Hey, heythatsme,
Thanks for asking for advice. I think you'll find that all of the major sites are on the up-and-up. It's important to them to be legit, because they will lose a lot of money if they are not.
As for where to play, my personal preference is
PokerStars, and I play at
Titan a lot due to my affiliation with this forum (our league tournaments and freerolls are held there.) However, you should probably try several sites until you find the one you like best. Each site has advantages and disadvantages, usually in the way they present information on the screen. What works well for you may not work as well for me, and vice versa.
I would strongly suggest that you start with play money online, however. Learn how to play the game using play money so you don't lose your hard-earned dollars due to rookie mistakes. Also, there are lots of sites that have great advice for beginning Hold 'Em players (including this one ... follow
this link for the main page.)
Finally, don't be afraid to ask questions of people in these forums. I think you will find that our members are respectful, pleasant, and helpful. Welcome to the world of online poker!