Poker Learning Frustration

First off, thanks to LJ and Heff for the comments, I do value every teeny bIt of advice/opinions that are given to me.

Second I think Heff hit on something pretty blatant with my poker game, "everything looks completely standard" , and that ladies and gentlemen is why my poker game is not progressing to the upper levels of some of the other bloggers.

At first I was just too "scared" to raise unless I had something, then I thought slowplaying every good hand was a great way to net big pots, and now I'm at a point where I like "consistancy" in my game but as Heff put it, its all just standard play. Nothing tricky, nothing smart, just normal old play.

I find myself more often than not, making a play (or not making one) based on "will this make me look like a donk?" I can honestly say thats why I folded the K-Qo hand in the mook Wed night, if I called X's all-inner with just K-Qo Id look like an idiot... even though it was a pretty brutal decision that led me to pushing all-in with J-10o into K-K eventually anyway.

I think I need some honest to goodness spring training for poker, since im not going on vacation this year I was going to save some vacation days to enter a handful of Foxwood's WPT Final events, but if I can't get my play up well enough for the better bloggers, how can I expect to face pros?

Last night again for example, I did a 6.50 turbo SnG. I raised with 5-5 from EP, got 2 callers. When the flop came K high, no double soots, I pushed. (I had like 600 left and the pot was 550ish) I get called by As-8s because he had hit the 8 on the flop. FT smiles upon me and puts a 5 on the turn. When it got 3 handed FT smiled upon me again and saved me with a river straight to beat K-K. I ended up taking down the whole thing and pushed the bankroll back up to $122. But these wins are hollow for me, I'm not satisfied by winning just because this week FT is giving me the cards. I accepted my 6th place Mook finish because I felt I HAD played well minus the A-A suckout, but really I'm just standard.

Don't let my glumness bring you down, have a good weekend everyone, maybe I'll get to Foxwoods, maybe I'll just play online.