For all of you who are new to internet poker, let us be the first to welcome you to an exciting new experience.  Online play gives you the opportunity to obtain skills needed for winning extremely fast and efficiently.  It is much easier to learn and master this game in the comfort and privacy of your own home than going to a crowded, often intimidating card room.

Now, in case you haven't figured it out yet, there is a huge difference between playing online and playing in a live game.  The game moves a lot faster on the internet, especially if you have multiple games going, so pay attention.  Nobody likes the guy that takes 20 seconds to call every time.  With a site like StacksPoker.com coming out, it is now even easy to make the switch from live poker to online poker.  Stacks Poker offers brand new 3d play where it feels just like you are sitting down at your favorite casino. Now you are going to see many more hands online, so it is a lot easy to learn the poker inside and out.  One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is if you have been playing live poker for a while, lay low until you get used to internet play.  The game is very different, it's a lot harder to read someone when they are sitting three states away versus someone sitting three seats to your left.  You don't get to read their eyes or their gestures, and you don't get to hear the tone of their voices.  Pay close attention to how the betting is going, how long your opponents are taking, and what they are typing in the chat room while they are playing a hand.  This will help you pick up on their styles of play. 

Also, it is a strong suggestion to at least watch some of the higher stakes rooms if you decide to not play in them.  Most of the people playing $1/$2 and up are good to great players, and you can pick up valuable information just watching these guys play.  If it is at all possible, start playing these higher limits as soon as you can.  I can't stress this point enough.  You will only get frustrated playing in the .10/.20 and .25/.50 rooms, and you might end up picking up some bad habits.  The majority of low limit internet players don't see a raise to 70 cents as a raise of seven times the big blind, they see it as a measly 70 cents.  Even though you may only be losing five bucks when they catch their ragged hands, the frustration adds up.  Establish a decent bankroll and start playing with some real players.  Besides, not every person playing in the high limits are good players.  You can still find those fish that will pay you off. But the biggest difference I see is that people respect you bets more, making it easy to steal pots.  But I'll get into that in my next article. 

Just remember Stacks Poker is one of the best ways to get better at poker, and the easiest way to find a game. So welcome to the good life.  Play smart, play strong, and play responsibly. And I'll see you at the tables...