A Very Important Choice: The difference between Profit and Loss

The very first lesson in this course is one of the most important – How to Choose Where to Play Poker. This might seem quite trivial but it most certainly is not.

There are thousands of online poker operators on the internet nowadays, but choosing the right one is a very important matter.

To get the most out of this course, it’s important to choose a poker site with the right mix of player experience levels — where the strategies you’ll learn can be applied effectively in real-game situations.

Aren’t all Internet Poker rooms the same?

In short …. No! Some sites are more suitable for beginners to the game and others are more suitable for more advanced players.

Why’s this?

• Beginner Sites – Beginner-friendly sites often have a diverse player base, providing an excellent environment for new players to practice and develop their strategies (which you’ll learn early on in this course) against a range of opponents.
• Advanced Sites – These sites have more of a mixture of inexperienced and better players. Although the opponents are tougher on these sites they do have their advantages as it is often where larger tournaments are held which you may want to be a part of and it’s here where we can advance our game by using some of the more advance strategies that you’ll learn later in the course. These more advance strategies don’t work as well against inexperienced players because, as you have learnt above, they chase cards they shouldn’t which make them more unpredictable.

So which Internet Poker room should I use?

Here at Poker Professor, having been online since 2005, we’ve seen many online poker operators come and go, and we’ve monitored them grow.

We’re excited to share the Poker Bankroll Challenge — an educational journey designed to help you practice your skills and grow your starting bankroll of $25 with a illustrative target of $1,000. While outcomes vary, many in our community have enjoyed working toward this goal, and we love hearing their stories.

So along with a team of 30 beta testers we have tested the strategy we teach in this course, at the various stake levels on all the major Online Poker rooms to work out which room is the most suitable to recommend.

What we were looking for is a poker room that’s not only beginner-friendly but also features a high number of casual players and accessible games at lower stakes — the kind of environment where new players can apply their strategy, gain confidence, and learn to navigate live tables with less pressure.

It also needs to be somewhere that is suitable to setup home on, where you can use your new found poker abilities to grow into the player you aspire to be and explore your potential and push your strategy to new levels.

Ultimately, it’s entirely up to you where you play, but we hope you take our advice. By doing so, you’ll be in a strong position to follow the course as intended — starting with a $25 bankroll and aiming to grow it steadily through each stage as you build your skills and apply what you’ve learned.

Recommended Poker Site... Bovada Poker

... if you're after the kind of poker site that feels like a well-kept secret – one with real players, real action, and a track record of treating its community right – Bovada Poker is where the Professor suggests you sit down and deal in for the challenge in this course.

For starters, they roll out the red carpet with a welcome bonus, designed to give new players a little extra to start with (T&Cs apply - see bonus terms for wagering requirements and restrictions).

But it’s not just the bonus that makes this room stand out — it’s who you’re playing against. Thanks to a steady stream of casual players crossing over from the site’s popular casino and sports betting platforms, the games tend to contain more inexperienced players than other sites.

Even better? Bovada Poker aligns well with the Professor’s training and that means more opportunities to implement the strategies you will learn in this course.

If you're going to be studying the playbook, this is a good field to put your learning into practice in a live setting — helping you build experience and develop your game further.

So while there are plenty of decent poker rooms out there — and we’ve reviewed just about all of them — when it comes to putting theory into real-world practice, this is the one the Professor recommends most — based on our own testing, training results, and player feedback.

Of course, as with any poker site, results will vary, and responsible play is essential.

For more details read our full Bovada Poker Review.

DownloadBovada Poker

18+ • Bonus for new & eligible customers only • T&Cs Apply • Always Gamble Responsibly • GambleAware

So during this course, we’ll be putting the lessons into practice on the recommended site above. It’s a great choice for beginners, with a player base that includes many casual opponents — making it an ideal environment to develop your skills and work on steadily growing your starting bankroll from $25 as you progress.

So now that important decision is made, it’s time to get started. First make sure you have setup a new player account.

Follow these steps now:

1. Click on the link in the box above to go to the download page.
2. This will take you directly to the download page and ensures you are downloading the genuine software (and of course free of charge). Select the download link on the page to start the download.
3. Once the download file has finished then double click on it to start the installation and follow the simple on screen instructions.
4. After installation, click on the newly installed software icon either on your desktop, or in your program menu.
5. Click on the option to register a new player account and complete the short form with your details and choose your username. Once complete, click on submit.
6. Now you can Login to your new player account using the username and password you have just setup (you may have to verify your email address first).
7. Once you have logged in then click on the Cashier button in the corner of the screen – You will then be taken to the Deposit screen where you can select your chosen deposit method.
8. Now deposit $25 (or more) from your chosen payment method into your account.

As a thank you for signing up, poker sites typically offer a first deposit bonus, matching your initial deposit up to a specified maximum amount. Bonus details can vary, so always check the current offer and read the terms carefully when signing up.

So for example, if the current offer was a 100% Bonus, this would mean by depositing $25 the poker site would give you another $25 on top of that as a free bonus.

This bonus isn’t always instant—typically, you’ll need to accumulate “player points” through your regular poker play, and the bonus is credited gradually to your account as you reach specified milestones. Earning points involves regular gameplay, so ensure you’re comfortable with the terms and conditions when opting in.

So, as you play and earn the points, it will be credited to your bankroll and you can simply view the bonus as a boost to your bankroll.

So, enough of the introductions and setup…let’s get started with your $25 bankroll and begin learning through real hands — building your skills as you go and seeing how far your game can take you. So without any further to do let’s get learning…

Always Gamble Responsibly

Take regular breaks

Bet what you can afford

Always set limits

Never chase losses

Support The Poker Professor Community

Some of the links on Poker Professor are affiliate links. If you choose to sign up through them, we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. This helps support our educational content and keeps the site free to use.

Sign up to Poker Rooms using the links on Poker Professor

Like or Share an article or course you enjoyed

Link to us from your Blog or Socials