Newbie looking for help
 

I’m very very tired of working my job. One day I was dropping my girlfriend off at a new clients, she’s a babysitter, this new client had a fabulous house, nice car and other major signs of money. Turns out he’s an online poker player! That was enough for me to hear. I have been working at a terrible job for three years. Before that I have over a decade of atrocious jobs ruled by overwhelming stupidity, harebrained politics and little to no hopes of making any money. I’m now ready to dedicate all the energy I have to something else and Poker is it! I’m not looking to become a millionaire, I just want more than what I have now. (Which is not much.)
However After reading bits of a few books I’ve developed a technique that is not working! I started with 1 cent Hold’em games and my starting capital is over %50 gone! How can I figure out what I’m doing wrong? I seem to get a decent amount. (Sometimes even doubling what I start out with.) But I always seem to lose it all within a combination of 3 hands! Like I just ended with a game where I started with a buck. Ended up two dollars, 2 minutes later I have none! What is a newbie is doing wrong when he’s whining about this happening?
I have Nick Grudzien’s book but I‘m looking for some techniques to help me with the low tables (1 and 2 cent games) while I try to understand this book. Any suggestions? Where is a good place to start and research. I have a decent grasp of the game, but still loose track of the terms. Is there a good place to look those up? Please if anybody can help me out that would be awesome!

Sincerely,
Johnny T.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

If you're serious about getting into it fully then you need to give yourself the best chance. Read up on the game properly as it sounds like you know what you're talking about to a degree but there's a lot more for you to learn.

For tournament play I suggest you read Harrington on Hold'em (Volumes 1, 2 and 3), David Sklansky's Theory of Poker and Doyle Brunson's Super System 1 or 2(I haven't read the 2nd one but as far as I know it's an update to the previous one so I suggest probably read the 2nd!).

Also to track your online hands and evaluate them I suggest you grab either PokerTracker or PokerOffice as they will show you where you're going wrong and helps fix your leaks.

Lastly I would suggest you just take your time with this, don't quit your job and put all your money into it 'cos that's a quick way to go broke! I think the general consensus is that you have to have around a $10-20,000 bankroll to do this professionally.

Hope this helps!

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

You can't just decide one day you will be a pro player and live a nice lifestyle. You can certainly improve your game with study and experience but how far anybody can go will depend on their committment and talent. I don't know if you have either but time will tell.

In the meantime work hard at your existing job and look to progress because you may never make a pro poker player.

It is a bit like seeing a pop star living in a nice house and saying "ok I am going to get singing lessons and be a pop star". Some make it and thousands don't. There is no magic formula. Get real, try to improve, the rest will take care of itself if you are committed and good enough.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

I think you need to educate yourself a bit before you can understand the concepts. Pick up Getting Started in Hold'em by Ed Miller and read that first. Then actually apply what the book says and give yourself enough of a hand sample size and bankroll that you can see results. Learn to play tight, fundamentally sound poker before you get fancy.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

yeah, i think talent is the key. I remember Ivey saying no amount of books, reading, watching will result in you becoming great. Most of it is talent, once your getting into some decent sized money. Even 10/20c most people know the basics and you can't win much money at those levels. Well, not enough to earn a living. Ye, read and educate yourself and hope you've got a hidden talent for it. Most of it is the reading side of it, betting patterns etc you can get pointers - But its a very difficult skill to develop. Now only do you have to beat the competition, you also, have to beat the rake. I wonder how many players can make a decent living from it? 10% max? and what about all the losers who get themselves in debt.

ahah my point is even at 10/20c i've won quite a bit. Who from, usually a complete and utter fish who you get a micro levels - u only need one at the table. I won't be seeing those at the higher levels, if i moved up.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

read some book
2+2 become your church, which you will attend daily.
start off playing lowest micro level,
try to beat the game, and move up.
also invest in tacking software, such as PT or HM

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

WOW Thank you very much for your responses. You guys have given me a lot of info to start out with.
Nice to know the good books I should get deep into. I just have a few questions.
I’m very committed to this. The way I see it I’ll make money if I study hard, work hard and learn hard. (whatever that may mean) I’m not even to looking to make $100,000 a year. Just enough to have it as a job. Right now I get paid $12 an hour (and I work 15-20 hours a week.) I usually end up with about $400-$550 a month. Making more than that is my goal. After that we’ll see what happens. I’m going to come to 2+2 as much as I can. What is a good place for me to start on 2+2? Also is there a tutorial on how to use Poker Tracker? I tried to send my Hand History to it but it wouldn’t work. I tried importing my hand history but that wasn’t working. Speaking of which someone said I should get PT and HM. I don’t know what HM is.

