The pros of play money are rather concrete while the cons are
slightly more abstract. Play money can be a trap that turns new
online poker players into losers before they even set foot at a
real money table. Play money is like playing Duck Hunt as a warm
up for war. If you take those skills into battle instead of ones
gained at a firing range, you are quite likely to get yourself
killed.
The main problem with play money is the number of hands people
will play. Everyone sees the flop in play money. Any hand can
turn into a winning hand, of course, but everyone receiving
cards and mindlessly going to the river is an entirely different
game. When there is nothing at stake, cards are a game of luck,
not skill.
The phrase, "well if I lose, it's just play money", is said far
too often at PokerRoom.com for the play money game to truly be
called poker. Players chase, unaware of key concepts in poker
such as pot odds and position. They believe they are pot
committed when they don't even understand what the term means.
This tendency to see far too many hands far too deep not only
means you get rivered more often, but also the pots you win are
much fatter than they would be if players were wagering real
money. The ease with which a thinking player can win at play
money tables can be the downfall of their fledgling poker
career.
If you turn $1,000 into $1,000,000 at a play money table, you
might therefore believe you have a system for success. But using
this system, where playing any ace or seeing the showdown with a
small pair brings you out on top will not work in the real money
world.
Play money can be great fun, and as discussed in our play money
pros article it can make you familiar with the environment of an
online cardroom. But play money is not a viable training ground
for real money poker. My suggestion is to put $50 into a real
money account and play the micro limits. Even at $.01/$.02
tables there is something at stake, which gives a much greater
experience of the real poker world.
About the author:
Dustin Burkert is a professional poker player and a current
tutor for
www.pokernoise.com. Poker
Noise provides poker coaching for the average player looking to
improve their game.
