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1) Most online poker sites will allow you to open an account with your credit card. Unfortunately, most credit card companies will not allow you to use your card for online poker. There are many alternatives to using your credit card, most of which will deduct the money directly from your checking account. I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but I've seen several instances in which an ATM check card could be used. They don't seem to have the restrictions that a normal credit card has. 2) It is a good idea to take advantage of the bonus offers the many poker sites have. To take full advantage of these bonus offers you should make your first deposit enough to maximize the bonus. For example: If they offer a 20% up to $100, you'll want to deposit $500 to get the full 20% bonus. But, most people aren't going to deposit $500 the first time they decide to play for real money. Chances are you'll want to only deposit about $50 which is the minimum at most sites. So it's not a bad idea to open your first real money account at a site that doesn't offer a deposit bonus. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky enough to turn that $50 into $500 that you can deposit at a site that offers a good bonus. 3) When you first start playing for real money you'll most likely start out on so-called micro-limit tables. This means you can buy-in for just a few dollars and basically play for pennies. Although you're playing for real money at these tables, it's not much different from playing with play money. You can make money at these tables but don't expect too much from them. 4) A majority of the time you'll be playing with complete idiots. I know that sounds harsh, but it's an undeniable fact. A vast majority of the players you'll run into at the micro-limit tables will be players that believe the object of the game is just to throw all of their money in the pot on every hand and turn the game into a lottery situation. Probably the most frustrating thing about them is that when you first see them they'll be doing quite well with this method of play. Trust me when I say it doesn't last. They will go broke playing this way, it's just a matter of time. 5) This is simply my opinion. I know others will strongly disagree with me. I believe you're better off playing limit tables instead of no-limit. I've found it much easier to make money at the limit tables and if I'm having a bad run I tend to lose a lot less. I mainly play limit tables for cash and only indulge in no-limit play in tournaments. I know several people that do quite well playing no-limit cash tables, but they are very experienced players. I recommend sticking to limit tables at least until you get some experience at the game. 6) Research research research. Read read read. Go to as many web sites as you can find on poker and read all of the tips and tricks they have listed. Read as many books as you can about poker. Nearly every pro player has a book out these days. Some are much better than others but they all offer some good advice on one aspect of the game or another. Probably the most popular and recommended book is Doyle Brunson's Super System. Although a lot of the information in this book is out dated, because it covers a lot of games that simply aren't played much anymore, it's information on limit and no-limit Texas Holdem is some of the best ever written. One note of caution though: What you read in most books won't always apply to playing online. 7) Be prepared to play. Don't risk your money at an online poker site if you're drunk, angry, had a lousy day at work, arguing with your spouse, or distracted in any way. Your 100% undivided attention should be on the game in front of you. Don't try watching TV and playing poker at the same time. If you get a phone call while playing then sit out until you hang up. I can't stress enough how important it is to ONLY be focused on poker when you're playing. 8) Be prepared to stop playing. Set a limit of how much you're willing to risk when you play and stick to that limit. If you're having a bad night, chances are it will continue to be a bad night. Probably my biggest mistake thus far has been when I lose a lot of money I keep buying in trying to win back what I've lost, only to lose even more. I've since learned to recognize when things just aren't going my way and I quit playing for the night. My 2nd biggest mistake was that I played too often. For several months I spent every spare moment I had playing online poker. I'm no expert on odds and such, but I'm pretty sure that if you constantly play poker the odds are that you're going to eventually lose more than you win. So plan on playing a set amount of time each day and stick to that time, no matter how badly you want to keep playing. 9) Play within your limits. If you only have $50 in your account then don't play high limit tables and blow it all in an hour. Stick to the lower limits and work your way up. Only spend money that you can afford to lose. In other words, don't spend your rent money on poker. Never let poker interfere with your ability to pay your bills. If you have some extra cash you're willing to lose, then fine, open your account and start playing with that money. I don't mean to suggest that you're automatically going to lose your money playing poker. But you have to be willing to accept the fact that you could lose it and you're risking it every time you play.
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