Thank you guys again for your responses. I look forward to my poker future.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

I hate to say this and it may be impossible for you right now, but move up. I don't see how anyone could get a bankroll going on $0.01/$0.02 NLHE because people will call with 2 4 off and personally I think that is why you have such swings as $1-->$2-->$0. You really begin seeing 'players' at the $0.02/$0.05 NL tables (10x moreso than .01/.02) and could probably start there.

Another good thing to do is to read the hand histories and post hand histories in the micro NL forum. Most people will help you out and provide you the general consensus of what the best play is should you have a question about a certain hand.

As for your profit goal, that is incredibly attainable. It will not happen overnight and it will probably take alot of grinding to build your bankroll.


Good luck.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

HM = Holdem Manager ... I don't see the point in having Holdem Manager, as it is nearly the same as PT, only it is still in beta. It looks more promising than PT, and right now it is also free. So I'm using HM right now. If you already have PT, don't bother yet.

As for how to use PT, this thread contains a great analysis of what your stats mean and what you should be looking at in PT

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

JackKingIt - Good luck to you. I mean that, no sarcasm. Alot of people are in the same boat as you, with a dream to make some extra money on the side playing poker.

A good piece of advice I can give you right now is to focus on learning the game and playing correctly, and dont be totally money-minded or results-oriented. I know that sounds crazy because we all play this game to win money, but you cant think about it so much when your actually playing. If you do, trust me, you will not win. If your serious, devote yourself to studying the game and let the rest takes its course. The fact is you will have some winning nights, and some losing nights. You might even have 5 losing nights in a row... but thats part of the game. If you play correctly, expect to build your bankroll in the long run.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]


ahah my point is even at 10/20c i've won quite a bit. Who from, usually a complete and utter fish who you get a micro levels - u only need one at the table. I won't be seeing those at the higher levels, if i moved up.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is compeltely untrue.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Hi JackKingIt and welcome to the forums. Great advice from everyone else so far.

Poker is an easy game to learn, but difficult to master. Don't under-estimate it, but if are prepared to work hard at it, are willing to learn and have plenty of patience and discipline, you can do it.

I have 2 very important pieces of advice:

1)Choose one type of poker that you want to learn first and stick to it. No-limit or limit, cash or tournaments. Do not switch between different types - they all require different strategies and you will only end up confusing yourself. A profitable long-term call in a cash game could be a bad call in a tournament, for example.

2) Bankroll management. Search for this term on 2+2 and follow the advice given. Someone can be a winning player, best in the world, but if they don't practice good bankroll management, they WILL go broke.

GL

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


ahah my point is even at 10/20c i've won quite a bit. Who from, usually a complete and utter fish who you get a micro levels - u only need one at the table. I won't be seeing those at the higher levels, if i moved up.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is compeltely untrue.

[/ QUOTE ]

yes, it isn't very scientific [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] basically the essence is fewer fishes as you move up. If people want to tell me that $1/$2 is very similar to 10/20c then i'm on my bike eheh.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

SWEET! Thanks Everyone! I have gotten some great advice, “good lucks” and “good lucks”. I appreciate and am going to make the most of it all!

Right now I'm going to search for info on Fixed Limit. While I seem to do Alright on No Limit I seem to win more often in FL hey look my first use of an official poker term! J I’m also going to lookup bank management before I do anything else! I have a little bit money to invest into this, so I’m hopeful! Anybody know a good place to go and pay to learn this all? Maybe even have someone who can tutor me. I want someone decent, not a crock. But hey it’s poker how many crocks could there be. ;-) Speaking of which is RakeTheRake as freaking awesome as it looks? If it’s really that cool PokerStars, the site I’m using, isn’t listed there. Which of the ones listed is the best to use. Come to think of it which site is best to use in general.

A big rookie mess up I did is to add money into PokerStars I had to buy an “All Access Visa Card” Which cost me $10. Is there a cheaper way to do that? Nothing will make me loose money even faster than having to pay to lose money.

Well I’m going to deep into research now, I’m going to be the Jane Goodall of poker knowledge for the until my eyes are melting from my skull. Thank you guys for everything!


