Beginner Interested in Tournaments

[Student]

My interest in NL HE tournaments springs from watching poker on TV, so what else is new? I've enjoyed TV poker for years, and now I've spent $201 on some of the best poker books, have done about two weeks penance in freeplay ring games on PokerStars, have read lots of posts on 2+2 and all the Internet Magazine articles from Feb thru April, and the covers of the aforementioned books. On April 6th I started playing 1 cent/2 cents poker on PokerStars, real cash!

I'd started with $50 on PokerStars, and my experience with 1,274 hands played has been up and down. Actually, I won $1 the first day, and was feeling pretty proud! But this was short-lived, as my account drifted down to just below $42 before the slide hauled. Then I went to about $49.39, and back to about $43.40. Then it was back to $49.27, and to $43.54. Most of these numbers are approximate, though they sure do look accurate!

This morning (and I have not played today) I'm at $48.48. I'm looking at my track record, and I think I might be harboring some psychological barriers to the idea of actually making money, playing poker! My method is to read and play: read, play, read, play, etc. I say I'm teaching my subconscious to learn poker, and it seems to be working! I'm more confident about poker this morning (after winning $3.40 on 152 hands and 4 sessions, yesterday), than ever before. It's starting to make a little sense to me, compared to the strange notions about poker I'd obtained watching TV!

Enough background, so now I'll focus on tournaments. At the top of my reading list is "Harrington on Hold'em." Actually there are 4 other books awaiting reading, before I even get to tournament-related books I own. I'll mention these 4 titles later, if someone asks. Meanwhile, I have Cloutier et al, "Championship Hold'em" and Sklansky, "Tournament Poker for Advanced Players." They would be read in that order, at a later time.

Obviously I believe strongly in the idea of learning at the lowest levels, and then moving carefully up the ladder of levels. PokerStars doesn't seem to have very low-stakes NL HE tournaments for 1 table or 2. I think they never drop below $5 + $0.50 for single tables, and that's not what I had in mind. $1 entry fee single-table tournaments would be OK, and 50 cents would be even better.

Then too, in this competitive world, I'm sure there are poker sites that cater to this need! After all, beginners need to practice in real-cash tournaments, yet low-stakes is the key for me, and I suspect it's key for many, eh? But the only way one can find these low-stakes tournaments is to load software from all these poker sites, or else learn this from the friendly folks on the 2+2 Tournament Forum. So that's my need, and that's where I need some help! Thanks in advance!

Dave