~Yes, it is preferable to play on sites that do not utilize real money and to acquaint oneself with the gameplay and mechanics of poker before participating. It's the ideal way to prepare for reality; in fact, games like this are an escape from reality; you can play better or worse without worrying about anything. It's unwise to risk anything without knowing what's going on, so use an app like this to re-acquaint yourself with everything, including bluffing to win the game.
That's what I think too, but I prefer the reality to simulations. Zynga Poker, as @Fortify said above, "it is some basic level practice", with which I totally agree. But if you want to play real poker, don't hang out there for too long. If you don't want to risk real money while being inexperienced, you can do it using free rolls. I myself played thousands of tournaments with prize pools ranging from $0.10 to $10. Yeah, sometimes you win only $0.02 when after 2+ hours playing you finish ITM, but that's real money. Poker without them isn't real poker, imo.
