Play money vs real money tables

Very green to poker and trying to get my head around all the information available.

I'm currently working on the 19 hand starting strategy and understanding calculating pot odds. Read about managing my bankroll so I figured it was time to apply the little knowledge I have to the real world and see how it works.

In 2 guides I've read on 2 different websites, one says practice playing on the play money tables, the other said just dive into real money at micro stakes because the people playing play money tables aren't betting realistically. What is your opinion on this?

I did play on a play money table micro stakes for an hour today, went from $50 to $110 just playing tight starting hands. I noticed some of the hands my opponents were calling on were just ridiculous. The only way I won was by getting lucky because someone went all in and I thought they were bluffing when I held a pair of Jacks and the cards on the table after the flop were all lower so I went all in too. :roll:

Hello ILA,

I think its fantastic your trying to get your head round pot odds before going to real cash.
When you are fluent at your pot odds and can spot people at play money who put there money in the pot with bad pot odds , you will discover they are exploitable.

When you decide to play at cash tables, you will discover people doing exactly the same thing. who are also exploitable.

YOu should also develop a habit of making little notes on some of the Players that do nutty things.

i.e. Celtic123 went ALLin 3 times with shit , maniac.
yellow pete raised my raise with QQ , seems decent.

That sort of stuff comes in handy as you develop skills.

There is a mindbloggling world of info out there and on this site.

Also , bookmark information on PLAYING IN POSITION. It might not seem important now.but its shockingly important.

I cant advise you when to move to real cash because its your money.

Your post looks like your building a good foundation for real cash , and I like your way of posting a question first before you try something .

Good look

Good to hear you're trying to go about this the right way. Sure wish I did that when I started out.

Rule #1 that nobody tells you unless you find a place such as this: LEARN. You always have more to learn about poker. I do. Everyone in this forum does. Everyone you watch on TV does. The more you read online, in books, post, etc the more you will learn about poker and how to beat your opponents.

The best things to learn first (seems like you're on the right track, tho): Starting hands, POSITION, Pot Odds, POSITION, and being able to understand how good your cards are and what plays you can make with your cards. Then, thinking about why your opponents are doing what they're doing is a big one (but on microstakes there may often be no good explanation).

And to answer your question, I wouldn't start out playing play money games. Six people shoving their chips in the middle every flop is the furthest thing from actual poker. Even the lowest of low stakes is better practice. Just put some money in, whatever you're comfortable with (if you're not comfortable with the stakes you're playing MOVE DOWN) and make sure you're properly bankrolled and have at it.

Good luck!

edit: sp

You will see ridiculuous calls at micro tables.There are a lot of players who will pay just to see if you are bluffing.Avoid bluffs.

As long as you don't mind the possibility of losing some money, definitely play micro rather than play chips. As you've already seen, you can even win immediately by playing tight poker, which also happens to give you a solid foundation to expand your game as you learn.

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it and it's reassuring to read that I'm on the right track. I will take everything on board, learn about position, and once I have a good understanding of these basics I'll start on in the $2NL real money tables.

Thanks again and good luck to you all.