The pros are going to move from casino to casino. The best way to figure out if you can make money at a table is to play very tight for two full rotations of the button. Count the number of times each person raises/re-raises or calls a bet. In a short period of time--as few as 20 hands--you can get a read on many people and their behavior. You'll find two or three folks don't bet at all, while two or three folks bet into 5-10 of the hands. Some folks might be inbetween the two (i.e. moderate players, people who haven't gotten good cards or people who change up their game). If you determine people are very tight or very loose I find those are the folks you want to try to make money from.

Don't be afraid to get up from a table if you can't get a read on people. You might only be able to beat the rake at a small number of tables.

Finally, your chances of making money in the first two years of your game are very low because you're going up against folks with 10 to 20 years of experience. They have all kinds of moves, and they probably know three people at the table (yes, there is massive collusion--even if unspoken--at poker).

My suggestion is play lower stake games while you learn and if you care about your bankroll set a rule of getting up from the table when you're up some reasonable percentage (say 25-75%).

Also, there are $25 and $100 tournaments at casinos all the time. They are great games to play in oder to learn because you can't get too hurt and you can play for a long time.

Good luck!
Source(s):
been playing for three years in Los Angeles--poker capital of the world.

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