Anyone who has played poker for real money realizes that playing poker for play money is only suitable to learn the rules of the games. The dynamics of a play money game bare little resemblance to those on a real money poker table. There are many significant differences and whilst of course the rules are the same many of the plays you see working or are hugely profitable on a play money poker table will not have the same level of success on a real money poker table.
When you are playing at lsm999, there is a need to adjust the hands and money. The money management at the platform is essential for winning money and spending less. The choosing of the correct poker table is essential for the purpose to have the desired results.
These differences arise due to the real money element. When you are playing for play money there is essentially no real incentive to play, you have nothing to gain, nothing to lose and therefore there is no fear. You simply want to have some fun which means you play to have fun and not to win money. This basically translates to never folding and wanting to see as many flops and being as involved as you possibly can. Thus in real money poker games people will play tighter, they will play less hands, less hands will go to showdown and the ones that do, stronger hands will be shown.
This is not to say that play money games is a waste of time. Many people still gain enjoyment from it and it provides a useful tool for learning to play poker online. It also provides the opportunity to learn the quirks of the poker software, like how to recognise when it’s your turn, how to bet and how long you have to make decisions. However it should be the goal of every play money player to move to the real money tables at some point but you will need to make some adjustments:-
Adjustment 1 – Play at the micros
The games at the lowest buy ins are most likely to resemble the play money games. This is because to most people $2 is not a lot of money and therefore you are more likely to find recreational players at this limit who want to play as many hands as they can. Therefore if you are playing real money games for the first time you should definitely sit at the lowest stakes you can find. You can play against the weakest opposition with games that play similar to the games you are used to. You can also get used to the feeling of playing for real money in case you feel an added pressure.
Adjustment 2 – Play tighter and with stronger ranges
As people are playing tighter i.e. less hands and will therefore have stronger ranges (stronger hand values on average) it makes sense that you will also have to play tighter yourself to compensate. You will soon begin to find that whilst top pair would win the pot close to 100% of the time in play money games, it is not usually strong enough to be betting all three streets with and you could be betting with the 2nd best hand.
Adjustment 3 – People Being to Fold – Therefore Use Controlled Aggression
As money is now involved you will find more people folding to your bets and so you can target the tighter players with controlled aggression. Controlled aggression means betting in the right spots where there is a high chance they will fold rather than just blindly betting hoping they will fold. A great example of controlled aggression with a high success rate is the continuation bet. A continuation bet is where you have raised pre flop which you follow up with a 2/3 pot bet on the flop. This often leads to your opponent folding as he only ever has a pair 1 in 3 times.
Adjustment 4 – Play position
Playing position means playing more hands in late position and less hands in early position and from the blinds. By being aware of position you will often be last to act in the later betting rounds. This is extremely important as you will have more information than anyone else to make a decision. For example if your opponent checks on a scary card he most likely is scared of the card and so you can take advantage of that weakness by betting.
Adjustment 5 – Don’t Over Adjust
Whilst it is exciting to play on real money tables and you have to adjust your play style to be profitable it is important not to over adjust! Just because the players fold more doesn’t mean you should bluff more and just because they are better players doesn’t mean you are getting bluffed more or they can read your soul. Just concentrate on playing fundamentally the same game on the lowest real money limits and you should be fine.
Full Tilt Poker is a great place to play for real money for the first time. They have very low buy in tables of just $2 as well as many weak players that will allow you to be a successful real money poker player. Read more below…
Play for Real Money at Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker will allow you to taste the thrill of playing online poker for real money. Join the thousands of other players playing at one of the World’s leading and largest poker rooms. In addition to the huge player base gain access to huge tournaments, freerolls and cash games in many poker variants. Also benefit from a $600 SIGN UP BONUS as well as their rewarding ongoing promotions.
You can also play with one of their many top poker pros including Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, online poker sensation Tom “Durrr” Dwan and many more! If you don’t feel ready for the real money tables, play money tables are provided.
