PokerWorks

My New Year's Resolutions this year have nothing to do with losing weight, quitting smoking or exercising more. I don't need any of those. But my poker game always needs some work. Here are my resolutions for the coming year. I know that if I follow these steps, my game will be improved by the end of next year.

• Move up a level in the cash games - Mission accomplished already, as I've moved up to $50 NL poker successfully (in fact, thanks to a new bad beat jackpot at Ultimate Bet starting at the $50 NL level, the players are worse at that level than at $25 NL), but maybe I'll even move up another level by the end of the year. That should always be the goal of an aspiring poker player, but that reminds me of my second resolution.

• Play within my bankroll - I want to make sure I have at least 1,000 big blinds at the level I want to move up to before I actually do it.

• Play a few more MTTs - They are fun, even if they are -EV, and I want to improve this part of my game most of all, especially at Full Tilt. Plus I could always get a big score in one of these things.

• Play more aggressively - I'm working on this, with somewhat mixed results. I'm happy with the way I've added a lot more aggression to my game, but it's also cost me a few more cashes.

• Have more fun - Poker is supposed to be fun, and sometimes it's OK to play a MTT with friends and bloggers and not be so results-oriented. And when I'm at my friend's nickel-dime-quarter home game, I should just play and take the inevitable suck outs as part of the game.

• Spend more time with my family - I must leave the virtual tables occasionally when one of the twins is crying, even if it means missing a few hands. This will make my wife happier about me playing poker, and that's always a good goal.

• Put in more time to improve - Re-read at least a few poker books this year. I'm good at reading books but not so good at re-reading them and really studying a few of the concepts, and that's how I'll improve as a player.

• Work on my reads - What did he do, raise or just call, pre-flop? How did she react when the flop hit? And what did she/he do when the turn hit? These tells can help me read a hand, and I need to work on putting someone on a hand even more than I do now.

• Try to get the stupid on-line poker law repealed - I'm going to talk to my congressmen and representatives and tell them to repeal the law. It's really not good for anyone.