If anybody knows a link to informative posts about the following that would be super awesome! I’m going to spend the next every free moment I have looking into them. Any donations of useful links would be much appreciated.

Bank Management
The best place to start on 2+2.com
How to make any sense of Poker Tracker
A great Site to use (For play, profit or learning.)
Adding money to sites.
Rakebacking
Tutoring

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

The best place to start off, IMO, is at this place of the forum: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0#Post3239210

This link has GREAT posts regarding SSNLHE (Small Stakes No Limit Holdem Poker). I know you want to start at fixed limit, but I'm a strong no limit believer so I'm going to try and direct you on that path. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

All that you're looking for is pretty much there: bankroll management, PT guide, etc. But to give you a little summary, bankroll management is very important for you to be a profitable poker player. The general rule is for you to have 20x your buy-in amount of the table you're playing at. So let's say your playing 2NLHE (which is equivalent to $0.01/$0.02 blinds. You should know that for you to play at that table, you SHOULD buy-in for 100 times the BB (big blind) --> which, in this case, would be $2.00. And like I said above, for you to be playing comfortably at these tables with a $2 buy in, you should have a bankroll of 20x that ($40). Now, to move on up to the next "level", you should have at least 15 buy-ins TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT for your next level. Thus, if you start at 2NLHE, your next goal is to be playing at 5NLHE (which is $0.02/$0.05 blind tables with a buy-in amount of $5). So, you should continue playing at 2NLHE tables until you attain a bankroll of $75 (which is 15 buy-ins for 5NLHE tables). If you go back down to 10 buy-ins playing at 5NLHE, go back to your previous table (the 2NLHE in this case). And repeat the process. Sorry, I tried to be detailed and simple to understand as possible. Maybe a little too wordy? :P

I started with $20 (ideally, like I said due to my reasons above, you should start with a $40 bankroll starting at 2NLHE tables). If you're playing right and daily improving your game, you should not lose this bankroll amount and should never have to deposit anymore money than this.

As for poker tracker, the guide to using it is in the link I sent you, but it's specifically located here: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...part=1&vc=1

Good luck to you in your poker journey!

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
I’m very very tired of working my job. One day I was dropping my girlfriend off at a new clients, she’s a babysitter, this new client had a fabulous house, nice car and other major signs of money. Turns out he’s an online poker player! That was enough for me to hear. I have been working at a terrible job for three years. Before that I have over a decade of atrocious jobs ruled by overwhelming stupidity, harebrained politics and little to no hopes of making any money. I’m now ready to dedicate all the energy I have to something else and Poker is it! I’m not looking to become a millionaire, I just want more than what I have now. (Which is not much.)
However After reading bits of a few books I’ve developed a technique that is not working! I started with 1 cent Hold’em games and my starting capital is over %50 gone! How can I figure out what I’m doing wrong? I seem to get a decent amount. (Sometimes even doubling what I start out with.) But I always seem to lose it all within a combination of 3 hands! Like I just ended with a game where I started with a buck. Ended up two dollars, 2 minutes later I have none! What is a newbie is doing wrong when he’s whining about this happening?
I have Nick Grudzien’s book but I‘m looking for some techniques to help me with the low tables (1 and 2 cent games) while I try to understand this book. Any suggestions? Where is a good place to start and research. I have a decent grasp of the game, but still loose track of the terms. Is there a good place to look those up? Please if anybody can help me out that would be awesome!

Sincerely,
Johnny T.

[/ QUOTE ]

You sound serious, and I think you're on the right track. I have a few suggestions. I'm doing very much the same thing as you, except for now, I'm trying to make poker a decent part-time or second job, not my full-time job. That may change at some point, since my full-time job pays less than yours does.

1. AT FIRST, IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN WIN, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING A BANKROLL. If at some point you can make $15 an hour playing poker, that's great. But you can't do that at microlimits. That means, you have to build a bankroll so you can move up.

Grinding out $5 a week at micros isn't any fun. But while you're veeeery slooowly buidling a bankroll, you're gaining experience. By the time you can CONSISTENTLY grind out, say, $10 a week, you've gained a lot of experience, you've built a bankroll, and you're ready to move up to higher limits and do it all again.

I'm pretty conservative. I won't move up until I have 30 buy-ins.

