this is going to turn into more of a chat session, i feel, now. lol.

- you say that Lederer says sort of the same thing. Thank You, that is certainly high praise. i appreciate the validation.

- the guy "slumming" from the 5/10 NL games is a friggin liar. sorry. nobody drops from 1000NL to 2NL, just for fun. he is either a total degen (arent we all really? lol), or someone about to go busto because he SUCKS at bankroll management. besides, if he really was a 5/10 player, he would never admit it at a 2NL table...he would be much too smart for that, imo.

- good news. it sort of sounds like you stopped that 10 BI swing before you went completely busto and "railed" yourself for good. bion (believe it or not), there is a positive there.

- hitting the wall in a MTT? you mean getting bored out of your skull watching the players all push chips with crap when you cant catch anything to stand your ground? that impatience has busted me out of soooo many tourneys, its not funny to even talk about. but, now that you know that, you can stress patience to yourself, and get even closer to cash time, any time you enter....almost.

- changing gears? i would tell you to AVOID those regs. but, at a 2NL table, no offense, i dont think they are "playing YOU." they are only playing their cards. but, its always good advice to avoid the more solid players you notice without something good, and to wait for your opportunities against the idiots. go back and look over the section about lowering your cbet frequency...where i mentioned the different things to do on flops instead of just leading out all the time. that is an example of "changing gears." do it pre flop. do it on flops, turns, and rivers. but, stick to abc poker 90% of the time, and you will be fine. many will argue that abc 110% of the time at the lower stakes (50NL and down) will be very profitable. i just like to change it up a bit...to stave off boredom.

- stars aligning? yeah, dont blame it on the cards...entirely. downswings are the BEST times for finding leaks. you get so obsessed with the fact you are not winning anymore that you do your best learning, imo. also, rest assured that the stars will realign at some point. you will make some serious "crying calls" and come out the winner. thats when you know things are turning again.

- notes? OH YEAH. there are tons of things to watch. get as detailed as possible. everybody has an opinion here, and they all work. some use shorthand. others type in some great stuff in great detail.

i start with a noted abbreviation of their style. TAG, LAG, ROCK, CALLER, CHASER, LPP (fish), etc. that gives me a general idea of the player from the minute i sit down, and helps to tell me if i am in the right seat before my PT and HUD come up. but, i also start to add details when i see something. mostly, what they are willing to push all in with. "felts TP" is a big one. "calls big river bets with crap" is another. those kinds of things will help me when i want to know the best way to size my bets. but, its really a personal thing. play enough and you will develop your own system. just dont drop the note taking because you think you are playing to low of stakes. note taking is an ongoing process that always is "in development."

andrew, i dont suppose anyone else is reading my responses to you, and thats fine. thats what the thread is for. long responses to fairly specific questions.

thanks for the compliments, so far.