I don't really regularly follow any poker forums. I find reading other people's hand histories boring and people's bad beat stories even more boring. 2+2 forums is pretty much the biggest poker forum out there and really the only one I can recommend. I'm sure there are smaller ones with much tighter knit communities, but in the end, there's no substitute for experience. Once you've read enough hand histories and learned enough different people's perspectives on a range of hands, reading any more is pointless.
Maybe google the term "bonus whore." Despite the offensive title, it's not really as bad as it sounds. Bonus whoring is basically taking maximum advantage of free money. I started out as a bonus whore myself. My goal was to put in the least amount of money and see the greatest amount of return.
There are legitimate blackjack sites out there that will basically give you free money if you follow the precise instructions. For example, let's say a site offers a 100% match bonus up to $200. If you consult
www.wizardofodds.com, you will see that if you play perfect blackjack (using an easy to read chart), you will usually get back 98% of what you put in. When you figure in the bonus money, unless you are the unluckiest man in the world, you will come out ahead. Many times this you will gain a profit in addition to the bonus money.
What I did was bonus whore as many sites as I could find, playing the absolute minimum amount of hands required to withdraw my money. I'm not sure what the landscape is nowadays, but when I did it, I was able to come out with anywhere from $2000-6000 free and clear. I didn't really start keeping track of my hands as religiously as I do now, so I apologize for the wide range.
Once you have that bankroll built up, you are literally playing with the houses money. You will not believe how much of a psychological edge this is. In poker, you have to be fearless. As the saying goes, scared money is dead money.
If you want me to recommend you some affiliates, I can do that. I happen to use two different ones that seem to be honest. Other than that, just get your hands in, take your licks and if you are cut out for it, you will come out ahead. Poker is just a game, no different from Sega or Nintendo. Some people are just better at it than others. You will learn very quickly if you are cut out for it and if you're not. It's nice to have that cushion that you aren't risking your own money while you're trying to figure that out.