Hi all. Not sure if I qualify as a newbie but I probably do. Been playing online since August 04. I started out losing most often of course. I read a little and played the free stuff. It gave me some experience but as you all know the free stuff plays much different. Anyway, after a couple of months I started to recover some of my losses. Whenever I made a reload it was only 50 sometimes 100 bucks. I actually got to cash out $150 here $100 there. (BTW, I mostly play $5 or $10 Sit n Goes.) I found out the hard way that staying up late drinking was not conducive. Large swings in chips. I found that if I played during normal hours and didn't have the Miller Lite I had very few losing days. This went on for a couple of months. Now, all of a sudden it seems like I don't know what I'm doing again. Within a weeks time at the sit and goes and a couple of times at the $.5 $1 limit tables(never brought more than $10 to the rings) I have lost $150.

I have taken a lot of bad beats. Some of which I recently posted in the hand strategy section but, I wonder if my play has changed.

What I did do was come to these forums and others on the net and really studied up some more. Oh, and I went to the bookstore and read some of Sklanksy's stuff and I also own a tournament book from TJ C. I feel I have learned a lot more about position lately and actually study my opponents and rate them as loose tight fish etc. I never did this before. I usually just played my hand and actually watched TV when it wasn't my turn to play. Was I just lucky? You might say yes but I really was consistantly placing in and winning my fair share. Enough to keep the earning on the rise at least.

Now I went back to the tables yesterday and today and only played in 3 SnGs but as I'm rating the players it seems to me that over half the table is now filled with solid players. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it just me? Have they always been this good even at the $5 tourneys? Maybe I am now overanalyzing everying? I dunno. I'm just sort of frustrated. I am not on tilt mind you. Just frustrated. I feel I am playing the same way and probably even better now that I am using position etc.

I know this is sort of a long rant but am wondering if anyone has any thoughts.

Thank you and BTW.... This site rocks!