[jaxUp]

Interesting philosophy, and I understand what you mean about wanting to gather information about your opponents. I would probably even agree with you if you were in a game constantly playing with the same people (say a weekly home game, or a regular casino game etc). However you are ultimately incorrect in this satement:

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Winning only one hand in this manner, one that I “shouldn’t”, more than pays for the investments I made in information gathering.

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This is not true. The high turnover in online games means that you don't play against the same players for very long. Hence the chance that you get the opportunity to "push an opponent off a hand" is diminished, and the value of the information that you gain by calling down is minimized.

You are playing micro limits, so let me tell you what "Information" tou will need to be successful:

Your opponents suck.

That is pretty much all you need to know. At this level, there are so many showdowns, that you should never be calling somebody down (or raising, etc) just for information. You will see their cards at the muck when they get called down by the other 37 loose players at the table. Even at 5/10, I still never get to SD strictly for information.

I your outlook on poker, but I think it is better suited to the "good old days" and probably not for hold-em in particular. I think you should try opening yourself up to a more mathematical approach to poker. It will be really hard for you, because you seem like the type who wouldn't worry too much about odds and think poker books are for losers (except for probably Caro and a few others), but I think you will experience greater success with this approach.