A lot of people, like myself, start as casual players looking to learn more about the strategies involved with poker. Its on television all the time, and part of its draw is that anyone can learn to play. You don’t have to have a 42″ vertical or be able to throw a football 60 yards to be able to compete at a high level in the poker world. Join a poker room on Yahoo or sign up at any number of sites and you can start experiencing the game and even compete for cash prizes.

Most sites allow both playing for fun as well as for actual money, although you don’t always have to open an account and deposit money in order to play for cash. Some sites, such as Pureplay, will allow you to compete in “freeroll” tournaments for cash prizes ranging from $10 up to $50 or more. That is where I first was able to win some actual money, although it was not a lot, I did actually receive some checks. Now keep in mind that there are a decent amount of people on these sites with the same goal, but if you frequent these sites and put in a few of hours of “play” per week, you will find yourself at final tables more than you think.

In addition to freeroll tournaments that don’t cost you anything, some sites charge an optional monthly membership fee that will allow you access to tournaments with larger payouts. Once again, they don’t have to cost money to enter, and in most cases are entered by spending “points” that you earn on the site.

By going this route you can avoid the the smoke, the cost, the and intimidation that comes with an actual casino. However, after some experience with these virtual poker rooms you will be anxious to test your skills at an actual casino. My heart was pounding when I was about to win my first hand of poker at an actual table!

The cool thing about this game is that it can be a casual hobby that doesn’t have to drain your wallet or occupy all your time. As you gain more experience, you might discover that you have a talent that you never knew existed. Who knows? We could be watching you on tv someday, playing at your own final table.

It is important that you follow online poker site tips when you are going to play poker online, and the first is that you know what to look for in a good poker site. You need to be sure to look for a successful site that has many satisfied players. You should also look for a site that offers fees that are reasonable or no fees at all. You should remember that usually if you pay no fee you will probably not be able to win any money. Also be sure to look over the rules when you join a site to be sure you can abide by them.

Another of the online poker site tips is to be sure you know what you want out of an online poker site. If you enjoy playing many styles of poker then you may want a site that offers a variety of games for you to play. If you only have one certain kind of poker you enjoy playing or know how to play then look for a site that specializes in that kind of poker. It is important to find a site that makes you happy and caters to the things you enjoy.

Another tip is to remember what your skill level is when you are looking for a place to play poker online. If you are a beginner you do not want to start out in a site that is made up of people who are very experienced in poker. Often beginners may find it helpful to start playing for free so they can build their skills. On the other hand, if you are a great poker player you want to find a site that will challenge your poker skills. Remembering these online poker site tips can improve your online poker experience.

1st place = 50% of Total Prize Pool

2nd place = 30% of Total Prize Pool

3rd place = 20% of Total Prize Pool

4th place = NOTHING – But you MUST know how to Play with 4 players left

As you can see, 1st place is almost 3 times as much as 3rd place. It is very important to try and win first place every time as opposed to 3rd place. Let me give you a great poker tip. Must player’s will sit on their poker chips with 4 player’s left and will refuse to get into another confrontation with a player. They will wait until another player is knocked out before playing their game again. If you are in this situation with 4 left, you seriously don’t need to worry so much about making the money but playing aggressive. In the beginning of the sit and go you need to play extremely tight, choosing your hands wisely. As the poker tournament goes on you need to switch you game with 4-5 players left to AGGRESSIVE. You don’t need to play STUPIDLY aggressive; you just need to worry about building your chip stack in order to take down first place. If you play aggressive and get called with 4 left and get knocked out on a bad beat, in which you could have just sat there and made the money it’s ok. Just making the money really isn’t that important if you are trying to make a living playing sit n go’s and quit your day job. Honestly, I deposited one time back in 2003 and I have never looked back again. I have been playing solid poker for over 5 years online. I have played on many sites such as absolute poker, bodogs, full tilt poker, and poker stars. By far the best sites I have EVER played on has to be Full Tilt Poker or Pokerstars. The great thing about Full Tilt Poker is that when you deposit for the first time, they equally match 100% of whatever you deposit. This deposit bonus comes in handy especially when you are first starting to learn poker. Once you master poker and online sit n go’s, you will be making great money in no time! There is no better feeling then constantly taking down first place. It’s hard work, but it definitely beats working 9-5. This should be great motivation for you to quit your day job and learn how to make a stable income playing online sit n go’s. It wont be easy, but once you learn how to do it, it will be as simple as waking up and going to work every morning!

Good luck!

The last four years this has become the most important tool in inviting new costumers to the online poker room. For a large number of poker players these sign up bonuses are a lovely opportunity to enlarge their bankroll easily. It is suggested, especially for beginning poker players, to profit by this free money offers. Online poker bonuses with a massive amount look charming but are normally very tough to complete. Before selecting a sign-up bonus the poker player need to know a couple of aspects of the sign-up bonus.

There are many aspects to look at when deciding which sign-up bonus a person should select.

First, there is the poker sign-up bonus amount. Online poker bonuses often range up to one hundred percent and more of the new poker players first deposit. Huge sign up bonuses are certainly the best but also harder to finish. The amount varies greatly at each online poker room since some online poker rooms offer just $100 while others offer poker bonuses more than $2000.

The poker sign-up bonus match is another important aspect. The poker sign-up bonus match is a percentage of the poker players first deposit. For example, a $150 poker sign-up bonus with a 25% match means that if the poker player deposits $600 the player will receive the total $150 bonus – (25% of $600 being $150). This amount is normally credited to the poker players bonus account.

Next, there are the poker bonus requirements – the number of raked hands that are needed for each $1 in bonus money. These numbers can be found in the poker bonus conditions. For example, a $200 bonus with 10 raked hands for each $1 means that 2000 raked hands need to be earned before the bonus is credited to the players account.

When it comes to raked hands it is also important to know how tough these raked hands are earned at the poker players’ stakes. Raked hands normally count when a hand is raked more than $0.50 depending on the online poker room. In general, this means that the pot has to be more than $5 in order to receive a raked hand.

Finally, it is important to know if a poker bonus is contributed or non-contributed. Contributed sign up bonuses are certainly harder to finish than non-contributed sign up bonuses. Pay attention to this poker bonus aspect, which can be found in the poker bonus conditions, since the differences between these types of sign up bonuses are significant.

Poker players are allowed to finish more than one poker bonus. Since there are more than a hundred online poker rooms there are various sign up bonuses to choose from. The sign up bonuses also attract poker players that hop from poker site to poker site to complete various sign up bonuses. These poker players always look at the aspects mentioned before they select a new poker bonus. In conclusion, there are multiple poker bonus aspects that a person need to know before selecting a poker bonus. Be sure to read the poker bonus conditions before selecting a sign up bonus.