Getting more out of it

[RevToby]

I've been playing for about two years now, almost entirely on four 3/6 tables (sometimes five or six tables). I've made almost $20K in that time, with only $5.3K made in the last year due to less time put in (graduated college, got a job.)

Lately, I've been wanting to switch to a new game. I can beat the 3/6 game, but to the tune of about 1.7-1.8 BB/100. I have many friends who make at least $50/h and have less experience than me, but they play different games.

Keep in mind that after two years of playing 3/6 limit, my play style is very by-the-numbers. I don't look to make fancy plays, I just grind things out and play the cards right. I often tell my friends that it doesn't even feel like poker, because I'm often not playing the man (likely an aspect of my play I need to alter a bit).

The three options I've seen for a new game, and I'd like some feedback on are:

- $25/$50 buy-in NL cash games.

These seem good for my playstyle, since you get to be tight, without the pressure of a tournament where blinds go up. I've played maybe 100-200 hands of this game, and right now I have trouble making the hard decisions (whether or not to fold top pair to a big bet facing a scary board, etc.)

I've also had problems finding a good book that focuses primarily on NL cash games.

$30-$100 NL Tournaments

A lot of people I work with make $50-$150/h on these games, often running four tables at once. They all play very tight until it gets down to 4-5 people, then they get very aggressive when no one wants to be knocked out. My success at tournaments has been inconsistent at best, and I don't feel I'm at a point where I could make significant profits off the game. Granted, this is likely due to inexperience.

5/10 Short

The preferred game of my east coast friends. Seems a lot less automatic than full 3/6 games with more psychology involved. Everyone who does well at this game swears by it, but it seems that it requires more aggression than I'm used to.

Tighten up my 3/6 game

Maybe this is my best option? Should I be reading these forums more to improve my game, and do better than 1.8 BB/100? My sample size for the last year is about 40,000 hands of 3/6.

Some feedback on these questions would be extremely helpful. I feel like I should be able to make more money per hour, but I could use some guidance getting there.