Am I getting better?

"baby steps... baby steps... baby steps" Bob, in What about Bob?

Is it possible? I wonder. I was too busy the last couple of days to committ to much. So, I jumped into a "play money" SnG at PSO. It was 3 hands before I knew there was only one other player who I was worried about. Fast forward 30 minutes and we are heads up. He took most of my chips when he hit quads, which he disquised well. It wasn't my play that I noticed though, it was the play of the others. I could quickly determine who was making sub-optimal or down right incorrect decisions. It was like sitting in on a high school class in a way. Like you've been there and don't even want to go back.

Speaking of baby steps, I decided to try the PP mini-steps. I played a SnG and lost. THEN, I read the rules and said... OH. I get it. So, I tried it again. I went from Level 1 to 2 to 3 to 2 to 1 to 2 to 3. The remarkable part about this path was that I did not get knocked out along the way. You have to finish in the top half to not lose ground and still have to finish out of the bottom quarter to not get dismissed. So, I am disspointed at my level 3 and 2 play, where I felt I did not play my best poker, but am proud that I came back to level 3 without a dismissal. It is even more impressive when you think that only first place can advance out of level 1. 2nd place advances out of 2 or 3, but I have never finished 2nd. Always 1st or 3rd-6th.

So, next time I feel mentally sharp, I need to win levels 3 and 4 now to get to the "money level". That, of course is the do or die level where you either cash or finally wash out (no going back a level).