For A newbie
1- He read about forex trading completly. this subject is not easy. must get command on the subject than its imlementations
2- by practiceing on DEMO Ac. when ur accuracy near about 70 to 80% than open a Real Ac.
3- A minimum amount for Ac. in My openion is near about $1000 to $2000
4- selection of broker is most important. search on net by web pages. blogs and forums.