Play money to real money: how to move up from Replay Poker
Replay Poker and similar sites that give the chance to play poker for free (play money) offer a useful taster to the game and have been the entry point for thousands of winning players.
These sites give people new to the game the chance to work out the technical aspects of poker without staking their own money.
However, playing poker without the risk and reward of real money, and the tension and excitement that brings, limits the potential to enjoy the game fully.
Here we offer advice for Replay Poker and play money players who have learned the basics and are looking to take the logical step into real money.
Why money matters in poker
The rockstar answer to why money matters in poker is “it’s how we keep score”. Which is true, as over a long period, your profitability in the game is a reflection on your talent. But there’s a more fundamental reason why poker doesn’t function without money – intensity.
Peril, risk, reward, stress, excitement…it is all raised by playing poker for money.
Here’s an example. Imagine a hand of poker where you’re really trying to get someone to fold the best hand on the river. You know they have a better hand, and they are really struggling to decide what to do. When you’re playing for money, there’s a good chance they will fold, and your bluff will work. If you’re playing with nothing at stake, they will call most of the time, just to see what you have.
That’s annoying. But it also changes the game. With players having gone through that experience enough times, they will bluff less often, because they know it won’t work. Over time these players will make fewer and fewer bluffs, and they’ll become worse and more predictable poker players.
So while free money is a good way to learn how the game works, it can be harmful to your ability at the poker table.
And with fewer people bluffing, it turns into a less interesting game.
It’s also exciting when you run deep in a poker tournament, beat the money bubble, and then watch other players get knocked out, knowing that each time they do, you’re earning a bigger slice of the prize pool.
It’s not a big deal
Taking that step to deposit your own money and putting it into a game of poker may feel like daunting when it’s your first time, but the truth is that it’s something tens of thousands of people do every day.
Always make sure it’s an amount you’re prepared to lose and remember that it’s just part of the game.
We recommend you deposit 10-20 times the stake you intend to play. This is to avoid you depositing frequently, and means you have between 10-20 times the chance to win.
That tends to work better than drip-feeding one buy-in at a time into your account.
Start small
Playing for money for the first few times is going to feel different – it is different.
Start playing in small games so that you can get used to how it feels and how differently the game works. We’d recommend $1 or £1 single table full ring sit and go tournaments to get you started.
Here’s why. A sit and go will be long enough for you to get a good taste, but won’t take forever. There’s also a good chance you’ll finish in the money, which is a nice feeling. Full ring means you have to play fewer hands to start with, so you can really settle in to the game.
Save the six-max and heads-up tournaments for when you’re crushing it!
Remember (some of) what you learned at Replay Poker
The way the game plays, the blinds, positional awareness, and hand selection are all as relevant in play money as they are in real money, so take what you’ve learned from Replay Poker. It hasn’t been wasted time.
Take all that experience from hours battling over those free money chips and put them to use for real.
Forget (some of) what you learned at Replay Poker
While the format, structure and basic principles are the same for play money and real money poker, the big difference lies in psychology.
This is where some of what you have learned may need to be unlearned.
Players will respect your bets more and they will fold more often. Of course, some bad players won’t, and it’s your job to exploit that and make more money from them when you have a good hand. But overall, there will be fewer players in each pot, and you will be able to get them to fold more often.
That won’t have been the case in play money, so you’re going to need to adjust. And the way to do that is through playing and learning how the field reacts to your plays.
The same is true for you. When you are faced with a decision with real money in play, it adds pressure.
Which poker site is the best?
Picking the right poker site can make a big difference. They’re (mostly) all good but some have better joining offers while others reward those who play more often and at higher stakes. We have reviews of the major poker sites available and details of their joining bonuses.
Stick with the mainstream sites as there are a few unregulated ones out there and read the terms and conditions before you sign up.
How to get better at poker
We all want to be the best poker players we can be. The best way to get better is to play the game, learn away from the table, and use the many tools out there created to help you improve.
Online poker is a great way to get better because you play so many more hands than you do live (because of the pace of the dealing), and real money teaches you the psychology of the game.
Enjoy the experience
Remember that poker is meant to be fun.
By its very nature, no one wins or loses all the time. Play your best, focus on getting better, and enjoy the experience and the rewards it brings.