Part 1:Can It Help?

More of this Feature • Part 2: More Benefits Join the Discussion Do you think you can learn from online poker? Related Resources • Learning Poker • Bad Beats • Poker Pages From Other Guides • Elsewhere on the Web • •

by Guide Bill Burton

There is an ongoing debate about the value of practicing poker by playingonline at many of the free Internet poker sites. The main reason cited tobolster the argument is Nothing Ventured - NothingGained

The free play poker sites give each player a certain amount of money to playwith. Some sites will replenish a player's bankroll as soon as they go broke,while others will make them wait a day before they are granted more money.Either way since a player has no fear of ever going broke they will oftenplay with an any two-card mentality for stating hands. Once in a hand theywill play no Fold'em Hold'em and call each hand to the river. If they gobroke they will just wait for their next stack of cyber-chips and continueplaying.

I agree that many of the online players in the free poker sites are bad playersand it can lead to the deterioration of a player's game if they start emulatingthe other players. Players have a tendency to lower their standards whenthey are playing for fun. If a new player sees this going on they may adopta similar playing style, which will be fatal once, they sit down in a livegame. My friend John D coined the term Plunger to describe this type ofplayer. Even with the Plungers in the game I do believe that there is somethingto be gained from practicing online.

Mechanics
If you are new to Texas Hold'em you can learn the mechanics of the game whileplaying online. Watching and participating in a game will make you comfortablewith the procedures and protocol of the game. When you sit down at a livetable you will have an idea what is happening at the table.

Discipline
Discipline is one of the most important traits you will need to be a winningplayer. You can practice discipline by adopting a real game approach to youronline session. When I started practicing online I made up my mind that Iwould treat my cyber bankroll just the same as my real one. Folding handafter hand can get boring especially after seeing other players winning withpure trash hands but it takes discipline not to lower my standards and stoopto their levels of play.

Reading The Board
Learning to read the board is another skill that can be practiced when youplay online. You will have plenty of opportunity to do this as many timesthe play online is faster than it is in a live game.

Reading The Board
Learning to read the board is another skill that can be practiced when youplay online. You will have plenty of opportunity to do this as many timesthe play online is faster than it is in a live game.

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