[RagnarPirate]

I'm going to tell you what I have done in the last 2 1/2 years. I got the free ten dollars at royal vegas and 7 sultans (no deposit no credit card). Then I played the micro no-limit 6 man tables (25c/50c) for about a year before trying any other limits, tourneys, etc. The players are of a level that relatively conservative play is readily profitable. They have even lower starting limits now. I also played every freeroll that I could. Grinding it out for a year or so is extremely useful in learning the game at no risk other than your time. You will have a great understanding of the value of money in poker when it takes you a year to earn 1500 bucks from 10 bucks.

I'm proud to say that to this day, I have never used my own money on the internet and am still playing from my original free ten dollars (although switched to ultimate bet and cashed out a few times).

The other incredible learning opportunity is the 1-5 dollar sit and go tournaments. They are extremely valuable in learning final table dynamics. To this day, I still play the 10 dollar sit and goes on Absolute Poker for fun (I like the 9 person tables and their reward points / bonuses / rakebacks).

The books are essential, but only make sense in combination with at least 2 to 3 thousand hands per month of experience for a couple of years.

I also highly recommend one game at a time (forget what you read about multiple tables) and never drink alcohol (or other mind altering substaces) during poker.