OK, here's the deal: I took the advice of most of the regulars on here a few weeks ago, and started playing a lot of SNGs...at first, I tanked. But then I started getting better and I realized that, for the money I put in to one sitting at a ring game, I could play 8 to 10 tourneys -- and come out even or ahead. So now I've got my online bankroll built up fairly well.

Here's the problem that I run into in live games and tourneys, and occaisonally online (and boy, is it a BIG problem): I am REALLY bad at putting people on hands. I mean, last nite in a live game, I got taken down because I had a guy on pocket JJ or TT with AA on the board, and I reraised him with my QQ. OUCH! he had a ragged A in the hole, and had called my preflop raise.

Later, after buying back in, I flopped the nut flush and slowplayed it, hoping I could get some action. The board paired on the river, and a dude bet into me. I thought, "This sucks...maybe he has a boat." But I went ahead and reraised like a sucker, and sure enough...he got his boat.

In both situations, I ignored my first instinct and put the player on something else, which I know you shouldn't do. Problem is, I don't trust my first instinct, because it's wrong more often than not.

I guess the specific situations I have the most trouble on are when people call preflop raises with a relatively weak hand, or figuring out when someone is sitting on two pair that might boat my flush or straight. Figuring out people who are sitting on a draw is fairly easy; I don't have much trouble with that. As far as the other two circumstances, am I relegated to simply playing pot odds and tells, or is there something else that can help me out?

This is the area of my game that desperately needs improvement, so if anyone can make some concrete suggestions, I would much appreciate it.