Where To Begin With Online Poker

So you want to play poker online. Let's assume that you've never played online before. Where to begin?

Let's say you have $150 to deposit. There are some things that you're going to want/need:

1. Humility. As a beginner, you're just not that good. The quickest way to ruin is to overestimate your abilities, so you're going to need to get some instruction.

2. Sites on which to play.

3. It's probably a little too soon to start talking about this, but eventually, you're going to want PokerTracker3 or Hold'em Manager. Both are poker tracking software that will give you stats on your opponents, let you review your sessions and keep track of your wins/losses.

Here's what I'd suggest and my rationale:

There are a lot of sites that offer a lot bonus offers. The beginning player, however, will find that gaining the full bonus can often be very difficult. If you want to be successful, learn to swim first and you won't drown.

First, I'd join two forums. Make a habit of reading a thread or two a day. Next, I'd join a training site, such as PokerSavvy+. They have a free trial that lasts a week. Sign up and watch as many videos as you can. If you cancel before the week is up, you won't be charged. For now, don't bother to watch videos on how to play $1000NL heads up, just learn to tread water first. Watch, for example, Andrew "ama0330" Arnott's 'Low Limit NLHE Essentials' series.

Poker sites: What follows assumes that you do not already have accounts on the sites mentioned. There are a lot of sites on which you can play poker. For those who worry about reliability and desire good customer service, I'd stick to the big two that allow US players, namely PokerStars.com and FullTiltPoker.com. Before you rush out and start downloading software, pause for a moment as we consider how we might want to go about this.

I'd join PokerStars.com through PokerSavvy.com's point system and deposit $100. In addition to PokerStars deposit bonus, where they match the first $50 of your deposit - released after aquiring the required FPP's, you'll receive 1000 points from PokerSavvy once you earn 500 FPP's on PokerStars. What will you do with those points? My suggestion would be to visit the PokerSavvy.com shop and order Hold'em Manager or PokerTracker3. They will also include a free month of PokerSavvy+ with the purchase of either software, giving you another month of free video instruction. Use your remaining points to get an Amazon.com gift certificate for $25 and use it to order a poker book.

Suggestions:



I'd join FullTiltPoker through PokerSavvy's Rakeback Program and deposit $50 at FullTiltPoker - which they will match once you've earned enough FPP's. The 'rake' is the scaled commission fee taken by a casino operating a poker game. Rakeback programs return a percentage of that fee to you. PokerStars does not have a rakeback program, but FullTilt does. You'll want to take advantage of this in order to boost your bankroll while you get your feet wet.

With the forums, video instruction, a book, and rakeback...you'll be on your way.

Just a cautionary word, however. It is important that you play within your bankroll. For beginners, I recommend playing cash games in which you have 25 full buy-in's. So, if you had a $50 bankroll, you should be playing the .01/.02 stakes, until you have a bankroll of $125 and can move up to .02/.05. Having these limits in place will help you avoid going bust from the normal variance of the game.