Questions About Starting Up

[dv8 0]

Hey all, I haven't been on this site for a while (I lurked a lot a long time ago). Anyways, I'm thinking about getting started with online poker, semi-seriously and just to see how far I can get it. I'm not going to delve into my poker story, but I just have some questions, some are probably pretty basic to you guys, but hopefully you'll be willing to help! :)So first things first, I'm planning on grinding and starting at the lowest of NL cash games (.01/.02). - What poker site should I create my account on and deposit money? That is, what site has the best first deposit deals, and rakeback? (edit: is the best way to quickly withdraw/deposit through paypal?)- What is rakeback, exactly? Lol, I don't FULLY understand. - How much should I deposit?- What should my parameters for bankrolling?- What should I be doing in terms of tracking hands, sessions? And How?- What's a good poker book to read/get for NL? I understand pot odds, EV, etc. an adequate amount, but I'm sure some of my fundamentals are a little off. I guess those are just some starter questions, it should enough for now? Any other input that you find is necessary would be great too. All help would be appreciated.

[rbakken2504 0]

I think FTP will still give you 27% rakeback....rake is how the website makes money...so in ring games say they take $1 rake, if ten players are seated, you'd be accountable for $0.10...so you'd get 2.7 cents back for that hand.at .01/.02 i think $40 or 20 buy-ins is enough...so $40 is a good deposit number, typically 20 buy-ins is a little low for bankroll, but being as its just $40, if you go broke and run bad, it isnt hard to replenish it.bankroll requirements as you progress through the limits should grow larger...2+2 is a good forum to checkout for bankroll requirements and mathematical thinking about the game.as far as books...Super system 2 you cant go wrong with.For tracking, buy Holdem Manager when you can afford it, IMO its better than pt3 and its leakbuster software is very handy.

[dv8 0]

Are we talking about 20 max buyins? Oh, I'd also intend on play headsup games to mix it up, is FTP still the best bet for that?

[rbakken2504 0]

Are we talking about 20 max buyins? Oh, I'd also intend on play headsup games to mix it up, is FTP still the best bet for that?

yes, 20 max buyins...i just suggested ftp cuz of the 27% rakeback...rakeback is absolutely essential for micro limits, otherwise its very difficult to beat the rake

[ff7bigfan 0]

Hey all, I haven't been on this site for a while (I lurked a lot a long time ago). Anyways, I'm thinking about getting started with online poker, semi-seriously and just to see how far I can get it. I'm not going to delve into my poker story, but I just have some questions, some are probably pretty basic to you guys, but hopefully you'll be willing to help! :)So first things first, I'm planning on grinding and starting at the lowest of NL cash games (.01/.02). - What poker site should I create my account on and deposit money? That is, what site has the best first deposit deals, and rakeback? (edit: is the best way to quickly withdraw/deposit through paypal?)- What is rakeback, exactly? Lol, I don't FULLY understand. - How much should I deposit?- What should my parameters for bankrolling?- What should I be doing in terms of tracking hands, sessions? And How?- What's a good poker book to read/get for NL? I understand pot odds, EV, etc. an adequate amount, but I'm sure some of my fundamentals are a little off. I guess those are just some starter questions, it should enough for now? Any other input that you find is necessary would be great too. All help would be appreciated.

AS recommended before, I think full tilt is a good option, as it has 27 % rakeback, which is the max you can get anywhere. Rakeback is a cut of the rake that you pay. As mentioned, if the rake is $1, and you are 1 of 10 players, your contribution is 10 cents, and 27 % of that would come back to you, or 2.7 cents. It is something you can get for lifetime, and on full tilt, it is done via the dealt hand method, meaning, even if you fold, you still get an even cut. Some sites offer contributed where you have to put money into the pot to earn any rakeback. As far as a rakeback site, I would recommend Raketherake (Link in sig). I have used them for a while, had no problems. If you had any questions about them, or signing up with rakeback, feel free to ask/pm me. They also offer a $30,000 freeroll every month, which is a nice bonus. I have final tabled one of these once, and it was a nice boost to get $3,000 from a freeroll.As far as depositing, it is your preference. If you can afford to deposit more should you bust, bankroll requirements won't matter as much. If however, you want to deposit, and can't afford to lose it, you should consider bankroll management.An article that is considered the bible for bankroll management is found here: http://www.pocketfives.com/poker-articles/...agement-2425952For tracking sessions, I usually write down the table I was on, how much I started with, how much I ended with, and how long I Played. From this, after a larger sample, you can start to get an idea if you are winning or not. Other programs people use to track these stats are Poker Tracker, and Holdem Manager, both of which offer short term free trials to try out the software.As far as books, I'm not sure. I would recommend posting and reading as much as you can in the strategy forums, as they can certainly help you better understand specific questions.

[dv8 0]

Wow, thanks--all that was really helpful. Just one question left: what company should I use to make my transactions? I'd prefer to use a company that doesn't say that I'm using it for poker on my bank statement.

[ff7bigfan 0]

I use moneybookers, although if you are American you cannot use it. If however you aren't, chances are you can. It is a site that works as an online wallet, so I pay to moneybookers using either a credit card, or bank debit card, and from there I have money on the site. Then using moneybookers, I can deposit to a site, and when I withdraw from a site it goes back to the moneybookers. It is generally accepted at all sites I have seen. However, if you are American, I am not sure, so defer to an American poster what would be the best method.

[rrumsey 0]

trackyourbets.com is free and will help you keep track of sessions, win rates per hour, ect...

[dv8 0]

I use moneybookers, although if you are American you cannot use it. If however you aren't, chances are you can. It is a site that works as an online wallet, so I pay to moneybookers using either a credit card, or bank debit card, and from there I have money on the site. Then using moneybookers, I can deposit to a site, and when I withdraw from a site it goes back to the moneybookers. It is generally accepted at all sites I have seen. However, if you are American, I am not sure, so defer to an American poster what would be the best method.

Yeah, I am American, unfortunately.

trackyourbets.com is free and will help you keep track of sessions, win rates per hour, ect...

Sounds good; thanks!