on that? In addition, CardsChat has nice money added tournaments and free rolls on Bovada. There are downsides, the software is klutzy and you have no player ID at the tables. But they have beginner SNGs that pay more places and can be used to build a BR. I like Bovada, but am in the minority here at CardsChat.


I play on bovada. I enjoy the SNGs. They still don't have a limit to cash out and still have 1 free check per month.

OP could play freerolls on Playaces or any merge skin to start a bankroll. Merge also has the Funstep SNG's where the buy in is play money with a $1 dollar prize if you win step 3.

America's cardroom has some freeroll satellites if you make the bubble you win a seat to a money freeroll.
 
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Jlinabets

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Thank you all again! I downloaded Bovada, had tried it before but it didn't download right, looks good this time around!
I don't see any player ID's at their tables, either - just seat numbers, it feels weird after making some actual friends @ party poker....but may be it's easier to take someone's money if you don't know their name, lol.
Looking forward to reporting some success soon....and thanks again.
 
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Big_Rudy

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Yeah, that's the thing with Bovada; anonymous players. That's why many "serious" players refuse to play there. Virtually all online players that take the game even semi-seriously use a tracker and HUD to monitor other players' tendencies. With Bovada's anonymous format, you can't do that. So, imo, if you're a casual player and aren't anticipating using those things anyway, Bovada may actually be THE place to play since you won't be playing at a disadvantage to all the other players who are using all the rescources available to them.

A lot of players have serious issues with this and did nothing but complain when Bovada made this switch. I'm not one of them. Although I don't play on Bovada myself; I see absolutely nothing wrong with there being a poker site dedicated to more casual players that levels the playing field for them against more serious players by disallowing the serious players' (and everyone else's) ability to track the other players. If they insist on using trackers/HUDs there are many sites that cater to that. Nothing at all wrong with having one site that doesn't so that casual players stand a chance.
 
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