I tried some online Poker for the first time yesterday and I'll make some observations if only to give this poker forum some activity.

I'm a relative newbie to poker having only played home games in the past (limit hold'em 50c/$1.00) so... there you go... Anyway, online I found it difficult to determine who raised the pot - the online game is played so fast and a players betting action flashes up so quickly on screen it's hard to get a handle on. It's not impossible mind, so I'll need to practice some more before playing for $$$ because it's an important part of the game.

It was a VERY loose agressive game (obviously as no money was involved) with plenty of calling stations so bluffing was not an option. Initally I played quite tight folding 75% of starting hands but I loosened up as I got tired of watching other people play and got comfortable with surroundings. Ultimately I only folded about 1 hand in 6 and I was still tight compared with the rest of the table! Against such appalling play I managed to double my bankroll from 500 to 1000 (or more realistically from $0.00 to $0.00) but it took me, like, 3 hours or something as I was dealt some very ordinary hands early on.

The other folks there were friendly. They didn't complain when I forgot it was my turn for 15 seconds. The banter was very funny - well it appealed to my sense of humour as some dude was just there to chat up the chickies and they got all ********ed off and he backed off just the right amount then BANG! He was at them again and yeah, he was humourous and I laughed. Aaaah... Funny. You had to be there.

Hey, if someone can tell me how much tighter a 5c/10c or 10c/20c game is compared to the free games I'd appreciate it because after a little more practice I'll be there.

"Hey, if someone can tell me how much tighter a 5c/10c or 10c/20c game is compared to the free games"

I don't think playing them will be worth it (it's basically playmoney). Do the play money games until you are totally comfortable playing online. Read as much as you can. Develop your skills and experience by hitting bonuses. You'll soon have a large enough bankroll and enough skill/experience to move up in limits.

hi mr j.

please explain what u mean by hitting bonuses. thats new terminology for me

He means getting the new account bonuses and activity bonuses that poker sites give. If you join via the links on this site you get US $100 free money from Party Poker when you become a 'real money' player. That buys you quite a bit of practice!

The only thing is that there is a time limit on how long you have to play the number of raked hands to claim the bonus, so don't join as a real money player until you have enough time set aside to play a fair bit for a week or so.

I've played, and I'm good enough to play for $$$ (the freeplay players are really really bad and they don't get better they just keep getting worse). So I go to deposit using credit card and it won't let me! What a joke. All the other options for payment to the poker site are either for USA only or expensive ($25 deposit fee! no thanks).

After some investigation i think the reason why the credit card transaction was declined is because providing interactive internet gambling to Australians is illegal. It's not illegal to be a customer, only a provider, but the banks obviously are able to block payment to eGambling sites.

This is just plain ridiculous and wrong. It's MY money... so why? F***ing government regulations interfering with my life! I don't need it!

Yeah, so anyway I'm pretty grumpy now (I'll get over it) but if anyone can tell me anything that'd cheer me up please do.

Something doesn't add up. I funded my Party Poker account with a normal Westpac Visa card and have made other deposits since with the same card to grab reload bonuses. So I think there is some other reason your card was rejected.

My suggestion is that you ring Party on the toll free help line and find out for sure.

Thousands of Australians are playing poker online, so if it really is illegal for poker sites to allow Australians to join then they're ignoring it.

By contrast, 'in play' betting definitely is illegal for Australians and sites like Betfair are quite strong about trying to stop Aussies from betting after the event has started. I find it very unlikely that Betfair would be taking one law so seriously and all the poker sites just ignoring a similar law.

I wouldn't give up, as you sound like someone who should do well. Let us all know if you find out more.