[Blarg]

Well, I'm just a beginner, but from what I've figured out of the 2+2 way, I haven't become hugely profitable, but went from a losing player who never, ever, ever got any 1sts (but actually got a decent amount of 2nds and 3rds) to someone who feels pretty decent when it's down to two or three players rather than dreading it, and is now making money.

There have been a number of changes in my game, and I'm still pretty sketchy and need a very great deal more refinement and understanding, but maybe I could put it like, for me, the main change has been recognizing that I have to create profitable opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to me. I've realized that it does no good simply to know how to play the cards you're not getting. Now I know I have to constantly be handling fairly crummy cards, under poor circumstances, decently too.

This reminds me a bit of short-handed limit ring games, which I used to play, except that lowering your raising/calling/betting standards and exercising a lot of controlled aggression is not just the best option; in SNG's it's the only option there is if you don't want to get blinded out.

Which doesn't happen to me as much anymore, as I'm much more often picking fights and either winning or losing them than just drifting off into nothingness.

I'm still very insecure with my level of sklll, and that's fine, because I have good reason to be. But I'm starting to make some headway, which I feel good about.

If you can find that link post created by "the shadow," you'll have a great SNG resource to look through. Good luck with your study.

And 30 buy-ins isn't super terrible; it's just a couple of days worth of games or even less for a great many people. Hopefully you're keeping a cool head.