Poker Game(Software)

Buceph

I just played my first two online games for real money, and my first tournament(which was a beginners freeroll.) With the freeroll I made it to 161 of 2000, and with the sit and go cash game tournament thing I made it to fifth and sixth. And what really struck me from this, apart from the fake money games being pointless, is that I'm complete ****e.

Seeing as I'm never going to pick it up from play money games, and I can't afford to pay to learn, is there any poker software that is an accurate representation. I know there are loads of games out for it, the Hoyle's stuff, and I've seen loads for the PSP as well, but are any of them decent. Even if they're not realistic, they have to be a damn sight better than play money.

BigWilly

well, if you're willing to splash out on the software, then why not deposit a small bankroll and play .02/.04 blinds?

RoundTower

try playing the high stakes play money games, ones you can't play until you have more play money chips than the site gives you to start. The standard in these is probably as good as at the lowest levels of real money play.

Buceph

BigWilly wrote:

well, if you're willing to splash out on the software, then why not deposit a small bankroll and play .02/.04 blinds?

Because I can load up some games into my PSP and DS and play it on the train.

valor

high stakes play money, lol

padraig_f

I've tried a couple and have yet to see a decent one. The AI usually lets them down. It's not even bad in the same way that low-stakes online players are bad (which would be something), but just in doing things that no human player good or bad would ever do. e.g. reraising you pre-flop with some junk hand, then flopping 2-pair and checking it down to the river. I think your money would be better spent playing the online micro-limits and buying a copy of Theory of Poker for your train journey.

Sinfonia

padraig_f wrote:

I think your money would be better spent playing the online micro-limits and buying a copy of Theory of Poker for your train journey.

solid advice, i'll second that

Scotty #

valor wrote:

high stakes play money, lol

LMAO!!:D

RoundTower

Scotty # wrote:

LMAO!!:D

actually I was being 100% serious.

30something

valor wrote:

high stakes play money, lol

He he, this is a great eaxample of an Oxymoron, must add it to the list....

....Oxymoron!!

........I found a use on the net for the word OXYMORON. Jaysus, this internet thing is brilliant.

luckylucky

Poker academy pro 2 is some training software I have, I hardly ever use it as I'm too busy playing for money but it seems like a decent enough program to me.

Also though as the other guys suggest why not play the micro stakes - it's real money, but you can play for such low amounts it'd b hard 4 u 2 lose much, also buy yourself 1 or 2 poker books - lee jones Winning low limit hold'em(or s.thng like that), Ed Miller's Small Stakes Hold Em , Theory of Poker as Already mentioned and Matthew Hilger's Winning Internet Texas Hold'Em. (I probably have some of the titles wrong but you can easily find em). There's plenty of other decent books out there but that should be plenty for a newbie to get his/her hooks into.

Mellor

luckylucky wrote:

Poker academy pro 2 is some training software I have, I hardly ever use it as I'm too busy playing for money but it seems like a decent enough program to me.

Also though as the other guys suggest why not play the micro stakes - it's real money, but you can play for such low amounts it'd b hard 4 u 2 lose much, also buy yourself 1 or 2 poker books - lee jones Winning low limit hold'em(or s.thng like that), Ed Miller's Small Stakes Hold Em , Theory of Poker as Already mentioned and Matthew Hilger's Winning Internet Texas Hold'Em. (I probably have some of the titles wrong but you can easily find em). There's plenty of other decent books out there but that should be plenty for a newbie to get his/her hooks into.

Why not go the student friendly route.
Get a poker book from the library. Read it and get the next one.
And €20 into the 2c/4c games.

phantom_lord

RoundTower wrote:

actually I was being 100% serious.

Sure it worked for Roy Brindley.

eggie

My advice would be to buy Harrington on Holdem vol 1, spend a month reading it, and put a few quid away each week. Then start of on the low Sit n Go buy ins, betfair and full tilt do €1 buy-ins as far as i remember.

The variance in cash games is too high for a beginner with a limited bankroll. STT's will give you more experience playing for less risk. Try and apply what you learn in theory to your practical game. Youll probably come across lots of bad players but dont try and mimic them simply because they get lucky, stick to your game plan. Also keep a record of your results/notes on players, etc. and revise them regularly to pick up repetitve mistakes you are making and fix them. This may not make you a fortune at the beginning but as you improve and move up levels you will find it rewarding.

Also read plenty of forums such as this as there are a lot of good players who are helpful in hand analysis and giving advice. Take a long term approach and remember almost everyone loses at the beginning, you gotta pay for your training so to speak.

breadmonkey

I started off playing 20c STTs etc. but before that I played some of these "high stakes play money" games. True, you have to amass quite a lot to play the biggest ones but they are still a joke. I don't believe any sort of program will give you a better understanding of the game than simply playing with real players.

Sparky1808 posted up a thing a while ago which gives you $15 free on Full On Poker. Do that, and be very disciplined with it. Play really really low stakes STTs until you get a feel for it. i.e. don't jump in at the $3 games. (or even the $1 ones for that matter).

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054984108&referrerid=&highlight=blinky

Buceph

Thanks for all the advice. I'll give some of them a go. Might check out my Uni's poker soc as well.

luckylucky

A lot of people here I note have advised you to play micro stakes sngs and that's fine, just one thing to note for someone like you who's not used to playing lots of them, you can go on tremendous good and bad runs in them that can give you the wrong impression on how you are doing in them. You could lose 20 in a row without doing anything wrong and also you could cash in 10 in a row and not be playing great poker. So try not to get overly results focused. Good luck with it anyways.

SkinnyDoogan

I am new to on-line poker,
seems to be too many good players
when i'm at the table, I was chatting to
a friend about this and he told me that
far too many have their own poker simulator
programs that tells them the odds and the
the best way to play their money. :mad:

Is this possible to do this, if it is where
do I get mine from....:)

ollyk1

Buceph wrote:

Because I can load up some games into my PSP and DS and play it on the train.

Get your cousin to send you episodes of High Stakes poker and Live at the bike (with Greenstein commnetary) and convert the episodes for PSP viewing. Sendic was kind enough to show me this on his PSP over the weekend and its pretty sweet. Top notch train viewing!!