No offense man, but with your level of knowledge, I'd worry more about capital LOSSES. Of course, if you feel like gambling and buy all the puts/calls your account allows and get lucky, well that is NOT trading. One can pretty much accomplish the same in Vegas. Also, if you go the option route, stick to 1-2 options at a time. This way at least you can learn something from your tuition. With futures your "tuition" will disappear very fast and you won't have a chance to learn anything. I actually do not like options. Would always prefer futures because of the lower overall trading costs. But as tuition for a newbie I would not use futures.
abenyukh, The difference between trading stock or index options and eminis is like the difference between being a truck driver and flying a stealth bomber. You could argue they are basically the same, but there are also various differences. I would say for your level of experience options are better than eminis, as long as you keep the following 2 things in mind: 1. Don't short options. (That means, never sell an option before you buy it; Only sell options that you have previously bought.) 2. Understand that unless you get extraordinarily lucky, you WILL lose 100% of your capital.