[Ren]

Free online poker is a good way to get an understanding for the basics. It takes a lot of experience to be able to immediately recognize all the possible hands that can beat you and when to play the pot odds, and if you can do that without breaking your wallet so much the better. It also takes a while to develop the ability to calculate odds in your head (believe me, sometimes it can get messy but it absolutely is an essential skill if your goal is to make money long-term). If you really want to start making money though you're eventually going to have to move away from online poker and start developing your game in the real world. Being able to read players, spot tells, and use mind games is the best way to help yourself succeed in any poker scene which are all things you can't do in online poker (or at least, not nearly as effectively).

There's definitely no fast or easy road to making money in poker, online or otherwise. You're going to have to lose a lot of money before you start making it consistently. Maybe stop by your local Chapters and pick up a Phil Hellmuth book if you're really interested. There's a lot more to playing pro poker than you probably realize.