Online Poker's Play-Money Games

One of online poker rooms' greatest attractions is the play-money games they offer. While traditional gaming venues can not afford to host games that do not require monetary investment on behalf of the players, online poker destinations provide poker fans with an opportunity to hone their gaming skills for zero dollars. What can be more enjoyable for a poker beginner than playing the game with absolutely no risk of damaging his bankroll?

Online poker play-money games indeed facilitate a new player's learning process. However, most poker experts maintain that, unfortunately, besides the obvious upsides, these 'demo' games also have downsides. It's been said that play-money games provide poker novices with only a very basic understanding of poker's rules. What we mean to say is, that play-money games are efficient solely in the very beginning. However, once this first phase is completed, players should move on to real-money games where the strategic calculations are completely different.

Play-money games lack the challenge typically delivered by real-money games. This lack of challenge is, in fact, easy to explain. Not having to invest any funds is both a blessing and a curse. We've already established why it can be a blessing, so now we owe our readers an explanation on the curse part. When players don't have to put their own money on the line, naturally, they play very differently than when their cash is at risk. The reason behind such a phenomenon is pretty obvious. Having nothing to lose, players tend to stay in the game regardless to their hands' value. Our own experience has taught us that holding even the weakest possible hand, play-money players usually keep drawing in hope of catching a much better one. Such behavior very rarely takes place in real-money games.

The only occasion which forces players to apply real-money game strategy in a game that does not require preliminary cash investment is when a poker room stages a freeroll tournament. Freerolls are tournaments which do not require any payment for participation. The twist lies in the fact that although players are not required to put their money on the table, winners do receive real-money prizes. It is because players are really interested in winning some free cash, that they make their best effort to win these freerolls (and that's why they don't act as carelessly as in play-money games).

Bottom line? There is the right time and the right place for everything. If you are new to poker, then it's completely justified that you seek to make your first steps playing fake-money games. Learning the rules as well as basic winning strategies, without having to worry about money is only fair. However, once you're done learning, don't get hooked. Move on! Only real-money games can bring you those fabulous amounts of cash you have always been dreaming about...