At all levels of poker play, you will find great players and those with very little skill or knowledge of the game. As you move up in level, the number of skilled players will slowly begin to out number the poor ones. Then, when you hit the high stakes table, you will find that nearly everyone at the table is a top notch player. This doesn't mean that no one will be making mistakes, but it does mean that you will need to be playing great poker to finish on the plus side. Let's start back at the beginning. Online play offers players the chance to play games with limits as low as $0.05/$0.10 with a $10 maximum buy-in. At this level, the play will closely resemble that at the free tables. Here, many players will be chasing with any hand and are more likely to call large bets since losing a hand will have no real affect on their finances. As you move to $25 maximum tables, the play becomes a little better and you may routinely find a player or two at the table who actually understands poker strategy. At the $50 game, an "all in" move begins to hold some weight and players may think twice before tossing their chips into the pot. Even so, you will find that the majority of players are weak and a half-way decent game is enough for you to be profitable.

Once you can routinely beat the $50 game, you are ready to move to the $100 and $200 games. At these levels, online play begins to mimic casino play. In a casino, $1/$2 blinds with a $100 or $200 maximum buy-in is generally the lowest level no-limit game offered. Here, you will find a mix of good and poor players and need to keep your game in order and think about every decision before you act. It will take a good game to earn additional chips, but one misstep can cost you your entire stack.

When you find that you can routinely show a profit at the $100 and $200 game, I think it's safe to say that you have become better than the average player. When you have proven that you can consistently win money at one level, you may be ready to move to the next. Just be sure you are mentally and financially ready, and don't be discouraged if you start to lose and have to go back down a level to rebuild your bankroll. All great players have earned their way to the big money game, and playing with higher levels of competition will make you a better player too.