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.