I'm a new fishie just starting to swim with some dumb questions

[cardman]

Don't know much about poker aside from what I watch on TV. Some dumb questions from a total newb.

1) What the heck is rakeback I keep hearing about? How does that work? Should I be comparing that among poker sites? Why?

2) Don't want to lose too much money at the beginning. Any suggestions on where I can play at the lowest limits? I'll go up limits when I have more experience.

3) What's WillHill's poker network?

4) Are there any news cases of poker software downloads containing viruses or spyware that I should know of?

[cardman]

Why the hell is the vertical length of my topic header so huge? Everybody else's header seems to have normal vertical length with enough horizontal accomodation. Can a moderator help me with this?

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Don't know much about poker aside from what I watch on TV. Some dumb questions from a total newb.

1) What the heck is rakeback I keep hearing about? How does that work? Should I be comparing that among poker sites? Why?

Usually by going through an affiliate (for a few sites directly) you can get an agreement that will give you part of the rake you pay back. There are a ton of different offers, you can check out the classified ads here to find some. The % you get back counts, but also how they calculate the base (which varies) and how reliable they are (be aware of this as there are many dishonest affiliates).

2) Don't want to lose too much money at the beginning. Any suggestions on where I can play at the lowest limits? I'll go up limits when I have more experience.
Just play with play money (i.e. Stars) or micro stakes in the beginning to get a bit feel for how often you hit top pair, how often the flush comes on the river etc.. Then step up to a level where you can afford losing but at the same time the money is big enough that your opponents offer you resistance and stay there until you start winning.

3) What's WillHill's poker network?
I think it is a skin, not a network, others can elaborate.

4) Are there any news cases of poker software downloads containing viruses or spyware that I should know of?
Most of the client from the sites contains some spyware, however it doesn't seem like it has ever been abused by the sites. In other poker software there has been some episodes with spyware with probably malicious intentions, so it is smart to be a bit careful.