need advice!

[Peter117]

I need advice and have some questions.
I read most parts of: “The Theory of Poker” and “Hold`em Poker” by David Sklansky.
While reading I started playing playmoney games.
They soon got too boring and I started playing playmoney tournaments to get at least some serious players.
In the moment I am reading “Hold’em for Advanced Player” and it is no help against playmoney players.

Should I start playing real money?
Is it possible to play freeroll tournaments without playing other games?
(Do I always need partypoints or something like this?)
Is it true, that the books I read are not up to date?
Which books are better?

[SheridanCat]

First off, welcome to the forums.

You'll find varying opinions on the value of play money. Personally, I think that there are so many very, very low limits around that it's worthwhile playing real money, even if it's only .01/.02 limit or very low no-limit. However, if you're only comfortable playing play money games, there is no reason you can't apply what you're going to learn.

Playing tournaments is different than playing ring games. There's no reason you can't play both, but the strategies necessary to play one are different from those used to play the other. Furthermore, since most tournaments are going to be no-limit hold'em, you can't really apply the limit strategies you're going to learn.

So, my suggestion is to pick a game type, tournament or ring and a betting type, limit or no-limit, and concentrate on it. I usually suggest starting out at limit ring games; the simple reason for that is that there is just more study material available for that than the other options.

Here are the books I'd recommend:

Ed Miller: Getting Started In Hold'em
Ed Miller: Small Stakes Hold'em

Those two will get you started with material that is written specifically for the types of games you're going to find. These are books for limit hold'em (except for some no-limit strategies at the end of the Getting Started book.

The books you're read are fine, especially Theory Of Poker. The Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players is a great book, but it's going to talk about much tighter and harder games than you're going to find online. The slim Sklansky book you read is a fine introduction, but it's superceded by the Getting Started book, in my opinion.

The bottom line is that you don't need to play real money, but if you can afford a bit to get started, it's not a bad idea. You're going to hear about bonus whoring, and that can really help you increase your bankroll.

Good luck,

T

[MycroftX]

Read SSHE by Ed Miller, and sign up on a site with micro-limits to get your feet wet.

Or if you want to play NL, go to site with like 2$ NL. Paradise has 2$ NL.

Also you might want to look into sign up bonuses, check out sites like bonuswhores.com or pokerlistings.com. depending on how much you might deposit, and if you are able to adequetly clear them, they will help build your bankroll. And give you some padding when things dont go well.

[SheridanCat]

For micro/nano limit hold'em, look at Poker Stars. You can play very low real money there.

T