Balancing those resolutions

My main poker resolutions for the short term are:
1) focusing on shorthanded games
---1a) improve shorthanded play
---1b) put in substantial hours in shorthanded games
2) favor quality over quantity

During the WPBT trip last month, it was repeatedly and unequivocally bashed into my head that I should spend the vast majority of my online ring game time in short handed games. During the remainder of December, I proceeded to put in no more than a couple of hours in short handed games. How's that for being a good listener?

Since it is that time of year for following up on resolutions, I will make a more concerted effort to follow up on this. However, while I want to maximize my BB/100h, I want to make sure that I take reasonable advantage of site promotions/rewards/incentives.

Thus I intend to only play short handed on sites where I receive rakeback, or more generally speaking get rewarded based on my MGR (monthly gross revenue). Currently, the only site I am registered at that fits this requirement is Sun Poker. I may be a little slow initially at increasing the number of tables I play at that site due to the inability to data mine observed hands, and at least initially, I don't intend to play any higher than $5/$10.

Promotions like Stars VIP don't differentiate based on MGR, and this strongly discourages me from playing shorthanded there. (Several bloggers seem fairly comfortable multitabling the $50->$200 SNGs for healthly ROIs and fairly rapid accumulation of VPPs, however that is a seperate analysis) For my skill set, the $3/$6 and $5/$10 9 max limit games seem optimal from the point of view of rewards from the VIP program.

Another resolution that I intend to follow is primarily to play better, instead of more poker. Due to my recent sickness, I have been sleeping close to 100% more than usual, and I definitely feel a noticable improvement in my mental clarity. I will not play tired in 2006. The side effect of this is that I expect to have far more days in which I play 0 hands of poker than have been the case in 2005.

Ironically, if Party's VIP department introduces another Cruise promotion similar to the one held over Christmas, I'm going to be essentially throwing out all of these resolutions during the promo period. The value of that promotion is so overwhelming large that it cannot be ignored, and timing is absolutely of the essence. I have done extensive analysis of strategies for this promotion, and all necessary preparations are in place if a similar promotion is repeated.

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Go stevejpa!!

Steve is a student from my alma mater, University of Waterloo. He has made the TV table at the PCA, and is 2nd in chips. Go Steve!!