Ways to improve your game without real money?

[johnnydrama]

So I did what I swore I never would do… go broke with my online money. I am placing myself on an online real money playing ban for the rest of 2007. I’ll play live when I can which won’t be much. I was wondering what I can do in the meantime to practice. Is playing online for play chips worth it to my real game? How about a good software game such as Stacked?

Just read books, watch poker shows? Looking for any tips to keep working on my game while not playing for real money. Is there such a “replacement”?

Thanks

[andy099]

Playing play chips helped my game a lot especially PLO. Quickly build your play chips playing sit and gos until you reach the higher end of the play chip tables where the play is better but still fishy. I like FTP for play chips. See if you can watch videos of players and read hand histories on here to learn.

[Rek]

Johnny, how did you go broke? playing outside your BR? Or are you like the majority of players - i.e. a losing player? No disrespect in that comment but if this is the case then you can still redeposit and play for enjoyment providing you can afford it.

Not all players can be winners - the math don't work.

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. Post problem hands and ask for advice here.

Participate in hand discussions and if your views are challenged don't just try and blindly defend your arguments - understand where others are coming from, they may be right.

Good luck in trying to improve.

[Boise123]

Wow a 2 month ban from real money play, thats a pretty good spanking. The first thing I would do is review as much of your play history as you can to find out why you went busto.

[johnnydrama]

[ QUOTE ]
Johnny, how did you go broke? playing outside your BR?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep! Had a nice run, kept moving up, then BANG. Not sure if it was variance or bad play. BR got knocked down to the point where I was not even properly rolled for $2NL. But swore to myslef that I would grind my BR back up to a proper level. Was working until I wanted to try some HORSE, which of course the min game was way above my BR.
A few bad beats and bad plays later and busto!

I think overall I am a breakeven player (including live play which I have better results at) but have no stats to back that up. Only recently got PT and have only about 700 hands in so far so my 7PTBB/100 realy does not mean anything.

I do post hand histories and will re-deposit in the New Year to get back to money play but in the meantime is there any way to work on my game?

Thanks

[Gen Sterling]

Study your hand histories, Johnny; if you can do so by looking at them on the monitor [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I've found that these HH are often 100 pages long, and printing them out, and working on them at the comfort of my kitchen table, which is what I'd prefer to do, would kill me in ink and paper. Wish there was another way.

Anyway, I think studying your own games, along with reference material i.e; books, is a good way to study. Also, watch the games on TV for good hints, remembering that they ARE edited for TV. Maybe playing some cheap home games?

Good luck

[SellingtheDrama]

A thought for looking at hand histories - when you review the hands pretend you are the main opponent in the hand, think about how he is perceiving you as well as how he's playing his cards against you.

One of the things that really aided my development as a poker player was taking on the different roles in a hand and sorting them all out.

[Rek]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Johnny, how did you go broke? playing outside your BR?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep! Had a nice run, kept moving up, then BANG. Not sure if it was variance or bad play. BR got knocked down to the point where I was not even properly rolled for $2NL. But swore to myslef that I would grind my BR back up to a proper level. Was working until I wanted to try some HORSE, which of course the min game was way above my BR.
A few bad beats and bad plays later and busto!

I think overall I am a breakeven player (including live play which I have better results at) but have no stats to back that up. Only recently got PT and have only about 700 hands in so far so my 7PTBB/100 realy does not mean anything.

I do post hand histories and will re-deposit in the New Year to get back to money play but in the meantime is there any way to work on my game?

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

People will give good advice here. There is so much you can do:
1. Watch tv and videos sure but as has been said they are highly edited and if you are a small stakes player it is not the ideal learning material IMHO.
2. Get good reading material and soak up the info.
3. I don't put much faith in play money. It is good for real noobs who are trying to learn the game. You are past that level. Can't see any real benefit there.
4. Search the internet. There is untold info out there. You probably know many of them anyway but I find Pocket Fives (no flaming please) Card Player, Full Tilt's forum and Pro Tips all very good.
5. 2+2 is my fav forum. There is just so much info here. Go over various threads that relate to you.

My biggest tip for you is to learn proper BR skills. Hundreds of posts and info on 2+2 (pzhon has this down to an art form - search his advice on bankrolling). You must know it but you obviously didn't practice it. Next time you deposit understand your levels and when to move up or down. Plan what you should do and do what you have planned. Otherwise you will go busto again.

PT is good. But also make yourself an excel spreadsheet to incorporate all your live play as well. Log everything (and I mean everything) to find out if you are a winning player.

There you go - more than 2 months worth of homework.

[GinaSD]

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

[johnnydrama]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

How so? I don't know anything about this software.