Since I've gotten a couple comments on the subject, I thought I'd offer my advice to those thinking about getting into poker. First off, I would recommend a regular friendly game with buddies and co-workers. Have fun with it. Don't play for high stakes, because playing for something that will hurt will make the game turn unfriendly very fast. However, do play to win, because if the game is just fun-time sloshing of quarters or dollars (or whatever "small stakes" is to you), you won't get any better at it. Also, have a go at online poker. Make a minimum deposit -- $25, or $50. The price of a video game. Even if you lose every penny of it, you'll get the same number of hours of entertainment out of that money as you would buying Final Fantasy Whatever and playing through it. Play at the $0.10/$0.25 or $0.25/$0.50 levels. Playing at the $0.01/$0.02 level is just pointless, it's hardly even a step up from the play chip games that all online sites offer. With bet sizes in the $0.25/$0.50 range, you'll find good games to learn on, where it's for real enough to you and the other players to count. I recommend Seven Card Stud as a good game to learn with, even though Holdem is the "in" game. I say that because the game has a lot less of a luck factor to it than Holdem. No Limit Holdem in particular was invented because of its very high luck factor -- it makes the game appealing because if its relative simplicity and because it feels damn good to hit a longshot and take down a big pot. In Holdem it is truly possible to win huge tournament prizes on luck alone; it's been said that a multi-table tournament specialist is only two to four times as likely as an occasional player to make the money. With Stud, it's a different story. Everybody has their own upcards, and it makes it tons easier to see the relative strength of your own hand. Also, with more up cards, you can better calculate your odds of drawing to a better hand. Stud also requires developing memory, because you need to be able to remember what upcards have been folded in order to accurately figure your chances. When you start playing Stud, play a very straightforward game. Bet or raise when you think you're ahead, check and fold when you're sure you're behind. If you're not sure, bet, call, or check as the mood strikes, to introduce a little unpredictability into your own play. Don't bother trying to get sophisticated yet, because at these stakes it's just silly. You're going to have to show down winning cards to take down pots at this level. Be patient, don't be afraid to fold when your first three cards are crap. Chances are your hand isn't getting any better, so don't get into the habit of chucking in quarters "just to see one more". Now, at this point, get a book aimed at beginners. I don't have a good recommendation, but look for something published by Two Plus Two. This book is going to cover a lot of the basics of poker, including drawing odds, value of position, identifying the types of opponents you're up against, and how to handle most basic situations. Pick one that strikes you as a good how-to, and one that covers multiple games. The point of the book is to read it and then practice what you've learned. You'll get to the point where you know the odds of various drawing situations inside and out. Learning this for Stud (where there are lots more upcards) will be excellent practice for Holdem, which is simple by comparison. You'll get into the habit of thinking about all the various factors that the book is going to point out to you. With practice comes speed and accuracy. If you decide that you want to play seriously, and find that eventually you're beating the micro-limit games regularly and want to move up -- well, that's a different story. Just keep in mind that serious and profitable players measure their performance in terms of bets won or lost over 10,000 hands at a time. You really have to play a lot of hands. I generally clock 2,000-3,000 per week, just playing online low-limit cash games and tournaments. It takes discipline, a boatload of practice, and the fortitude to take losing some big pots in horrendous ways. I'll write more about long-term performance tracking in my next post. If you're looking for a good site to start with, check out Poker Stars. They have great micro-limit games and plenty of players. Full Tilt is a smaller site with fewer players and I think in general the players there are a little tougher. You'll find it a little harder to get in games and a little harder to win there. If you do decide to log into Full Tilt and make a deposit, make sure to use the Bonus Code POKERVEX. That is my affiliate code with them, and using it means I might get a few cents for every thousand hands you play. It won't make me rich, but I'd sure appreciate it (pennies can add up to dollars!), and it won't cost you a dime. :)

Source: Poker