There is not much footing to be had these days, alas. I write poetry for love rather than profits or fame --my primary ambition, to the extent I have one, is to have my work read and enjoyed. To that end, I have resolved to submit some work to some places outside AW and to a contest or two. It would be delightful to win a prize or a small paycheck, but I do not expect to retire on my profits as a poet.
I wish you the very best of luck with your work. Consider posting some of it here on AW if you'd like some feedback. FYI, the critique forum is password-protected, which protects your first publication rights. Please note, though, that the main forum is not password-protected, and therefore your work would be visible to the internet at large. If you just want people to read and appreciate your poem, more people browse here in the main forum, but if you want to submit it to publications, you probably want to stick to the critique forum.
ETA:
Of course, your wariness about pay-to-play is absolutely on the money when it comes to agents asking you to pay them, or paying to have your work appear in a publication.
And with contests, I wouldn't shell out even $10 until I investigated the contest, judges, and publication and felt confident that the contest was the real deal.