Fresh Fish

I just found your site a week ago, and what a eye opener( i can't stop reading all the posts). I thought i knew something about poker but clearly i had no idea. I want to start playing for money but know i am not ready. Right now i play on party poker with play money.

After reading your posts i have been practicing :
reading the flop
position
pot odds (hard to do on the fly, does it get easier w/ prac)
reading the table and players

must say it is overwhelming at the moment (but i love it)

I've found Rentons pre-flop strat to be very helpful


Questions:
What r some basic things i should focus on (am i on the right track)?

Is it worth playing with fake money (I feel people don't take is seriouly)?

your guys insite would be great

welcome!

Originally Posted by rfed

I've found Rentons pre-flop strat to be very helpful

any new TAGGs bible..

Questions:
What r some basic things i should focus on (am i on the right track)?

seems like you are focusing on the right stuff so far.. but bankroll management is the hidden secret most beginners dont know about / pay much attention to

Is it worth playing with fake money (I feel people don't take is seriouly)?

If you have some $$ to get going it would be better to just play at real money tables. I havent played much play money, but many people do not take it seriously, and you might develop some bad habits down there..

always use good bankroll management!!

get pokertracker & gametime+ or pokerace HUD as soon as possible.. keep reading/posting hand histories on here..

Not much to be learned at playmoney.

Pokerstars have some micro limits for which you can be adequately bankrolled with a small deposit. You can also get a bunch of hands in with low level sngs at a fixed risk. Play, think, post and learn. If you can put the hours in you will move up rapidly if you are continuosly trying to improve your game and you have some discipline.

From what i've read in here about bankroll management

you should have 100x the big blind?

So if im playing a .05/.10 game i should buy in with $10.

Is the correct?

also dont forget about playing for bonuses..

Originally Posted by rfed

From what i've read in here about bankroll management

you should have 100x the big blind?

So if im playing a .05/.10 game i should buy in with $10.

Is the correct?

No, you've missed the point. Bankroll management is shorthand for ensuring you have enough money committed to poker to play at the level you're at. It's a necessity because the chance factor of poker means that there is a statistical certainty that every single player will, at some point, suffer a substantial financial loss. If you are not adequately bankrolled, you will go broke.

The way bankroll management is quantified is in terms of multiples of buyins. The multiples concerned differ depending on which type of game you want to play. The accepted levels for low-stakes poker are as follows:

Limit Texas Hold'em cash game: 300 x big bet (e.g. $300 to play at $0.50/$1)
No-Limit Texas Hold'em cash game: 20 x maximum buyin (e.g. $500 to play at $25NL)
No-limit Texas Hold'em Sit'n'Go tournament: 20 x buyin (e.g. $220 to play at $10+$1)

If you want to play multi-table tournaments you need a bigger bankroll relative to the buyin (perhaps 50 x buyin?) but this is not my area so someone else can fill in here.

Bear in mind the above figures will not save you from going bust if you are a below average player, but if you are a long-term winner, even a small one, they will prevent you going bust in 999 out of 1000 cases. Please note that if you DO lose a lot of money you may be forced, if you practise good bankroll management, to move down in stakes until you are once again bankrolled for your previous stake.

What r some basic things i should focus on (am i on the right track)?

Preflop hand selection is a crucial skill, and pretty easy to master

Is it worth playing with fake money (I feel people don't take is seriouly)?

yes and no
as far as learning to play good disciplined poker the only thing that resemble a low level real money games are the higer buy in play money sng's.

The value of play money games is determining if you are good enough to play for real money.
If you can't crash the play money games you are not good enough to play for real money

reading the table and players

Having played play money/freerolls for nearly six months, I can say that this skill really doesn't transfer to your really money game. While its possible to read people at play money tables, you will very rarely encounter the same type of player at a low stakes table.

yes and no
as far as learning to play good disciplined poker the only thing that resemble a low level real money games are the higer buy in play money sng's.

I dont think any play money tables at party poker resemble low stakes poker. If you still want to play play money I would recomened going to Full Tilt or Stars. It is much better play.