If you've been playing poker online, you know that all poker rooms are not created equal. For instance, Pacific Poker has what a friend of mine calls "fish protection" built into the room. Since Pacific only allows players to play at one table at a time, all of the online card sharks play elsewhere. After all, those online pros want to play at three or four tables at one time so they can get in as many hands in an hour as possible. For them, more hands means more money. For more insight into other poker rooms, read our candid reviews.

If you're a poker player, but haven't started playing online, there are some things you should know. It's easy to set up an account at one of the big poker rooms. Visit their website, hit download and follow the instructions. When opening an account be sure to use real information (name, address, email - there is no need to give out confidential information like social security numbers).

Once you are up and running, spend some time at the "fun money" tables. Get used to where the buttons are for "fold, call, bet, raise". Test out some features of the poker room, like chat or player notes.

Before you can actually play for real money, you will need to make a deposit at the poker room. Most poker rooms offer bonuses for new players making their first deposit. Check their website for details, and see if you qualify for any free money.

Online poker rooms let you transfer money into an account with them in several different ways. Most let you use your credit card, which is fast and convenient. That being said, most banks will not approve a transaction that involves an online poker room. So much for fast and convenient. But, be assured that it is not the poker room turning you down, it is the bank that won't allow you to use your card.

Of course you can try a checking or debit card, and if this works for you, that's fantastic. You've found your solution. But, for many of us, banks and credit card companies have made things a bit more bothersome. So, many online poker players go through the process of opening an account with Neteller, an "e-wallet" company.

If you have a PayPal account like many eBay users, you'll be familiar with the way Neteller works. You open an account with Neteller, which takes several days due to strict security. Then, you can put money into your neteller, like an electronic wallet. You can then move money from your Neteller account into any online poker room account.

When it is time to take winnings out of your poker account, you can put them into your Neteller. It is much quicker to have a poker room put your money into your Neteller than to have them deliver a check for your winnings to your door.

Now that you're ready to play at the real money tables online, keep in mind some of these points:

• Online play is much faster that play in person. After all, no time is spent shuffling cards by hand, or pushing chips around and stacking them. This also means that if you usually lose a few dollars an hour at the casino, you'll be losing that few dollars times two (roughly) online. Of course if you usually win a few, you should win a few more.
• Bluffing is hard to do online. It's so easy to just click a button, compared to stacking and pushing chips into a pot. There are plenty of calling stations online, look for them, and adjust your game accordingly.
• The rake is a lot lower online, and the dealer doesn't take tips. So, the cost of playing poker is less than at the casino. Of course, if you're used to home games with no rake, it'll be a little more.
• Do you think there's a difference between putting real money from your wallet into a pot , and putting some clay chips into the pot? Sure, people part with chips easier. That's why casinos use them. Well, it's even easier to just click a button on the computer screen than to use chips. So, people bet a lot online. You'll see lots of wild plays online. If you can survive the swings that come with playing against loose opponents, you'll find a lot of people giving you their money.

If you can't handle the swings (emotionally, or because of the size of your chip stack), you'll be screaming at the computer. Of course there are also well-schooled players out there in cyberspace that can just beat you with their talent. I don't mean to say that it's nothing but fish everywhere you look.

If you find your chips draining away, perhaps you should review our strategy section.

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