Play money in poker? Don’t waste your time
A topic of conversation from novices to the Hold ‘Em game, those who want to learn to compete on a regular basis but who don’t quite have the bankroll to effectively get to that level in the time they anticipate it will take, is whether you can learn the game online without playing for real money. Meaning they get into a game, are given chips to play with, they just don’t have to buy any of them.
The answer any self-respecting, seasoned player at Poker Stars will give you is a clear no. You might be able to learn the rules of the game if you don’t already know them, but to really improve your game using play money? Impossible.
Here’s why: First, it’s not a legitimate environment. None of the players, including you (whether you’re aware of it or not) value their chips. How can they, they have literally nothing invested in them except perhaps a little bit of time. This has a direct negative correlation to the decisions being made at the table. You don’t care if you lose a major all-in hand, because you can just start over from scratch…thus you see it happen at a ridiculously high rate. How can you expect to learn in such a false (not to mention predictable) environment?
There’s really not much more to cover there. It’d be like trying to learn an instrument underwater. You can figure out where to put your hands, but you have no idea how to really make music in such a foreign environment.
If you really want to learn pkr poker, but just don’t have the cash, at least try a book or watching on television. The problem with the televised poker tournaments is that they only show you the action hands. You don’t get to see the 20 hands in-between that resulted in nothing more than a few sandwich crumbs being dropped onto the table. You also truly can’t get a feel for what it’s like to be in that moment by just watching others make decisions. Again, it’s impossible.
Eventually, though, there’s no getting around it. You have to put down some money and expect to lose. Basically, you’re buying experience. Just find a buy-in amount you know you can handle. And who knows, after a shorter time than you think, you might be walking out a winner, upgrading to the bigger tables on your way to an improved game.