Gambling will not help you learn poker .?

[moneyspinner]

Play-money games are not helpful for a player to refine his or her poker skills. Learning to excel at play-money games will only help you beat play-money games. The "skills" you learn at play-money games may be helpful at real-money games, but there is also the chance that you will learn bad habits that will actually cause your real-money poker skills to deteriorate.

[PokerPirate]

This is definately true.

And i also think this is the same for the micro stakes. You will only learn more through reading books or playing better players.

[foolsgold]

i think play money games help to a extent so they are not useless. But for playing play money to money poker there is a big jump. it takes patience but it you will become a winning player if you research your game and improve it

[SPaMx182]

Play money games are completely different than real money games...I would put money that the best play money player in the world wouldnt stand a chance against me in a real money game. It is completely different when youre playing with something that is worth something...

[KnifeMike]

Amen. Playmoney play is a joke. I racked up over 500K points at pokerstars before I switched to real money (all on 9-man SNGs) and promptly lost my bankroll. Play money teaches bad bad habits. When I finaly met a pro (defined as someone who makes a living exclusively through poker) the first piece of advice he gave me was to get the hell of the play money tables as fast as possible. Better to be losing and learning on a real money table, no matter how low the limit, than to be winning big on play money. If you know the basic rules, go play real money ASAP.