2. SET SMALLER, MORE ATTAINABLE GOALS. Here are some of types of small goals (in no particular order) that I have set for myself: Be able to profit $10 at least one day a week. Get my average place (for the month) in STTs under 4.5.

As to your $12 dollars an hour, I have an intermediate goal of equaling the minimum wage playing poker. At that point, it's becoming a real job, and you can keep working to make it more lucrative.

3. TREAT POKER JUST LIKE A JOB. Work 60 hours a week. If you work 40 hours a week at your regular job, then poker should get 20 hours.

Set regular work hours. Don't kid yourself by taking half-hour breaks if you can't do that during your "real" job. Take two 15-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch.

Watch the interruptions. How many times would you answer your cell phone at your primary (sounds better than "real") job?

Watch the distractions. Would a TV being on, or music, help or hurt you at your primary job?

4. Be realisitic about time periods. Check numbers one and two above, and note how often I use the word "week" or "month" instead of "day". Your losing $2 in three hands isn't trivial, but a long-term perspective is important.

A few hours ago I was at my first live MTT final table. I busted out in 8th place when I shoved with KK and lost to AA.

Short-term, that hurts. Long term, that's a winner. I was the short stack, and had the patience to wait several orbits for a good hand or situation. Long-term, that discipline will be very profitable. As far as my profitabilty, a knockout at one tournament means nothing.

Think like a Klingon: "Today is a good day to die!"

Note that one of my goals was to make $10 a day AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. When you are talking about consistency, a day or a week proves nothing. I was talking about consistency over a period of weeks. Then it starts to mean something.

If you win $50 two days in a row, that proves nothing. If you average $15 a week over two months, it's still a statistically small sample (as far as number of hands played), but it should give you some idea of how good you really are.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Make sure you don't hang all your financial hopes on poker, if you do you are setting yourself for a potential disaster and putting alot of pressure on yourself that could negatively affect your game. Don't quit your day job. If you're only working 15-20 hours at your job, you still have plenty (if not too much) time to spend playing poker. Don't look for a quick system to winning because there is none, just try to keep learning.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Pretty nice post Poker Cliff, but I don't agree with this part at all:

[ QUOTE ]
Set regular work hours. Don't kid yourself by taking half-hour breaks if you can't do that during your "real" job. Take two 15-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch.

[/ QUOTE ]

You shouldn't force yourself to play poker. If you are tired, drunk, stoned (ok, this might be arguably...), not concentrated or just don't feel like playing than don't do it as this will cost you money!

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
Pretty nice post Poker Cliff, but I don't agree with this part at all:

[ QUOTE ]
Set regular work hours. Don't kid yourself by taking half-hour breaks if you can't do that during your "real" job. Take two 15-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch.

[/ QUOTE ]

You shouldn't force yourself to play poker. If you are tired, drunk, stoned (ok, this might be arguably...), not concentrated or just don't feel like playing than don't do it as this will cost you money!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for the kind words about my post. I really appreciate feedback, and response to what I'm posting, whether agreement or criticism, is always helpful.

I'm writing a long, considered response because this isn't a guy just wanting to be a better player. He wants to make it a career. And building a career takes work, there is no way around that. And if he's not a self-starter, if he can't do what he has to do to make it happen, it's better that he find that out sooner rather than later.

I should say that I have ADD, which was diganosed very late (age 40), and I made a pretty big mess of my life, just by being disorganized, for a long time. So I have to plan, organize, and overcompensate or I wouldn't get much of anything done. Some people can take a much more casual approach. I understand that. Plus, I'm a nerd, and I love spreadsheet, graphs, etc. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

If he doesn't want to schedule his time, and can still get it done, that's fine as long as he keeps track of his hours. Just keep a piece of paper, or a spreadsheet, and if you play an MTT for 2 1/2 hours (or study Harrington for 2 1/2 hours) write it down. If you're tired, and decide just to do a 1TT, then play for an hour and write that down. If you want to play a cash game for 15 minutes before a friend comes over, then do that. But I would urge him to keep track of that time, by quarter or half hours, scheduled or not.

Remember we're talking about a guy who wants to make poker a career, what he does to pay his rent. And as Sean Hannity once said on his radio show, "I don't know anyone that got rich working 40 hours a week."

If playing online for several hours a day is just too boring, then it's not for him. If he can't turn off his cell phone, and takes 7 calls during an hour of play, then it's not for him.

