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Server Time: 8/29/2008 9:22:23 PM PACIFIC |
 Online Free Play as a training aid, Big Frank, 25. Nov 2002 05:51 | ||
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| I've been a student of hold em for about 6 months now (been playing poker for MANY years), and I was wondering if more experience/better players use online freeplay as a means of learning to play in a low limit loose agressive game? I've found that it helps me understand the hands I can expect to win with, and helps quell my frustration at constantly being drawn out on. Now I'm sure that I'm not the best player at each table, but I'm far from the worst. I've managed to turm my original $1000.00 into about 80K, mostly in pot limit and no limit games taking money from people who raise all in with A6s. What I've learned that I think can be applied to real life: AK (suited or not) is not a playable hand if it the flop doesn't hit it. Bluffing NEVER works agains calling stations (although no limit does have its advantages when bluffing a large stack against a smaller one) EXPECT that someone will be drawing out on you and river river bad beats are not uncommon. more often than not, connected suited cards are almost always bet hard by others (and often get big payoffs when they hit) One invariably gets into the "if you can't beat them, join them" mentality and play low EV hands on the flop. I do this sometimes because if I loose a few bucks when the flop doesn't hit, I can make up for it when the flop hits me big (again assumes NLHE where the post are bigger) Lastly, good play is usually rewarded but it has taught me not to get too frustrated about playing better cards than my opponents and getting beaten on the river. Thoughts? | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, Lee Vaughn, 25. Nov 2002 10:40 | ||
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| Free play is a good way to learn some of the basics and to get familiar with a sites software, but there is one major difference that keeps it from being an accurate measure of how you may do in a real money game. The chips are meaningless and because of that many players simply do not care, and they play accordingly. They make plays that even the loosest player or biggest maniac would never make in a real money game. No limit is an extreme example of this. Even if you try to play the right way and follow proper strategy, the play chip factor still has an impact on you too. It is much easier to push in your stack of play chips because you think someone is weak than to make that same call when it is your real money and you can't just hit the reset chips button. Don't get me wrong, free play does have it's benifits but don't let the fact that you are a big winner at free play make you over confident when you finally decide to play the real money games. Again, this is even more dangerous in the no limit games. You are not going to be seeing the same names in the real money games that you did in the play money games, and if you do they probably won't play the same. I think the limit games are much better practice for ingraining the basic plays. Obviously the games will be very loose, and you will get drawn out on a bit, but I think you can use what you learn there better than what you would learn at the no limit play tables. Hope that helps. Good luck! Lee | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, Andrew Wells, 25. Nov 2002 11:15 | ||
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| I have to agree with Lee that poker is just not the same without something at stake. However, this might not necessarily mean cash. I haven't participated in any play money games, but what may be at stake is prestige as many players are egocentric. Once you turn 1000 play money into 10000, you may be reluctant to get that wiped out and go back to 1000 again. I suppose for some, the goal may be to achieve the highest amount of play money among those participants. At some point along the way, one would have to stop playing ridiculous to accomplish this. It seems Planet Poker caters to this concept by offering masters free games. I would suspect playing in those games may be closer to what you are looking for as a training aid. On the other hand, playing freeroll tournaments with zero buy-in but some small cash prize money for top three places out of 500 does provide enough incentive to play well. I think these freeroll tournaments offer more in the way of training than play money games. | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, jim grass, 25. Nov 2002 14:33 | ||
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| Online free play would exemplify california games so i guess ya go ahead and experiment...lol.. In all seriousness I cant say that you will gain much once you have the concepts learned for such games.. In real life you must be disciplined enough to carry out these concepts with real money being your motivator... jim on 25. Nov 2002 05:51 Big Frank wrote: > I've been a student of hold em for about 6 months now (been playing poker for > MANY years), and I was wondering if more experience/better players use online > freeplay as a means of learning to play in a low limit loose agressive game? > I've found that it helps me understand the hands I can expect to win with, and > helps quell my frustration at constantly being drawn out on. Now I'm sure that > I'm not the best player at each table, but I'm far from the worst. I've managed > to turm my original $1000.00 into about 80K, mostly in pot limit and no limit > games taking money from people who raise all in with A6s. > What I've learned that I think can be applied to real life: > AK (suited or not) is not a playable hand if it the flop doesn't hit it. > Bluffing NEVER works agains calling stations (although no limit does have its > advantages when bluffing a large stack against a smaller one) > EXPECT that someone will be drawing out on you and river river bad beats are > not uncommon. > more often than not, connected suited cards are almost always bet hard by > others (and often get big payoffs when they hit) > One invariably gets into the "if you can't beat them, join them" mentality and > play low EV hands on the flop. I do this sometimes because if I loose a few > bucks when the flop doesn't hit, I can make up for it when the flop hits me big > (again assumes NLHE where the post are bigger) > Lastly, good play is usually rewarded but it has taught me not to get too > frustrated about playing better cards than my opponents and getting beaten on > the river. > Thoughts? > | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, Snorbolus, 25. Nov 2002 15:53 | ||
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| I started playing hold'em by reading Lee Jones' book and practicing on the play money tables at pokerroom.com. I practiced, for play money, for about 4 months before I ventured into a casino. I think that it was good way to start and probably saved me some money. However, I was a total novice before. I didn't even know whether a straight beat a full house ect. I rarely visit the play money tables any more. The play is just to awful to be interesting. They are a good exercise in waiting for premium hands and then cashing in. Also to show that betting your arse off with a good hand is profitable, even when really horrible suck outs abound. It is an unbalanced education though. Deep in my heart I still doubt the value of semi-bluffing (betting when the odds don't justify it, because the chance that everybody will fold makes up the shortfall). I have yet to see convincing evidence for this effect. However, I haven't played above $3-6 yet. Perehaps at $5-10? One curious play money phenomenon that I have noticed is that sometimes, even though everyone at the table may be playing really shocking poker, they will notice that I am playing tightly and then tighten up against me only. I don't understand this at all. I assume that it means some of these players know how to play well, yet chose not to. My question is why? It is play money, there is nothing to gain except the opportunity to practice playing well. Snorbolus > on 25. Nov 2002 05:51 Big Frank wrote: > > I've been a student of hold em for about 6 months now (been playing poker for > > MANY years), and I was wondering if more experience/better players use online > > freeplay as a means of learning to play in a low limit loose agressive game? > > I've found that it helps me understand the hands I can expect to win with, and > > helps quell my frustration at constantly being drawn out on. ...... | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, Hatchet Harry, 26. Nov 2002 13:11 | ||
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| I did'nt much care for the free play on most poker sites, as the motivation to play IE reward was taken away. In saying this however, I have joined online poker school and whilst there is a small fixed monthly or annual layout, the free play tournies are very good and at later levels extremely challenging. The school rewards using a virtual bank roll, but I do not believe that this is the motivation that most players are aiming for. The school has many rating mechinisms and leagues and even gives financial rewards for those students that constantly excel. This results in a good challenge in any free play tournement with serious competition, resource availability that far outweighs the cost of joining alone and the possibility of being rewarded a buy in to a $500 event of your choosing. The community are also very friendly and knowledgable. I would recomend the school to anybody who has a serious inclination to study the game. Regards HH | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, Fanny's Jeraunt, 27. Nov 2002 11:40 | ||
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| Hatchet, whats the site of the online poker school? - dave | ||
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| Re: Online Free Play as a training aid, LuckyOne, 28. Nov 2002 10:08 | ||
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| www.pokerpages.com will get you there... Smile and say Hi at the tables to LuckyOne, LuckyWon, LuckyToo, ScoopHL or LuckyGal | ||
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