[beekeeper]

Please redirect me if there is an existing thread that answers my questions.

Currently I have only ever played for play money at Bugsy's Club, but numerous people have told me that to improve my game, I have to play for real money, even if it is low stakes.

Objective:

I don't want to play poker for an income, I just want to improve my play and maintain a bankroll.

Questions:

Is there a way to deposit money into an account for a site without having any of my account numbers (bank, credit cards) on record at that site?

What would you consider the lowest stakes one could play for to achieve my objective?

What site would you recommend?

[SingleMaltFan]

my first tast of crack came from a co-worker of mine who transferred $20 into a paradise poker account, and i played 2c/4c limHE....

then it was all over for me..i maintained my bankroll for a while and improved my game, then...

i was signing up for netteller and loosing my money on a regular basis..(j/k)..

so who do you know that wil do that for you??

1malt

[smoore]

Serious players use something like Neteller as an online wallet. You have to entrust neteller with a bank account. Some people have a separate bank account so any crook that broke in couldn't get the bill money.

I'll transfer you $20 on pokerstars if you want for $22 paypal (to cover the damn fee). If you want, you could mail me a check and I'd transfer you $20 also.

'stars is a great place to start online poker because there is usually no first deposit bonus and they have games all the way down to .02/.04 for limit.

[w16227]

For funding, Netteller has a great reputation. They are a middleman like Paypal that handle transactions. The quickest way to get them money is a bank transfer from a checking account (takes 3-5 days from setup). They also have an instant transfer option, but they charge you for this (most simple transactions are free). If you go this route, set up a seperate checking account for the transfers. I have never heard of any issues with Netteller and accounts, but better safe than sorry.

Try playing freerolls as well. Like they sound, they give away some small amount of free money to the top finishers (usually like $10 for 1st). Most sites have them in some form.

There is a site or two that give away an instant bankroll for signing up (SOMEONE POST A LINK). These offeres are not always active, but great when you can find the, usually like $10.

The easiest way - take up Smoore on his offer. Quick and cheap.


As for limits, well -- that will depend upon how much you want to put into the account.

If you start with $20, you need to play low limit. $1 SnG (single table tournaments) and .05/.10 limit. Even at those levels, you migh lose the stack due to the natural swings of poker. Basic rules of thumb:

single table tournaments: at least 20x the buyin
Limit poker: At least 300x the big bet (so for 1/2 limit, the rool should be $600)

The catch to the rule of thumb recommendations, is that you need to be skilled enough to beat the games. If this is your first jaunt into cash online poker - start with LIMIT holdem SnG play for an amount that you feel comfortable losing. Why - well, you will get a lot more play for your buck at these than the NL ones. Sure, everyone loves NL but you can go on a wild streak and lose 3 in a row playing one hand each. if you only start with $20, then I believe pokerstars has $1 SnG games. Great way to get your feet wet.

Keep posting questions, there is a lot of experience here.

[beekeeper]

Thank you Smoore for your generous offer. I'm going to talk to my husband about it tonight. And thank you all for the information. I really appreciate it.

[smoore]

You betcha. I think the $20 on 'stars would cost like $21 on paypal, not $22. It's a 3-5% charge, right?

[beekeeper]

It's 2.9% + $.30, which is $21 about.

It's a really cool offer, thanks.

[Poboy]

I would still open a neteller acct. I use a bank acct. with little money in it. Eventually, you're going to want to withdraw some of the money you win. Cash out to neteller > bank acct > withdraw.

[scottwire]

You could also do one of the instant bankroll promotions at PSO where you can get $100 free with no deposit at Party Poker or Absolute or $50 at Titan by signing up through them.

There are also some sites that offer $10 free directly with no deposit like Crazy Poker.

Then you can always deal with cashing out down the road.

[dad604]

From your description of what you want to do, the best option is the "Instant Bankroll" from PSO. Just click on the link at the bottom of this page.

Otherwise a good site to play with lots of fish is Pacific Poker, Party Poker, Paradise. All those have lots of fish at the lower limits.

Neteller is one of the best online e-wallets. They are a reliable company that is Canadian operated out of the Isle of Man. I believe it is a public company listed on the stock exchange in London, UK. Certain poker sites will absorb the charges for instant cash, I know Pacific is one of them.

As w16227 said, freerolls are a good way to start tournaments without any risk.