I came to this forum and have been reading alot of threads lately. I have money on betonline from the sportsbook. I just started playing poker today and was wondering if this is a good idea or not. Everyone plays on "actual" poker sites so I know the competition is going to be real weak compared to poker stars, FTP, etc. My question is, will i be looked at like an idiot if i try to find some1 to sweat me on betonline? Should I try to cash-out as soon as possible and move my funds elsewere? If this is a waste of my time infact, were can US players play that's competative? Any help is appreciated, i feel like these questions are really stupid in general, but thanks.

And what game type of texas hold em is the best to start out with?

BetOnline is a decent place to start out. There are some software issues that you will hate after you've played other places but the games are pretty soft there, so it's worth the trade off.

No limit is the most popular poker variant in the world, atm. There's more information on it than any other form, so it won't be hard for someone who's dedicated to pick up. Read the micro NL forum (or micro NL fullring if you want to play nine handed, as these games spread more often on BetOnline). A subscription to a training site is worth the cost if you can afford it. If not, seven day trials are free and awesome.

Anyhow, welcome to the pokers. Be prepared to lose some money at first, it's kind of like tuition. Keep studying and playing and it is beatable, though.

Ok so im not to bad off then. Would you recommend any training sites in particular? Maybe any books to pick up?

It's too soon to worry about sweat sessions, so don't worry about that.
Also, it's actually a positive for you that you are playing on a site linked to sports betting. Unlike a dedicated poker site like Pokerstars, the players on betonline will tend to be relatively clueless. Although casual players are less predictable than full time poker players, they are definitely more profitable to play against, since they don't fold often enough. By playing solid ABC poker, you should be able to make a profit without having to become a multi-table nit. Sports-betting fish might not respect your raises, but they will pay you off with second-best hands when you have the goods.
Just bear in mind that if you ever transition to Pokerstars, you'll have to tighten up considerably, as you'll be faced with many more "pro" shortstackers and ubernits amongst the grinders.

That seems about right. I'll keep all of this in mind, thanks for the help.

I thought that Gus Hansen's, Every Hand Revealed was really good. He just describes every hand in a tournament he won, but it contains a lot of important concepts which he makes easy to understand. So I would recommend that book.

edit: although that will help you most with tournaments

I would definitely check out the Harrington on Cash games and Harrington Online 6 max books, they are really good. I'm still pretty noob at hold'em and these books have given me several really good points and schools of thought to work with at the table, and I am not done reading them yet.

prolly doesn't get much better than the poker blue print for beating the micros

I think i saw one of the books mentioned on here the other day when i was scrolling through 2+2's book store. Im definantly looking to pick something up to improve my game. Thanks for the help tho if i got any more questions ill be back here (probly soon).

http://www.twoplustwostore.com/twopl...d&productID=36

Ed Millers getting started in NLHE is one of my faves and a MUST READ.