[wiggs73]

Here are my thoughts on the situation...

1. You're probably going to go broke. Go ahead and get yourself ready for that. It's OK. Most of the players on here have at some point. I have several times. My first few buy-ins at PP went quickly and then I learned how to play SNGs. You're here, so you've probably saved yourself some money down the road. However, you're going to be hardpressed to rebound with 4 buy-ins.

2. With limited funds, you might want to try a site with 5 + .50 SNGs and 1500 starting stacks. After I dropped my first few buy-ins at Party, I switched to Pokerroom.com and killed the games there. I think that would be a good move for you for 2 reasons. One is reduced rake. 20% is very high and it WILL add up over time. Another is you have enough chips to actually play some poker with. You can learn the ins and outs of most of what was on that list (which was very good, by the way)... position, blind stealing, etc. and you can do so without having 1 mistake cost you your entire stack and thus, $6. This in mind, I think it's good to switch back to Party at some point, because your hourly rate will go up. But it's a much more difficult structure for the beginner to adjust to and play, IMO.

3. Read this forum like there's no tomorrow. Also picking up a few books (if you don't have the $ ask for them on your b-day or Christmas) can't be a bad idea. You won't find any specifically for SNGs (this forum is the best for that), but they will definitely help your game. HOH 1 and 2 should top your list. I'd leave Play Poker Like the Pros and both Super Systems, unless you are serious about improving your play at games other than hold 'em (for which they are good).

4. Post some hand histories from your first few tournaments. Not whole ones since hardly anyone will respond to those, but try to pick out some hands that you lost all your chips on and aren't sure if you made the correct play. DO NOT post bad beats, like if you got in with AA vs. 33 pre-flop. But if you feel that you got outplayed on a hand or aren't sure if you should have pushed, post it on here and we'll tell you.

5. Lastly don't get discouraged if you lose this last $24. In my last 100 SNGs I've had a run of 1 cash in 14 games and a run of 22 cashes in 30 games. These things can be streaky. It's entirely possible that you're a winning player on a downswing. However, it's also possible that you're a losing player who needs to plug some leaks. If that's the case, then you're at least on the right track.