[TheScientist]

It would probably be a good idea to have a FAQ on this, since I'm sure there are lurkers in this forum every day who are a bit intimidated by the process.

I'm not good at making long instructive posts, but the first thing I would do is to learn about rakeback...sign up for an affiliate...then decide how you are going to fund the account. That one first step is critical and will come back to haunt you if you dont.

Alternately, if you want to avoid all the rakeback confusion, just sign up for PokerStars (since they do not offer direct rakeback) and try out your debit/credit cards. If that does not work out, it may be time to look into epassporte or other options.