Where to practice for free

Is there anywhere you can go to practice online for free? I find that most play money games seem too loose to offer any real experience, even at the higher levels.

I am hoping to avoid any money play right now because I started playing a month ago, killed the play tables after two weeks, and lost about a grand on the low level money tables in two weeks...now I am halfway through Harrington's HOHE Vol 1 and am cautiously looking for some payback.

[Jbrochu]

I am considering working off the 100% deposit bonus at Full Tilt and so played a play money STT this weekend to check out the interface. I was shocked at how well the majority of players played. Seemed comparable to a $22 at Stars. Of course, my sample size is 1 so take it for what it's worth.

[Hornacek]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there anywhere you can go to practice online for free? I find that most play money games seem too loose to offer any real experience, even at the higher levels.


[/ QUOTE ]High level play money tables... LOL.

I'd suggest just B&M it to get experience, or find the ulta low limits at Party like .25/.50. I haven't really ever heard of tight play money poker.

[splashpot]

If you're talking about cash games, Stars has .01/.02 limit games. If you can't beat these games, you aren't cut out for poker. If you're talking about SNGs, the cheapest I can think of is UB which has 1+.10 games.

[zambonidrivr]

look both of your posts are very noob related, and how much can i earn and learn, etc. i am not flaming you here but i highly recommend reading hoh vol 1&2, to get a better understanding of the game. More importantly, read these fourms and become an expert pushbot.

[pooh74]

[ QUOTE ]
look both of your posts are very noob related, and how much can i earn and learn, etc. i am not flaming you here but i highly recommend reading hoh vol 1&2, to get a better understanding of the game. More importantly, read these fourms and become an expert pushbot.

[/ QUOTE ]

If he hasnt read any poker books EVER...I would read Theory of Poker before anything. Just my opinion.

[bennies]

Take a week off from playing and read posts on this forum. Then you should be more than ready. If you have 500$ go ahead and play the 10+1 Sit 'n Go's at Party poker, the opposition is miserable here. (They will call down bluffs however, so don't bluff, at least not on level 1-3.)

If incidentally you have 570$ then spend the 70 on this program: http://sitngo-analyzer.com/ - it is worth ten-fold the prize.

[Paxosmotic]

Not completely free, but Poker Academy Pro 2 might let you get a little more practice for your money.

[Irieguy]

You cannot play poker for free.

If it's free, it's not poker.

That would be like asking if you can play baseball without a ball.

Irieguy

[zambonidrivr]

NO FREE RIDES IN POKER BABY!

[valenzuela]

[ QUOTE ]


If it's free, it's not poker.

That would be like asking if you can play baseball without a ball.



[/ QUOTE ]

Horrible analogy( i suspect u know this however), poker without cards would be correct but here we are talking about free poker
To the OP...play the next best thing, freerolls.

[ QUOTE ]
lost about a grand on the low level money tables in two weeks

[/ QUOTE ]

move to the 20's and join my table

[Irieguy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


If it's free, it's not poker.

That would be like asking if you can play baseball without a ball.



[/ QUOTE ]

Horrible analogy( i suspect u know this however), poker without cards would be correct but here we are talking about free poker


[/ QUOTE ]

No, the cards in poker are like the bases, lines, and fences in baseball. But the actual game of baseball requires a ball, and the actual game of poker requires stakes. You could still play a form of baseball with nothing but a bat and ball (over the line).

You can play poker without cards (liar's poker).

But you can't play poker for free. There is no such thing as free poker. Just like playing baseball without a ball, playing poker without money is just pretending.

Irieguy

[Hornacek]

[ QUOTE ]
Just like playing baseball without a ball, playing poker without money is just pretending.

[/ QUOTE ]

nh.

[tigerite]

... and, just like baseball without a ball, a total waste of time.

[valenzuela]

have you played freerolls?? that is poker actually, its FREE POKER but with money prizes.
Maybe this is the typcial discussion where the parts are discussing a diferent subject, I think I can prove you wrong on the money=ball analogy with dictionary definitions but I cant be bothered.

[pooh74]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


If it's free, it's not poker.

That would be like asking if you can play baseball without a ball.



[/ QUOTE ]

Horrible analogy( i suspect u know this however), poker without cards would be correct but here we are talking about free poker


[/ QUOTE ]

No, the cards in poker are like the bases, lines, and fences in baseball. But the actual game of baseball requires a ball, and the actual game of poker requires stakes. You could still play a form of baseball with nothing but a bat and ball (over the line).

You can play poker without cards (liar's poker).

But you can't play poker for free. There is no such thing as free poker. Just like playing baseball without a ball, playing poker without money is just pretending.

Irieguy

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't agree 100%.

At the time I got into poker before law school, I was working at a pool hall part time just for free table time. I spent my days and nights gambling and at night there would be a card game once in awhile. (this was my intro to HE and Omaha, never heard of them before '98).

Anyway, one of the best all around pool players I ever met was the owner's son who I went to HS with. He had played for big money throughout his life and played in large field open tournaments.

When he played guys in the room, he never cared about the stakes...he'd play for 1000 for a set or for a coke. He played for his pride...we often played for a dollar a game or nothing and he ALWAYS gave me his best game. Sometimes it was actually frustrating because he would take so long to shoot and I would think, "God, its not like there is anything on the line". But there was.

I often play cards with my GF and family for no stakes and my drive to win is enough to make me play well.

The key for OP is twofold...whether he can find a game where other players feel strongly about winning for its own sake, and two, whether OP wants to win/play well for its own sake.

You might call the thrill of winning, "competitive spirit" the "stakes", but I don't think that't what you meant.

Just playing devil's advocate...in practice I happen to agree a bit with what you're saying to a degree...but to say that poker w/o money is not poker is wrong.

[DMACM]

I started at Ultimate Bet playing play chips. Once you get up to 1000-2000 blinds off the 1000 chips they give u to start the play is almost like .01-.02 cents real money. This probably sounds like a dumb idea to most people but I get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that the only money Ive ever taken out of my bank account to play poker is 2 deposits of 35 and 25. I lost the first 35 playing .01-.02 and I'm a winning player at the 11s now even under the rigiorous sample sizes expected around here. PM me if you want and Ill transfer you a million play chips on UB.

I disagree...high level poker can be played without money. IRC poker used to be played at a pretty high level...at least as high as 22s and 33s. You just need to find the right situation although maybe that is not possible anymore with real cash games available online.

[bones]

[ QUOTE ]
have you played freerolls?? that is poker actually, its FREE POKER but with money prizes.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're completely missing the point.

[ QUOTE ]
I think I can prove you wrong on the money=ball analogy with dictionary definitions but I cant be bothered.


[/ QUOTE ]

Aren't you the guy that created a bunch of fake accounts to swing the vote in an OOT poll? You can't be bothered to do something?

[Jbrochu]

[ QUOTE ]
You cannot play poker for free.

If it's free, it's not poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure Chris Ferguson would agree with you, since didn't he develop his tournament game playing for free?

[KennyBanya]

See the link for the replayer in Citanul's FAQ.

You wont be playing for free, but you can watch how winning players played entire SNG's. Hole cards are included at no charge.

Peace,

KennyBanya

Its a little warm in here. Good to see that this is just like a typical war room. Thanks for all the suggestions, I will start working on this stuff now.