Let me remind you of the most important rule for any poker game anywhere if you are to be a profitable player: If you want to win at poker, you have to compete against players you can beat. This principle applies to online and live play, and should form the backbone of everything you think about and do at poker.

Forget about any other strategy - If your playing over your head, you're doomed to lose. You may be a big fish that can bully in a small pond, but if you swim over to the next and the fish are bigger, you're no longer the big fish. An amatuer boxer may be ther big hombre in his gym, but if he steps out into the rting with the rated pros he's going to get knocked silly, that is, before h goes to rest on the canvas. You've got to compete where you can compete.

If you're playing against players diminished. In fact, you're a big underdog. It's like the old adage. A player says he's the eighth best player in the world, but is a loser in his game. The listener asks how that can be. The top player replies, "Unfortunately, I play in the game with the top seven."

To sum up, if you're competing against superior players, they're going to have you outclassed and you'll be an underdog in the game with expectations of losing. But if you're the best player at the table, or one of the best, the opposite will be true: You'll have the expectation of winning. And that's the situation you want to be in.

INSIDER TIP: RESPECT THE FOOD CHAIN

          Adjustment 1: If you aspire to higher levels, fine; but first establish your success at the lower ones. Climb slowly. The higher the stakes, generally speaking, the better players. If you find you can't make money at higher levels, then drop down to where you can be successful. Play where you can win, and guess what? You will win.

          Adjustment 2: As a corollary to the above principal - playing against competition you can beat - find a table at the right stake (for your skill level and your bankroll) and play there. If things go great at the table you've chosen, perfect. Keep playing and keep making money.