Free games or real-money games? It's always best to choose free games first, in order to become acquainted with the poker room and the game. Sometimes there are free tournaments with money prizes, too. The real-money games can wait until your fictitious winnings in "fun money" games have stabilized at a reasonable level.

 

 

The first prerequisite for winning poker is to find a good table. Profitable poker is tight and aggressive. You bet and raise with good cards. Otherwise you fold. This strategy works naturally best in loose and passive games. The nature of the game can be found out from the "Players/Flop" column.

 

 

If the poker room doesn't announce this ratio, the average pot size can give some clues. Because these values are long time averages (usually for 20 rounds) it's very useful to figure out possible trends and choose a table with rising values. Falling values tend to refer to previously good games that have attracted new, tighter players. Often, these kinds of games are played short-handed and run the risk of being closed in the near future.

 

 

The best way to increase your chances of finding a good table is to join all of the best poker rooms, compare the conditions, and skim the cream. The membership always comes free, without any kind of obligations. As an additional benefit, most card rooms donate a considerable sign-up bonus for new players. Later on, they offer many kinds of promotions for their members. 

 

 

In summary, join all of the best poker rooms, compare the games and promotions, and skim the cream. Finding the best game is the first and the easiest step to accomplish in winning poker.