Ways to improve your game without real money?

[Pitbullo]

Read all through these threads and if you know how to use it, it should improve your play alot.

http://www.pr0crast.com/2+2.NL.Anthology.v1.htm

[Poker Clif]

One thing about your post that jumped out at me is that you lost money when you tried HORSE.

I lost my first two small bankrolls, and part of the problem was that I was figuring out what I wanted to do.

The original plans wan MTTs, but it just drove me crazy to play one or two tournaments a day, for several days, and never cash. I decided that the variance was two much for me.

I tried various combinations of cash games and various sized SNGs, with an occasional MTT mixed in. Finally, I decided to concentrate on SNG, taking occasionaly shots at the bigger ones (up to 5 tables) as long as my bankroll was moving up.

It was a very long process, several months, hundreds of hours of reading, playing, and studying, and this week I've finally moved up to $5 SNG. I love MTTs, and will still occasionally do them for fun and to try and hit the big score.

I'm serious about turning poker into a part-time job, and to do that I need the lower variance of SNG.

One more very important thing. I thought I was good when I started playing for real money. But six months later, I am SO much better than that other guy (must have been my evil twin) who thought he was going to be the next big thing in poker.

Please consider that some of this might be that you're not very good yet. It took me a long time to break through, but I kept studying and working, and it finally paid off.

I finally moved up when I hit two poker milestones.

1. I wasn't cashing in $1 SNGs, I was crushing them. I won three 1TT in a row last week, and it just seemed so easy, like the other players didn't even belong at the table with me.

2. Two weeks earlier, in the third live MTT, I cashed, 8/83. Again, it felt so much different than the first time! I was sitting next to the person that won my second live tournament, and she suddenly wasn't scary any more. When I got to that final table, I wasn't relieved that I made it. I knew I belonged there.

To summarize, make a plan and stick to it, and remember that you're not nearly as good as you think you are. Not yet.

[Doc T River]

I may be in the minority, but I think you can get some good out of play money and freeroll poker. Remember though that you will get out what you put in. If you treat it as a joke, then you will get no positive benefits and it will probably hurt your real money game.

I think the one universal truth of poker, no matter the level, is you need to make good decisions.

One thing that the play money and freerolls have done for me is to teach me patience (waiting for the field to get down to the serious players) and acceptance of bad beats.

I play at a small site and the freerolls, covering many differrent games, are a lot smaller than those at the major sites. I think this difference in size puts people in a different mood, they don't feel the pressure to instantly double up, and they feel that they have a more reasonable chance to cash so the play is better.

I would also suggest finding an online poker community that offers freerolls to its members. I belong to one such community and the desire to learn exhibited by the members translates, for the most part, to the freerolls. As on the small site I play, the freerolls for this community cover a gamut of games.

And don't forget that play money and freerolls offer a free way to learn a new game. If you want to learn HORSE, I would try play money and freerolls before putting any more of your bankroll at risk.

I hope what I have said helps and if you wish to know the name of the small site and the name of the poker community, please feel free to private message me.

[xxx]

When you get done with the play chips, don't forget you can sell them for real $. Search google for the best rates, but it's usually around $50 for a million playchips.

That could even be an intermediate goal- earn enough playchips to start your new bankroll for 2008.

[Xanthro]

Don't use play money, use real money but set a specific goal. Deposit $10 and that has to be turned into $250 only playing .01/.02.

Grind it out. You'll both be punished for playing above your Bankroll, because it's torturous to play at that level, and you'll actually make some money so by next year you can move up.

Plus, as bad as the play is there, it's better than at freeroll.

Just remember, you can't allow yourself to move up until the goal is reached.

[phydaux]

I'll just touch on a few highlights.

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To improve you need good reading material relevant to the games you play. IMHO you need to play real money even if at very low stakes.

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The first thing I would do is review as much of your play history as you can to find out why you went busto.

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My biggest tip for you is to learn proper BR skills.

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Before I played at all- online or in a casino, I practiced for several months using Poker Academy software.

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One thing about your post that jumped out at me is that you lost money when you tried HORSE.

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[johnnydrama]

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\Deposit $10 and that has to be turned into $250 only playing .01/.02.

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Major BR management violation?? $10 is only 5 buy-ins of .01/.02.

[JereLock]

or 10... I play $1, run it up to 3, then switch tables if it's not very strong in my favor

either way, you need at least 20 buy ins

[Xanthro]

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\Deposit $10 and that has to be turned into $250 only playing .01/.02.

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Major BR management violation?? $10 is only 5 buy-ins of .01/.02.

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You can do it, you just can't take close edges. You have to pass them up.

The point isn't to make money, it's somewhat a punishment for not watching your BR. Now, you're FORCED to pay as much attention to BR as you are to the game.

20 Buy ins and you can play poker without BR in the back of your mind. 10 Buy ins, you can't.

[Zorlac]

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Before I played at all- online or in a casino, I practiced for several months using Poker Academy software. It helped.

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Same for me. I learnt the ropes using this software and recommend it. You can also play against the 'Polaris' bots the Laak took on recently.


.Z