Statsman1
Rock Star
Silver Level
Sorry, this is going to be a bit lengthy...
TL; DR - playing with my friends in the PS Home Game started to impact the way I played cash tournaments, had to give up the Home Game for a while to get my head straight.
Since April 2020, due to COVID, the pokerstars Home Game has taken the place of any live poker games my friends would play. It did not take too long, but after about 150 tournaments of play money, it became obvious that certain players in the group were not playing the same type of game they would play when money was on the line in real life. Far more risky plays, far more chasing straights and flushes, far more calling 4x preflop raises with K8o...things like that. Just so much casual play, because, yes, it is free, there is no cost, and there will be another game in a couple of days. They are probably trying to win, but after playing with the same people for real money so often, you get a feel for the type of player they are, which allows you to notice when they are free-wheeling and widening their range to ridiculous cards.
Which, I guess, is fine. Anyone can play any way they want to play. But this is where it got to be problematic for me. I found myself getting frustrated and saying things like, “Dude, you would NEVER have done that if you paid $20 to play tonight.” And the thing is, these players don’t care that I am right.
I am a reasonably successful 18-player tournament poker player. I am not making millions, but I am turning a profit, cashing in about 40% of the tournaments I play. I use HE3 as a HUD, and while I don’t spend 6 hours every day playing, I do review my play and the play of others a lot.
The style of play in the Home Game caused me to unknowingly take too many risks in my money games. I started to NOT believe anyone who was raising or shoving, because the Home Game was teaching me that nearly everyone bluffed nearly all the time, and I was calling raises and shoves WAY too often, and getting killed for doing so.
The discussions about play money fascinates me, because I don’t know how people can stick to their real money poker playing instincts and their proper decision-making when playing too often with play money players who don’t care what happens.
Anyway, that is my story. I didn’t think play money altered my style of play, when it came to real money, but what it DID was make me a lot more cynical about the way OTHERS play, and that came back to bite me often enough that I have had to really refocus in the last couple of weeks. I am glad I came to realize what was happening, and took steps to try and make it better. I don’t want to ignore my friends, but I don’t want to lose money through donk decision making either.
Take care, friends, and good luck at the tables!
TL; DR - playing with my friends in the PS Home Game started to impact the way I played cash tournaments, had to give up the Home Game for a while to get my head straight.
Since April 2020, due to COVID, the pokerstars Home Game has taken the place of any live poker games my friends would play. It did not take too long, but after about 150 tournaments of play money, it became obvious that certain players in the group were not playing the same type of game they would play when money was on the line in real life. Far more risky plays, far more chasing straights and flushes, far more calling 4x preflop raises with K8o...things like that. Just so much casual play, because, yes, it is free, there is no cost, and there will be another game in a couple of days. They are probably trying to win, but after playing with the same people for real money so often, you get a feel for the type of player they are, which allows you to notice when they are free-wheeling and widening their range to ridiculous cards.
Which, I guess, is fine. Anyone can play any way they want to play. But this is where it got to be problematic for me. I found myself getting frustrated and saying things like, “Dude, you would NEVER have done that if you paid $20 to play tonight.” And the thing is, these players don’t care that I am right.
I am a reasonably successful 18-player tournament poker player. I am not making millions, but I am turning a profit, cashing in about 40% of the tournaments I play. I use HE3 as a HUD, and while I don’t spend 6 hours every day playing, I do review my play and the play of others a lot.
The style of play in the Home Game caused me to unknowingly take too many risks in my money games. I started to NOT believe anyone who was raising or shoving, because the Home Game was teaching me that nearly everyone bluffed nearly all the time, and I was calling raises and shoves WAY too often, and getting killed for doing so.
The discussions about play money fascinates me, because I don’t know how people can stick to their real money poker playing instincts and their proper decision-making when playing too often with play money players who don’t care what happens.
Anyway, that is my story. I didn’t think play money altered my style of play, when it came to real money, but what it DID was make me a lot more cynical about the way OTHERS play, and that came back to bite me often enough that I have had to really refocus in the last couple of weeks. I am glad I came to realize what was happening, and took steps to try and make it better. I don’t want to ignore my friends, but I don’t want to lose money through donk decision making either.
Take care, friends, and good luck at the tables!
- it does for the best players