Ok, so I'm starting a blog/operation for the first time but not because things are going well.

I've been stuck around $500 for so long that it isn't funny anymore and I'm determined to do something about it. I'll only ever be playing poker as a hobby but I don't see the point if I'm not going to improve / move up.

Very Brief History: I've tended to do ok at SNGs/Tourneys and then lose a fair bit playing cash then switch back and repeat.

In December, I moved $512 to PokerStars for their reload bonus and started half-stacking 25NL. This went ok and I moved on to buying for the full 25 usually playing for tables. I guess I was on a heater because, despite reviewing hands and fixing some leaks a huge downswing started and hasn't stopped. I'm now break-even over 11K hands and it's soooooo depressing. As I'm back down to $500, I'm doing the sensible thing and changing down to 10NL. My ego has no issue with this and my confidence could use a boost.

My hope is that by posting hands/thoughts/updates here, the dumb stuff will shine through and get fixed.

If I have a goal, then I guess it's $1K - it's as good a target as any but my real aim is to shake off the leaks and improve. If I fail, I'm either quitting poker or going back to SNGs but I'll decide that later.

All shout outs and advice are welcome from anyone.

My immediate task is to do some reading/studying before any more play. First up: Spenda's $5NL FR vid