any online poker players on here?

[jaymovement]

i'm looking to move from live games to online but i have a few questions:

what are some of the better sites? ive heard of ftp and pokerstars. how difficult is it to deposit and cashout?

how much was your starting bankroll and how did you get to where you are now?

what's the best game out there? L, NL, Heads up, sit&go tourneys, etc.

 

[likeitaloud]

Originally Posted by jaymovement

i'm looking to move from live games to online but i have a few questions:

what are some of the better sites? ive heard of ftp and pokerstars. how difficult is it to deposit and cashout?

how much was your starting bankroll and how did you get to where you are now?

what's the best game out there? L, NL, Heads up, sit&go tourneys, etc.

Everything is virtually the same in a sense that they will all suck money out of you.

 

[cheessus]

I used to play on stars, but now play on FTP. I've never had any problems getting money in and out.

The best games generally found in PL Omaha, where there is the most action. However, for bankroll building, I started out playing the $5 4 player heads up SNGs, until I was winning about 3 out of 4 (my longest streak was 10...never got close to that again). I also crushed the 9 player NL Hold'em SNGs too.

Basically, playing heads up is the best way to build your bankroll, but depending on how much you start with, the grind may not be that much fun. However, if you specialize in different games, like Razz, Omaha H/L, or Stud H/L, a lot of money is to be made there too. Good luck!

 

[RedScarf7]

Originally Posted by jaymovement

i'm looking to move from live games to online but i have a few questions: what are some of the better sites? ive heard of ftp and pokerstars. how difficult is it to deposit and cashout? how much was your starting bankroll and how did you get to where you are now? what's the best game out there? L, NL, Heads up, sit&go tourneys, etc.
FTP and Stars are the two largest online sites. Deposits vary in difficulty depending on which country you live in. Online games are much more difficult then live games for a variety of reasons. What stakes do you typically play?? Personally, I play 1/2-3/6 NLHE on both Stars and FTP. I play HU and 6max. I started over a year ago with 2k in scholarship money that i western union'd to stars, and I currently keep about 40BI for 2/4 online..the amount you should keep on will likely be different as everyone has a differing risk of ruin. Cashout are easiest with Stars, and as you climb their rewards program cheques typically arive within days of request. Cashouts of 10K+ are done with bankwires, and these can sometimes take 2 weeks especially if it is your first wire. FTP has decent cashout speeds but they aren't as fast as Stars. I prefer playing on FTP because you can get rakeback there and I think the competition isn't as good. What I would recommend for someone looking to turn to online poker from a live setting is this: 1)Become familiar with either (or both..) of twoplustwo.com or pocketfives.com. I recommend 2+2. 2)Drop down in the stakes you are used to playing when transitioning to online games. For example, if you play 1/2 live look to take on the .25/.50 games online. Generally speaking, a 1/2 game online will be more difficult then a 5/10 live game. 3)Sign up for a training site. I have subscriptions at deucescracked.com and cardrunners.com. There are other sites, and Jman (OMGClayAiken) has just started a site called bluefirepoker.com. If you plan on becoming a winning player online a training site or a coach is a must. All the good players playing at your stakes will be members of these sites. 4)Assuming you are running off of a PC get either pokertracker 3 or holdem manager. These programs will allow you to keep detailed stats on yourself and your competition. They will help you fix your leaks. I use Poker Copilot as it is the best alternative for Macs. Look into purchasing a HUD too.

 

[RedScarf7]

Originally Posted by cheessus

I used to play on stars, but now play on FTP. I've never had any problems getting money in and out.

The best games generally found in PL Omaha, where there is the most action. However, for bankroll building, I started out playing the $5 4 player heads up SNGs, until I was winning about 3 out of 4 (my longest streak was 10...never got close to that again). I also crushed the 9 player NL Hold'em SNGs too.

Basically, playing heads up is the best way to build your bankroll, but depending on how much you start with, the grind may not be that much fun. However, if you specialize in different games, like Razz, Omaha H/L, or Stud H/L, a lot of money is to be made there too. Good luck!

I agree with this. If you can learn to play Omaha optimally there is plenty of money to be made. I've just began to learn the game, and there are tons of players transitioning from NHLE to PLO (many of which are very exploitable).

 

[TowleY]

I play pokerstars once and a while, never tried anything else.

 

[Pennglock]

Originally Posted by RedScarf7

FTP and Stars are the two largest online sites. Deposits vary in difficulty depending on which country you live in. Online games are much more difficult then live games for a variety of reasons. What stakes do you typically play??

Personally, I play 1/2-3/6 NLHE on both Stars and FTP. I play HU and 6max. I started over a year ago with 2k in scholarship money that i western union'd to stars, and I currently keep about 40BI for 2/4 online..the amount you should keep on will likely be different as everyone has a differing risk of ruin. Cashout are easiest with Stars, and as you climb their rewards program cheques typically arive within days of request. Cashouts of 10K+ are done with bankwires, and these can sometimes take 2 weeks especially if it is your first wire. FTP has decent cashout speeds but they aren't as fast as Stars. I prefer playing on FTP because you can get rakeback there and I think the competition isn't as good.

What I would recommend for someone looking to turn to online poker from a live setting is this:

1)Become familiar with either (or both..) of twoplustwo.com or pocketfives.com. I recommend 2+2.

2)Drop down in the stakes you are used to playing when transitioning to online games. For example, if you play 1/2 live look to take on the .25/.50 games online. Generally speaking, a 1/2 game online will be more difficult then a 5/10 live game.

3)Sign up for a training site. I have subscriptions at deucescracked.com and cardrunners.com. There are other sites, and Jman (OMGClayAiken) has just started a site called bluefirepoker.com. If you plan on becoming a winning player online a training site or a coach is a must. All the good players playing at your stakes will be members of these sites.

4)Assuming you are running off of a PC get either pokertracker 3 or holdem manager. These programs will allow you to keep detailed stats on yourself and your competition. They will help you fix your leaks. I use Poker Copilot as it is the best alternative for Macs. Look into purchasing a HUD too.

This is great advice.

In playing poker, for every decision you make, you need to be asking yourself: "does this choice yield the most expected value?"

Also, in addition to the pokertracker stats you gather, take detailed notes about the tendencies of the regular players. IMO, few players have the discipline to take truly detailed notes... I attribute almost all of my edge to the notes I take on regular players at the limits I play (3-6 through 5-10.)

If you want to succeed and move up in stakes, you need to be extremely curious and analytical. Think deeply about every situation you encounter, and get others opinions on 2+2 (but be aware of the high noise-to-signal ratio,) and ultimately work out a game that makes you money.

Don't expect to be a winning player overnight. It will likely take you hundreds of hours of play and study to start beating 1-2 online and higher. Internet competetion has increased exponentially over the last two years, because of the training sites Redscarf has pointed out and the shrinking pool of causual US players. Though my game has improved dramatically the last two years, I have only been able to move up 2 levels in limits during that time.

Also, please don't think about quitting your day job^^

 

[cheessus]

^^^I agree with the posters above.

Plus, I've felt that the 1/2 NL games are a lot tougher than the 5/10 NL games.