If he's not willing to do the boring study, and learn the basics that he needs to know (What are the breakeven pot odds with one card to come if you have 10 outs? What odds are you giving if you bet 2/3 of the pot?), then it's not for him.

Sure, you can be more flexible than I am with my system. If you want to jump into a cash game for 15 minutes, then go out with friends, fine.

In a nutshell, what I'm urging is that if he wants to make poker a job, then he should give it a trial run, when he's not depending on it for his rent money, and see how it feels. In his situation, with a part-time job, he should be able to play poker for at least 20 hours a week with no problem. He should be able to keep records. He should spend some time on 2+2 (and not just making posts about which female players are hot [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img], that doesn't count).

If he can't devote more than 20 hours a week to poker when he only has a part time job, if he can't keep good records, if memorizing odds and outs is too boring, then it's not for him. If he sits for 15 minutes folding bad hands, then plays K5o UTG because it's the best hand he's seen all day, even if he knows better, then poker as a career is not for him.

The purpose of this post is not to tell him how to do it, though I think that my suggestions have merit. But if this is going to be a career, the way he's going to pay his rent, then he better be willing to spend the hours playing, studying and doing whatever else is necessary.

It would be better to try it now for 20 hours a week than to waste time and money chasing a dream that isn't right for him.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

LOL sure if you want to be the next Phil Ivey it's about the talent, but if you want just to make $50-$100/hr as a grinder it's about discipline.

I play maybe 12hrs/week and make $60/hr sitting for and hour or two most night with my laptop in front of the TV.

My maths ain't great and my real world life (2 kids under 4, new house, full time job as corporate attorney and poorly wife) means I can never really pay attention or guarantee more than about 30 minutes of uninterrupted play - but I do play primarily for enjoyment and think about what I'm doing - I'd say a willingness to learn and a discipline to keep strictly to bankroll limits are far more important to most online winners than some nebulous concept of 'talent'.

For pro grinders the ability to play tens of thousands of hands/month without burnout and an ability to cope with extended downswings and avoid tilt are again more critical than 'poker intelligence' viewed in a vacuum.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
I hate to say this and it may be impossible for you right now, but move up. I don't see how anyone could get a bankroll going on $0.01/$0.02 NLHE because people will call with 2 4 off and personally I think that is why you have such swings as $1-->$2-->$0.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. Your biggist mistake is playing .01/.02 and expecting to test theories, build your bankroll, learn the game, etc. It's just too cheap for players to play anything. Here is how I started (I'm a semi-pro now, working my way up):

1. Thousands of hours in freeroll tournaments. This gave me a chance to learn the game. I got to see many, many hands and try out different strategies. At the same time, I was able to start building a bankroll from nothing. Play in the first 15 minutes or so of freerolls is unrealistic. After that, it becomes more real.

2. Use my bankroll to play low buy-in sit-n-gos. Play is much more realistic and you get to apply your skills to win money.

3. Expand to higher buy-in sit-n-gos and micro-stake cash games.

4. Move up as my bankroll increases, move back down if I'm getting beat. Repeat until I become more stable at higher levels.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What is a good place for me to start on 2+2?

[/ QUOTE ]
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...&PHPSESSID=

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the link, here is a list that "Cry Me A River" recently put together:
The Collective Wisdom of 2 + 2

This should keep you busy for a couple of month [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Bank Management
For micro and small stakes full ring no limt I think the 20 buy-in rule is fine.

A great Site to use
Poker Stars. Great support, great software. And you don't want to deposit at other sites until your bankroll allows you to take full advantage of bonus offers.

Adding money to sites
I'm not based in the US so I can use Neteller.

Rakebacking
RakeTheRake
ThisIsTheNuts

And for bonuses Bonuswhores is good.


[b]Tutoring
Pokerzion
Stoxpoker
Cardrunners

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Best level post/gimmick account on 2+2 IMO.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

This sounds so much like the high school football player who wants to go pro. Seriously, how many people want to be pro poker players? Now, how many of those actually follow through as our OP plans on doing and not make it? I am not trying to discourage the OP, but I think it should be said that he, the OP, should take it easy on the eagerness. Becoming a pro takes some time, and the succes to failure rate suggest this is a risky at best venture.
You probably have a better chance of reaching the success you want in life by attaining a marketable skill through education whether it be vocational or higher learning. Keep playing poker on the side, and one or the other will get you where you wanna be.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

