I haven't had a great year so far in 2008, except for my decent successes on Bodog during their Blogger Series during the first half of the year. The cards have not seemed to come my way this summer. However, the month of August hasn't been too bad. I have cashed in three SNGs on FullTilt, including one first-place finish. They were only $3.30 and $2.25 tourneys, so the bankroll hasn't exactly ballooned as a result, but at least I haven't gotten closer to busting.
I find myself trying to play a bit smarter, since I think I have been too loose in recent weeks. That will probably sound very strange to anyone who has seen my usual weak-tight style of play, but I know that I have played too many marginal hands lately and that is bound to be a big leak. At the same time, I am (mostly) trying to turn up the aggression at the right time, especially when I manage to get a decent stack and I have position. Yeah, I know, this is Poker 101 stuff, and I should know all this by now. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of what works instead of straying from the tried and true. Since I play at such low stakes, there isn't much point in trying to outthink my opponents, many of whom barely think beyond their cards. That isn't to say that there aren't some fair players at the micro level, but part of what I am working on is picking up on which ones have a clue what they are doing, and which are just donking around. It would be nice if these skills would sink in faster for me, and if I could remember to apply them consistently, but I won't claim to be the quickest learner around. I'll just have to keep at it and put a little more effort into improving.
