Hello all,

Bit of a hotch potch post - and my first too - but I'd like a bit on advice please as I'm hitting my head against a brick wall at the moment. I've been playing since 2005 but only for cash since June. I read books,watch shows, buy the magazines and read the forums. I know my oods/outs/pre flop odds, starting hands, position and bluffing/aggression.

In short, I take the game seriously and have a very good understanding of the fundamentals of poker.

My foray into cash play has been quite good. Playing 6/10 seater $5 SNGs, I finish in the money 1/2 games. Whenever I deposit $20, I soon turn this into $140. Anyway, the site I played at had a high number of aces, I counted 23 in 37 flops, and as rag acers dominated and as they didn't do rakeback, I was ready to move on to a new site, adhering to strict BR operations.

The problem is this, wherever I go, at the level I can afford, the play I encounter is incredibly loose and fishy and my every attempt to "play properly" and get better is being hindered by bad beat after bad beat.

Perhaps I am asking for the impossible, but I need to know of any sites/levels you recommend that aren't too crazily fishy or swimming with sharks.

I left Titan and joined UB and later, Poker Heaven - where it seemed the inmates were running the asylum. Here, I got busted and beat up pretty bad, with guys calling ANY bet with ANY 2 cards. For example, holding QK and flopping 2 pair, and despite betting on every street, I lost to a guy holding pocket 2s by making trips on the river. I also saw guys making all ins with K10 and being called by A4. And these all ins were usually joined by at least 2 others in a 4 way all in pot?!?!?

And this is at the $20 level!!! Not $1. Not $5. But $20!!! Now, if I am to commit no more than 3% of my BR to tourney play then I simply cannot continue at this expense. These fishy players are meant to be good but not for me. This play continued in the freerolls and cash games when I indulged in a bit of ring play at.25/.50 level.

It was like it was play money.

Am I asking for the impossible - people who try to play poker? I'm not the best. I'm far from it. I have a good grasp of ABC poker but I want to get better. Yet I'm finding it hard to meet people who feel the same and who take poker seriously. If I hold 59os, and two people in front of me raise/call 6xbb, I'm throwing them down. Not at Poker Heaven.

I've tried Titan, Pokerroom, Ultimate Bet and Poker Heaven for cash. I can't believe it but Titan is by far and away the best - great graphics, hand history for all players, menu, stats etc. But i don't wanna go back.

And I've tried Full Tilt, Mansion, Bodog, Interpoker, FatBet, Purple Lounge for play chips so I can evaluate the software and the look/feel and just to confuse matters, I need a site that has looks/functionality.

Only Mansion looks good and has the graphic display of play that I like. Unfortunately, no one seems to play there. Purple Lounge is just....purple and FatBet a horrible grey/yellow scheme - like looking at a negative.

Full Tilt, minus the avatars was okay. But no decent stats/hand history or with the excellent layout of Titan (ipoker network). And I hear FT is full of Great Whites. As is PokerStars.

No other site offers the excellence of Titan: the graphic display of each game, hand history of each hand (including cards of opponents that lost at showdown which is great for info on opponents) detailed stats etc.

In addition, as I had amassed a lot of VIP points at Titan, I traded these in for MTT entry to test myself in more than just "final table" scenarios. I also thought there'd be less loose crazy play. I did ok, getting as high as 18th from 500 runners and I can take heart from the fact that I never lost to a better starting hand - but to guys who sucked out: KK lost to K8, AA lost to Q5, KA lost to J6 and QQ lost to 29. However, I still got busted at the end of the day and I am beginning to lose my confidence and aggression.

Anyway, if you can help, it'd be great. And any advice - on any aspect - would be much appreciated.

Thx