Running well but playing some of my best poker

Profit: about $25

I've just had a hand where my 1010 ran into AA and I ended up with a straight, so there are one or two suckouts (but really only one or two). No where near the number I need to pull up along side the rubbish I've had for six weeks, though.

My general play, however, is about the best I've ever played. I seem to be able to dissect hands to the detail and have a pretty good idea what decisions I'm going to make on the turn and the river - an area I've believed I've struggled with in the past. My aggressive betting tells me where I am and what to do next.

Also, I've been learning the art of when to fold big reraises now. I could have 4,000 chips raise with A 10, get reraised all in by some guy with about 1,200 chips and realise it's probably right to fold. No limping in, flopping middle pair and then having to call the min raise or all in. Preflop and flop aggression is a lot less expensive than turn betting by which time you're hand is well defined anyway - no more calling all ins with 12 outs and missing.

I'm playing positional and strong hole cards aggressive which gives off an image of me being a bully, what they don't realise is that I know when to fold and in the long run, if I get the right hand I will trap them. I just had a game where I had 4,000 chips and kept limping and making small raises to the big blind. He kept coming over the top with huge raises and bets that were clearly bluffs. I limping in with AK, flopped the king, bet, he did a big reraise and I got all his money.

Perhaps the most satisfying of all is the fact that I'm making the right decisions and the cards have been holding up. I'm no longer losing every single race and when I'm 70/30 favourite I actually win 70% of the time.

I can't ask the cards to stay running good, but I've forced myself to play a much improved style of poker. Gone (I hope) are the bad old days of passive/aggression, tight/aggression is far, far better. The last three or four days have been enjoyable poker, even including some cash room success. And in all honesty I deserve this and a whole lot more.