Make sure you are comfortable and alert when you play – This is one of the most important aspects of playing Internet poker. Successful, winning poker is a marathon, not a sprint. If you expect to have a successful session you must set aside at least and hour or two to play. You are likely to fold a large percentage of your hands if you are playing correctly so you are going to want to get comfortable. Get an ice cold drink and maybe a snack ready before you sit down to play. Be sure to take a bathroom break before you get started!

Never play when you are too tired or if you have other things on your mind. Poker takes 100% concentration and you can dwindle your bankroll in a hurry if your head is not completely in the game.

NEVER play while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There’s a reason the casinos in Las Vegas ply their customers with large amounts of liquor. People who are under the influence make bad decisions. When you make a rash choice while playing Internet Poker, there will be someone there who will take advantage and take cash right out of your pocket.

Start Slow – Even if you are an experienced poker player at land-based card rooms, you are going to want to ease your way into the Internet Poker arena. While the games are the same, the playing field is different and it will take a little getting used to for even the most seasoned of players.

It is a good idea to start off at some of the play money tables so you can get a feel of the Internet poker experience. You are not going to want to practice strategy at these tables, however, since players are way more aggressive in the play money rooms than they would be at real money tables. But this is definitely a good starting point when you are trying out Internet poker for the first time.

When you do make your first foray into the real money tables, start off in small limit rooms. This way, you don’t have to risk too much money when you are first starting out.

Free money tables are available at Bodog. Visit Internet-Poker.com’s Bodog Poker page for more information on this top-ranked site.

Exploit the small limit tables – When playing for real money, there are no better places than the small-limit tables. Most of the players at these tables are inexperienced and they often make the wrong decisions. You can make a lot of money if you are there to exploit these bad choices!

If you are a skilled poker player you can practically make a living by playing at the low-limit tables. Once you get to the higher-limit tables you get more smart players who are less prone to part with their money. These players usually make the right choices most of the time and you have to be a very good player to compete with this crowd. But even a beginner who practices good fundamentals can excel and win money at the small money tables.

There’s always a low-limit game at Party Poker. Visit Internet-Poker.com's Party Poker page for more information on this high-traffic site.

Know your competition – Before you sit down at a table be sure to scope it out for at least 30 minutes. Take good notes about each player and find out who is aggressive, conservative or just plain foolish. Once you know who you are up against you will be able to have your best chance to win money once you sit down.

Practice good money management – If you are at a table where there are ten players seated, you are going to be posting binds 20% of the time. Therefore, you want to play within your means. If you have a $100 bankroll, you are not going to want to sit down at the $10-$20 tables. Even if you don’t play a hand you could be out of money after a couple of binds. Instead, look at the players at the table. If their bankroll is comparable to your then this is a table you likely want to sit down at.

Play conservatively when needed and aggressively when you have a good starting hand – Bad poker players are the ones who play the cards that they shouldn’t. The good and winning poker player picks and chooses their spots then pursues the winning hand aggressively. You are going to want to fold most of your hands and chose to raise only when you feel you have a can’t lose hand. In Texas Holdem, too many players pursue cards that they should fold. Small pocket pairs should always be folded because, once the flop is dealt, someone else is likely to have a higher pair. You should always fold before the flop is dealt if you do not feel like you have a legitimate chance of having a workable hand. If you don’t have anything after the flop, get out before the stakes are too high!