Real vs Play money

Chaos81 · #1 03-20-2005, 06:08 PM

I have a friend who I keep trying to explain how different play vs real money is. He seems to think that because he can crush the play sng's that he could do the same with real money.

I try to explain to him how people play different with real money then they do with play. But he doesn't seem to believe me. Can someone give me something to help explain it better? [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

afk · #2 03-20-2005, 06:09 PM

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I try to explain to him how people play different with real money then they do with play. But he doesn't seem to believe me. Can someone give me something to help explain it better? [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

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Maybe have him risk some of his own money?

Chaos81 · #3 03-20-2005, 06:25 PM

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Maybe have him risk some of his own money?

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As stupid as this probably sounds, I didn't even think of that. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

afk · #4 03-20-2005, 06:51 PM

Heheh no worries - my reply wasn't meant to come off sarcastic either, though it may have. I played with play money a little bit before I got into real money and even starting at nickel and dime my play changed just because it was actually real money - and you actually have something (though not much in the grand scheme of things) to win or lose.

KenProspero · #5 03-21-2005, 12:51 AM

At the risk of being crude --

Tell your friend it's like the difference between masturbation and making love to another person.

Chaos81 · #6 03-21-2005, 02:26 AM

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my reply wasn't meant to come off sarcastic either, though it may have.

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I didn't. Don't worry. I just honestly didn't even think of that.

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Tell your friend it's like the difference between masturbation and making love to another person.

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That's actually a pretty good way to put it. Thanks.

SomethingClever · #7 03-21-2005, 02:13 PM

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I try to explain to him how people play different with real money then they do with play.

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Strangely, this is not always true.

But it's true that beating play money SNGs doesn't equate to beating real ones.

Yeah, just have him play a few real ones. $5 or $10 cheapies on Stars.

Hedge Henderson · #8 03-22-2005, 04:46 AM

I haven't played many SNGs, but I think sometimes the difference between play money and real money is exaggerated on this forum for emphasis. Sure, the play is different, but it's no more than the difference between micro-limit and low-limit.

I've seen play money games with three players to the flop and where a bluff actually works, and I've seen $0.25/$0.50 games where it's capped every street and there are five players to the showdown.

When it comes to play quality, moving from play money to micro-limit real money isn't some magical threshold, it's just the next level.

If your friend is really crushing the play money SNGs, Chaos81, he might actually win at the real money ones, too, just not quite as much. I guess there's only one way to find out...

Reef · #9 03-22-2005, 08:52 AM

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Tell your friend it's like the difference between masturbation and making love to another person.

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n1.

it could also be the difference between beating dance dance revolution versus actually knowing how to dance.

Crooked Paul · #10 03-23-2005, 05:09 AM

I just switched from playing the top-stakes play money tables on Poker Stars to playing the real money tables at the lowest stakes. This was about three weeks ago.

Like your friend, I drove the action at nearly every play money table I joined, often tripling or quadrupling up in under an hour. When I first started playing for real money, I was getting absolutely gutted by players with terrible hands drawing out on me.

I'm not sure about the psychology here, but I'll hazard a guess. Simply put, laydowns are a lot easier when one has only play money invested in the pot. At the real money tables, I found that a player with ANY kind of hand (low PP with three overcards on board, bottom pair with weak kicker) pretty much refused to lay it down. They hated to see their chips go when they still had a snowball's chance in hell at seeing them come back with some new friends.

Of course, these are exactly the kind of fish you want at your table. By adjusting my play only slightly, I've recouped all my losses and then some.

(For anyone who's interested, the main thing I changed was this: When I first sit down at a table, I don't play my A game. I play SUPER-tight until I show down a couple of killer hands and take some decent pots. Once my table image is established, I play normally, using position and bluffs and semi-bluffs. At real money tables, these tactics seem to work only after I've established some credibility.)

I like the analogy of masturbation vs. sex. I find it delightfully concise. Even though the end result is the same in certain ways, you care a lot more about the latter activity.

Crooked