Funny Money

I have been playing hold'em for about 9 months. However, I play inbars where they don't offer money but prizes. I have read on poker blogs that playing in these games is bad for your poker development. Could someone explain why?

[Songwind]

Well, for one thing you spend your money from your BR and end up with stuff that you can't use to buy chips. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I don't buy anything I don't drink (past problems). Why is bad for poker education?

[AKQJ10]

The only reason I can figure is that some people see play money play in general as worthless. I don't, and if the EV(fun) + EV(winning a prize) >= EV (other things you'd be doing with the time) then I say go for it.

I think the problem is the attitude that other people take towards it - like it's play money, so they don't play like they would if it's real money. Take about an hour of your time and play the play money tables at Party or somewhere. You see the screwiest plays ever. People throw all their money in every hand and just rebuy when they run out and stuff like that. I played play money for a while and I'm pretty sure it screwed me up at first when I started playing real money because I figured it was practice for playing with real money. Bad assumption on my part. People's motivation changes when it's for real and so does their play.

OTOH if you are aware of this and are just out having a good time, then it shouldn't screw you up any more than playing Omaha screws up your Hold'em play. They are both poker, but they are still very different games.

[AKQJ10]

Well, it's a question of degree, and not unlike saying that opponents in the Foxwoods $2/4 or in the Pacific 25c/50c play as though money means nothing to them. There aren't quite as many players making mistakes, and not all the mistakes they make are as bad. But at times some of them will still make gallingly obvious mistakes, and over time those mistakes will pay you off.

In a way the "Play money will screw up your game," is a close cousin of "Loose games are too unpredictable for me to beat." Most often the person struggling in loose games doesn't really understand poker theoretically, hence isn't adjusting properly. In the long run, correct play (even unadjusted) should get the "money" in play money games. With a few modifications (playing more drawing hands like low pairs and suited connectors) you'll do even better.

Of course your reward will be winning imaginary dough or whatever prizes are on offer; it's up to you whether the +EV in fun makes up for what you could be winning online at limits you can beat.