To poker - or not....

Most of you who occasionally read my stuff, will know that I'm crazy about the game. Although I cannot afford to play live games for real money (due to financial constraints) I still play a lot of "free" poker online. There are a few different sites for this, but for now I limit myself to the Zynga poker on Facebook. It's fun, frustrating, but also typical.

What do I mean?

Well, since this game has taken the world by storm, the quality of play has gone to the dogs. (It's officially the fastest growing, and has the most players, sport in the world). There is no sense out there anymore for the value of the game. I mean, the main purpose is to make whatever cards you have, work for you. If you got rubbish, then you fold them and wait for a better hand. If you got good cards, you play them, with the intention of getting as much return on your bet as possible.

So whats happening out there? Well, lets look at the "free" tables first. It costs nothing to play - granted. However, if you think about it, it's probably one of the best places to improve your game. It's where you can learn the value of any pair of cards. Where you can measure what size raise in any position will get you the pot, or callers coming with poor cards, just fishing. But what actually happens?

Well, for one, everyone thinks he's / she's a fucking poker god/ess...

There is no intelligence in their play. And when you chat with them about their call, the standard response is "But it's only a game",  "but it's not real money".

So why am I pissed off - it's not real money. Well, mainly because I tend to play the game the way I would if it was real money. What's the point of playing stupid, then you may as well play solitaire, or some other mindless stupid game where there is no risk or reward involved.

For me it's a skills thing. Learning the value of the cards, the way players react to specific cards and bets. It's all about improving my game.

But, unfortunately for me, unless I get to a place in my life where I can afford to play real money tables, against players who know and respect the game, I'm stuck in this role of frustrated poker player.

Salagatle!