My Strategy: Evolution or Intelligent Design?

Catchy title huh? I wonder if it'll improve my hit rate?

After a long walk in the poker desert I am slowly formulating a strategy for success. My strategy is based on the following basic truths:

1. I suck at NL ring games. I would like to be a good player, but as of now I am weak and tight. I need to study and practice at low buy-in tables.
2. I am good at limit ring games. I am especially good shorthanded.
3. I suck at any ring game when I'm not concentrating.
4. I concentrate better when the amount of money (compared to my bankroll) will hurt if I lose it.
5. I can play MTTs without much effort. In the early going it's all about stealing and big hands. The important decisions come along rarely, and I can apply focus when I need to. I find my concentration level naturally comes up as I approach the money. Go figure.
6. I can play SNGs without much effort. Mostly folding and stealing at the start and folding or pushing at the end.

My strategy isn't mind blowingly complex or even interesting. (unless you're me) First, I must play the game that fits my mood. If I'm not concentrating well, then I shouldn't be playing ring games. Period. If I feel like some relaxing poker then firing up a couple of MTTs (if I have time) or a couple of SNGs (if I don't) is the +EV way to go.

When I am on my game, I should play shorthanded limit ring. I have been playing on Crypto at the £2/4, $3/6, £3/6 or $5/10. I just try to find the juiciest game in any one of those levels. I play one-game-at-a-time. I used to believe in playing more than one game. I still will, but only if I can find two really juicy games. I believe that I can beat just about any 6-max limit game as long as it has my full attention. If I am playing two tough tables, or one tough and one juicy table, I don't think I play as profitably as I do with only one table. If I can find a juicy game at a higher limit I'm better off playing one of those than two lower limit games. The amount of money flying around keeps my interest. As the great Doyle Brunson says: "Play where it hurts".

Once in a while I'm going to play some NLHE ring games. I want to do this when I am "on", but I don't feel like limit. I have to be in the mood to learn; to sharpen my skills. I like the idea of being a solid NLHE ring gamer, but I know that I have a long way to go to get there.

Adventures in British Customer Service

I have a credit card from my bank (Natwest). Last month we paid our bill on Friday the 31st. The payment was due on the 3rd (the following Tuesday). No problem, right? Wrong. When we get our next statement we see that there's a £20 late fee, and they show that they processed our payment on the fourth. So I call the customer service line and politely ask them to reverse the charge. The customer "service" person on the other end of the line is telling me how it takes 3 business days to clear a payment from our bank. I say "But you are my bank this is a Natwest credit card, and we paid from a Natwest current account. Why the three days?" No, she says, the credit card company is separate. Natwest just brands their card. "I don't care," I say, "to me that's a difference without a distinction. You are pretending you're the same organization, you should act like you're the same organization and refund my late fee." She keeps argueing with me about how I should have known to pay three days earlier than the due date, and I am forced to bring out the big guns. "Look," I say, "I'm a good customer. I use my credit card a lot and I pay my bill on time every month. It isn't like I can't get a card from somewhere else. Unless you refund my fee, I'll be cancelling this card and taking my business elsewhere." She backs down a little and says that she'll review my account. I hear clicking in the background for a few seconds. She comes back and says that she will refund the fee this one time only. Gee. Thanks. Boy do I ever miss American customer service. They just don't seem to get it over here.