Hey, I've been playing on playwsop. I've been using it to learn how to play poker. I understand it's not comparable to live, but this weird thing happened, and I want to know if you guys have seen similar.

In the app 1m chips = 1 dollar. (Not really - just in my imagination for practice)

This way the table values align closer to 1/3 or 2/4 etc etc; it also makes it easier to track my wins and losses in excel (I track the table sessions, not each hand).

I don't know if I'm a winning player yet. I'm winning, but not enough hands and game sessions to know if it's luck or not. Anyway.....

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Game session begins. I max buy in 500. I get stomped. No f---s given, and now I'm actually excited because it's rare that I get stomped in a game session. I figure; these are the guys I need to learn to beat; because they are better than me.

I realized my table image is really bad; and that I can't bluff at this table. The reason is that I bluffed once; and I called with some mid hands, that got beat on the river. No wins. I have no issue not winning 1000 hands in a row; the issue is, now my table image is a guy who can't win.

So I adjust; I change my strategy; play tighter while still maintaining my table image as bluffer. I know I can't call with anything but top pairs and I need good hands; but I still want to be putting up some money and folding when I don't have it. I want to maintain my bluffer image; so when I do have it; they'll call.

A few good hands come up; but I fold them based on 6th sense that turned out to be right when they showed. I'm now down to my last 150 of my second max buy in. Trips hits on flop.

All in with 150. Sure enough; two people call with no hand because my image is as a bluffer who can't play.

I win, and I now start turning the tables; I keep up the shell game of 'am I a bluffer, or do I have it'?

Now I get it back up to 700. Suddenly 4 people leave all at the same time. It was as if they were on the same computer. That's how synchronized it was. I've never seen 4 people log all at once.

They leave; I win another couple hands up to over 800. So I'm -200 for the session, but decided to call it because I wanted to take notes regarding the 'good' players.

What I originally thought was just really good individual players; now, in hindsight, seem like they were either botting or a friend group playing together. I'd not be surprised if they had discord open and were telling each other their hands to give better idea of odds.

If they weren't cheating; they were really good players.

If they were colluding; they still made it really fun to try and beat them.

I know I technically lost 200 on that session (play money); but that was one of the most fun sessions I've had, and it's all because when I identified my table image, and setup a plan to counter it; it actually worked.

Don't get me wrong, no idea how good players do it; but it feels so good to change strategy into a winning one.

That said; what's your thoughts about collusion/bots in online poker? Do they help the player grow as a player, or do they just do psychological damage because they seem like mystics who can predict every hand?

I am sure that there are bots in online poker. And I am sure that there are people who collude in online poker.

I have no knowledge of playwsop - so I can't comment on that. But I would say that the probability that there are any bots playing for play money is very low.

I think it is great that you are thinking about your play, and how to adjust your play. But don't take anything that happens in play money games to be evidence that you can beat people for real money. That doesn't mean you can't, it just means that the difference between the two is massive. Most people at play money also DO NOT pay attention to how their opponents are playing. Your image might just be in your mind - they most likely are just playing their hands and not thinking too much about what other players are doing.

If you think about when you went all in for 150 and 2 people called with nothing. I'm pretty sure they didn't call because they know you are a bluffer, they called because they thought "why the hell not, it is only 150 thingies that have no value". This does not happen often when there is real money on the line, even small amounts of real money.

So play for play money for awhile until you are comfortable with the game, study starting hand charts and strategy. And when you feel comfortable, play for real money at the lowest stakes you can. If you live in US or Canada (with the exception of a few states and provinces) you can play on Global Poker where you can get free money every day.