Yes, I'm Now A Bonus Whore, Too...

Deposited some coin at Ultimate Bet to take advantage of their 50% reload bonus (up to $100), and it'll take 1000 Ultimate Points to fully clear it. At my limits, it'll take about 27 playing hours to clear it. The games seem a little tougher (more pre-flop raising), a few players rated as maniacs just raising to bluff, and the like. The games are winnable, though. I played about an hour this morning, kinda re-popping my UB cherry, and I finished up 6BB at the 0.50/1 limit game. I had been observing tables the past few days, datamining, and recording the stuff in Tracker, so I had a little read on some of my opponents when I sat. The bottom line is that UB is nice, but the software makes me appreciate Stars a little more.

I really feel as though I've turned a major corner in my poker playing. Yeah, I still get pissed at bad beats, but instead of getting furious and tilting, I realize that eventually, I will get that money back. It's a major part of the maturing process. I've come to the point where I eat weak/tight players alive, where pot odds just flash before my eyes, and where I can look at a player live and just know that they either have it or they don't. Of course, online play forces you to rely on your instincts more, but it feels great to feel like you're a good player. The tourney cash and the ring game run-over really helped my confidence and it's showing at the tables. Sometimes, just a little spark is all it really takes to push you through a plateau.