Play Money Holiday

Whilst off work and recovering from a sedative in hospital I have sensibly avoided cash poker and been playing for play money:) I have always argued that there is no point in playing poker for no stake at all but this is simply not true as it is actually great fun. Some of the highlights so far have included sextupling my play roll in omaha cash during a 9way all in fest; quadrupling through in the second hand of a 6man nlhe sit and go, then trying my hand at 7 card stud and doubling through my starting stack in no time! Now obviously all my run good has arrived at once but the fact is that these games are a great training ground for the lowest limit play anyway.  You have to think long and hard before bluffing in play money because of the insanely wide calling ranges but conversely you can bet the pants off players with your better starting hands and flop hits. These are two of arguably the three most important elements of poker besides choosing good starting hands. Players also tell you more or less straight away with their timing and betting patterns how strong their hand is in a very exaggerated way.  If they insta check you can bet as a bluff, if they dwell you can charge them to draw/pay you off with a worse made hand etc. I met a player today who insta potted all his bluffs for example, which baffled the rest of the table into submission whilst I took note of it until I was in a position to make a play.

Play money has also given me the bug for seven card stud again. I definitely enjoy 7stud more than omaha as you get more reward for selecting tighter starting hands plus glean lots of information on other players' hands as you move through the streets. I only play omaha from time to time in an effort to become a more rounded player but I find that it is a very swingy game better suited to people with more money to burn than I have. I also nearly got pwned heads up in a  nlhe sit and go until I noticed that my opponent was adjusting and not playing a static 'loose passive' game. I was card dead, limping into pots and bluffing at a rate of 0% because I thought I faced a 'calling station' passive opponent, but they suddenly morphed into a stabbing, aggressive pot stealer heads up. This was better play than I have typically faced in dozens of heads up matches and it left me wondering. If this player is able to get heads up in a sit and go, plus make strategic adjustments based on their opponent's game, why weren't they playing for real money? Perhaps they were just ill/tired and off their regular game or maybe it is because for them the true essence and appeal of poker is in beating and outwitting your opponents,  not the strategic and systematic acquisition of cold hard cash? I think I have just (re) discovered or reaffirmed in my mind poker's magical dichotomy which separates (or at least should separate) the thinking players from the social gamers: I am calling it the donkotomy of poker. Game on:)