The Best Of The Worst!

[The Sheriff JBJ 0]

BACKGROUNDOK... Here's my situation. I have had major internet problems over the last 2 weeks and this wont be resolved for a further week or so. My connection keeps drifting in and out. So I have stopped playing 'Real Money' ring games and SnG's as a crash at the wrong time cost me.Therefore, I have started playing Play Money against the maniacs. I have gone from 2000 chips to almost 700,000 ish in that time.THE SCENARIOPlaying SnG's and Ring games working my way up the level's i.e not risking more than 5% of my Bank Roll in anyone buy in. I found that playing tight and getting my money in with the best of it, soon got me away from the kamikazee. All - in 1st hand brigade and Bingo Players.However, I still come across people in 500/1000 cash games and 10,000 SnG's who make horrid plays. At the end of the day its play money so no risk or pinch if you lose I know....THE QUESTIONHow good are the play money players who have Millions of chips? We know they can make decsions with no fear, but I have seen some with massive play money accounts make such bad plays, I question how the hell did they get all those chips when you can only start with 2,000. Are they just the best of the worst? Or are there really some great poker players who play for the game rather than the cash?How about this for one idea - Play money players could be mid teenagers who want to play poker, but who are obviousally restricted to those games for the moment.

[hblask 1]

They're terrible, just better than the rest. Play money is nothing like real money.BTW, there are people who will buy your play money, so once you make a million, look them up, I think the going rate is about $10 real money for $1M play money. I have no idea why.

[Young Turk 0]

Play money's good if you want to learn the rules of a game, learn how to get a feel for the basics (I would actually strongly recommend playing some play money Omaha Hi/Lo before attempting it for real money, just so you learn about reading the board properly). However the sheer volume of ineptitude means that the players there can't play beyond a certain poker level. Sure there are some solid players there, but they spend so long feasting on the shoals of fish that they don't learnt to cannibalise, as good players do at higher levels due to the diminished fecundity of their games. There are some alright players there, but they won't be making hero plays because they just don't need to...they can kick back and rake in the play money. In my first week of play money poker I turned my initial 2k into over 3mil; and at even at the highest stakes there was a 50-80% density of dreadful players. Once you learn the game you have to play for money, even if it's microlimits, to get an enjoyable game because play money engenders such a disregard for big moves...

[Northie 0]

They're terrible, just better than the rest. Play money is nothing like real money.

QFT.

[TheMathProf 0]

I'm going to slightly disagree with the previous posters, having played both and moved back to play money due to the laws in WA. (I know, what are the odds they catch me? It's a bad beat I can't afford.)I would say that your average high stakes play money player is probably about on par with your average microlimits cash game player. There are obviously exceptions to this, but it's probably pretty close.

[DrawingDeadInDM 0]

I had a bet with a buddy that I couldn't run up 1 mil of play money in a week..and while I was attempting said venture, I noticed that a lot of the "high limit" play money games are actually, pretty competitive and pretty good.

[David_Nicoson 1]

I went back and played some play money about a year ago. The competition was much softer than I had realized before, even at the highest play money tables.

[Big Jono 0]

I used to play the '40k or fold' play money games on stars, there are some pretty good players on there once it gets deepstacked obviously. Many would easily be winning players at low limits cash.I sold my millions to tradeyourchips.com for like $12.50 a mill at the time, lol those were the days.

[rogerwilco 0]

I had a bet with a buddy that I couldn't run up 1 mil of play money in a week..and while I was attempting said venture, I noticed that a lot of the "high limit" play money games are actually, pretty competitive and pretty good.

That is a bet you can win very easily, even starting with just 1000 chips. I believe, that any real money poker with half a brain can do this if he puts some effort into it.To answer OPs question: There are some players who take playing with play money more seriously than others, so naturally they are better than the complete donks. But if there are any "great" players there - they will move to real money quickly in my opinion.

[Jeepster80125 0]

Play money's good if you want to learn the rules of a game, learn how to get a feel for the basics (I would actually strongly recommend playing some play money Omaha Hi/Lo before attempting it for real money, just so you learn about reading the board properly). However the sheer volume of ineptitude means that the players there can't play beyond a certain poker level. Sure there are some solid players there, but they spend so long feasting on the shoals of fish that they don't learnt to cannibalise, as good players do at higher levels due to the diminished fecundity of their games. There are some alright players there, but they won't be making hero plays because they just don't need to...they can kick back and rake in the play money. In my first week of play money poker I turned my initial 2k into over 3mil; and at even at the highest stakes there was a 50-80% density of dreadful players. Once you learn the game you have to play for money, even if it's microlimits, to get an enjoyable game because play money engenders such a disregard for big moves...

Best 8th post EVAR!

[troyomac 0]

BTW, there are people who will buy your play money, so once you make a million, look them up, I think the going rate is about $10 real money for $1M play money. I have no idea why.

Wow is this for real? I have 2.7 million on party poker right now

[cubsfan44 0]

They're terrible, just better than the rest. Play money is nothing like real money.BTW, there are people who will buy your play money, so once you make a million, look them up, I think the going rate is about $10 real money for $1M play money. I have no idea why.

Seriously? Where at?

[Zelphade 0]

i have over 20 million play chips on party..... brag post obv.

[troyomac 0]

i have over 20 million play chips on party..... brag post obv.

Heads up for rollz?

[Jelly-Filled Ace 1]

PS 'racers' still buy plenty of chips, breaking into their world however is another story. The 50.00 a mill day were glorious times - oh so long ago...

[dunkirk 0]

The only on-line play I do is pokerstars play money tournies partly because I live in Washington and on-line play is explicitly illegal here. I have played regularly for about 2 years and consider myself a solid recreational player but obviously no all-star. My belief is that there are a fair number of decent play-money tourney players in the higher buy-in tournies (50 k and 80k ). Admittedly it is a pretty easy game to beat but I think it is mostly because 1/3 - 1/2 of the field is very bad. By the time you get down to the final 1/4 of the field there is usually at least a couple of very solid players who play seriously and reasonably well. I think the quality of play in the tournies is vastly superior to the play money "cash" games that are offered which I find horrid and pointless to play.I actually keep stats of my play and I must admit that I've noticed a difference in the quality of play and in my personal ROI% as I've moved up levels. I noticed a large difference between the 25K and 50K tournies and a smaller difference between the 50K and 80K tournies. At each transition I was a losing player for a while until I improved my game (embarassing, I know). I am not proud to say that I'm a winning player at all play-money levels with a lifetime tourney ROI of between 15% and 20%. To regularly play the 80K tournies you probably need 2 million chips. Since you start with 2k and have to grind it up you have to at least be able to beat the worst of the worst. Other folks I've talked to who have made the transition to cash tournies say that the best play money tournies play about like a 5$ SNG.

[ErikRyland1 0]

lol OBV teenagers majority / and only the smart ones find out you can sell playchips for real money this is how I got started getting better in poker when my friends stopped playing every day cup years ago. And to answer your question They have 40k or fold rooms and thats how bad players obtain chips and there is also a game called guts where everyone shoves 40k in every hand.