Not only do I want to be a good player I want to learn to become one. Sure it would be awesome if I could pop a pill, ask a lamp or pray hard enough and tomorrow POOF I'm just like Doyle Brunson, Phil Gordon or Matt Damon from Rounders. (I’d prefer to be Ed Norton, but I doubt having a great sleight of hand would be useful while online…..ummmm never mind I take that back.) I know that the chances of that happening are even worse than my chances of me legally sleeping with Drew Barrymore. But I’m all about learning it. Studying it, practicing it, reading about and so forth. I’m not someone who wants to take music lessons and become a rock star, I just want to make money. There is a guy downtown who stands out all day making money playing a flute and I assure you that guy has never taken a flute lesson in his life. I’m just trying to learn enough to be good enough, not a star. Which is why I love the links everyone has given me! Thank you so much! You guys all rock more than a star trek camera!

I’m still looking for info or real experiences with rake backing and which one of the poker sites listened on the rake baking sites is the best to use. Plus PokerStars isn’t part of their lists. I get the concept of rake backing I just wonder if there is a major catch to it all. . I’m also stuck on what is the best way for an American to add money into the casinos?

Thanks again everyone.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
Here is a list that "Cry Me A River" recently put together:
The Collective Wisdom of 2 + 2

This should keep you busy for a couple of month

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks a lot. I didn't notice it when it came out. It'll keep me busy for a long time. Can you imagine the work involved in compiling it?

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
Not only do I want to be a good player I want to learn to become one. Sure it would be awesome if I could pop a pill, ask a lamp or pray hard enough and tomorrow POOF I'm just like Doyle Brunson, Phil Gordon or Matt Damon from Rounders. (I’d prefer to be Ed Norton, but I doubt having a great sleight of hand would be useful while online…..ummmm never mind I take that back.) I know that the chances of that happening are even worse than my chances of me legally sleeping with Drew Barrymore. But I’m all about learning it. Studying it, practicing it, reading about and so forth. I’m not someone who wants to take music lessons and become a rock star, I just want to make money. There is a guy downtown who stands out all day making money playing a flute and I assure you that guy has never taken a flute lesson in his life. I’m just trying to learn enough to be good enough, not a star. Which is why I love the links everyone has given me! Thank you so much! You guys all rock more than a star trek camera!

I’m still looking for info or real experiences with rake backing and which one of the poker sites listened on the rake baking sites is the best to use. Plus PokerStars isn’t part of their lists. I get the concept of rake backing I just wonder if there is a major catch to it all. . I’m also stuck on what is the best way for an American to add money into the casinos?

Thanks again everyone.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am an American that plays on PokerStars, and there are two ways to deposit that I know of--the cheap way and the fast way.

The cheap way is to use E-passporte. Though there will be a fee, you can deposit as little as $10 at a time. The down side is that every time you move money from your bank account to E-passporte, there is a two-week verification process before that money is actually in your EP account and available to deposit on the site.

The fast way is Western Union. You have access within a day of wiring the money, but the minimum deposit is $100.

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Here is a list that "Cry Me A River" recently put together:
The Collective Wisdom of 2 + 2

This should keep you busy for a couple of month

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Thanks a lot. I didn't notice it when it came out. It'll keep me busy for a long time. Can you imagine the work involved in compiling it?

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You are very welcome!

Can you imagine how many hours it took to write all of them? Somebody (2+2?) should publish the "creme de la creme" with the contents voted by the 2+2 forum members...

Re: Newbie looking for help
 

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I’m still looking for info or real experiences with rake backing and which one of the poker sites listened on the rake baking sites is the best to use. Plus PokerStars isn’t part of their lists. I get the concept of rake backing I just wonder if there is a major catch to it all.

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Poker Stars. Great support, great software. And you don't want to deposit at other sites until your bankroll allows you to take full advantage of bonus offers.

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This advice is invaluable, I wish I would have discovered it when I started to play online. Don't bother with rakeback for the moment. Open up an account with Poker Stars, deposit $50 and build your bankroll up to $600.

Then take the money, open up an account with Full Tilt using an affiliate that offers rakeback and you can take full advantage of bonuses and rakeback. This may take 3 month, half a year, 1 year, maybe more. No need to think about getting the best rakeback deal right now - concentrate on more important stuff!

And make sure you read this post from "QTip", especially the "PLAY LESS" section: To the New, Aspiring Player