Just proved to myself how important table image is, and how you can manipulate it to your favor.

Early-ish into this table I get this hand:
PokerStars Game #7509010009: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/12/19 - 03:57:59 (ET)
Table 'Bessel' 6-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: Fil123 ($50 in chips)
Seat 2: Sonny617 ($49.75 in chips)
Seat 3: zmoney24 ($19.25 in chips)
Seat 4: ROGATOS2 ($73.60 in chips)
Seat 5: rautavuori ($59.40 in chips)
Seat 6: JoeHead ($51.65 in chips)
ROGATOS2: posts small blind $0.25
rautavuori: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Sonny617 [Td Qd]
JoeHead: folds
Fil123: folds
Sonny617: calls $0.50
zmoney24: raises $1.50 to $2
ROGATOS2: calls $1.75
rautavuori: folds
Sonny617: calls $1.50
*** FLOP *** [9c 7c 2c]
ROGATOS2: checks
Sonny617: checks
zmoney24: checks
*** TURN *** [9c 7c 2c] [6d]
ROGATOS2: checks
Sonny617: checks
zmoney24: checks
*** RIVER *** [9c 7c 2c 6d] [7h]
ROGATOS2: checks
Sonny617: bets $4
zmoney24: calls $4
ROGATOS2: folds
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Sonny617: shows [Td Qd] (a pair of Sevens)
zmoney24: shows [Jd Ad] (a pair of Sevens - Ace kicker)
zmoney24 collected $13.80 from pot

Horrible river bluff caught ... 7 hands later I get the gravy:
PokerStars Game #7509033470: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/12/19 - 04:02:43 (ET)
Table 'Bessel' 6-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Fil123 ($50.35 in chips)
Seat 2: Sonny617 ($45.55 in chips)
Seat 3: zmoney24 ($20.70 in chips)
Seat 4: ROGATOS2 ($75.65 in chips)
Seat 5: rautavuori ($56.65 in chips)
Seat 6: JoeHead ($52.10 in chips)
rautavuori: posts small blind $0.25
JoeHead: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Sonny617 [9h 9c]
Fil123: folds
Sonny617: raises $1.50 to $2
zmoney24: folds
ROGATOS2: raises $1.50 to $3.50
rautavuori: calls $3.25
JoeHead: folds
Sonny617: calls $1.50
*** FLOP *** [8h 9d 6s]
rautavuori: checks
Sonny617: checks
ROGATOS2: bets $5.50
rautavuori: raises $9.50 to $15
Sonny617: raises $27.05 to $42.05 and is all-in
ROGATOS2: raises $27.05 to $69.10
rautavuori: folds
*** TURN *** [8h 9d 6s] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [8h 9d 6s 2c] [Js]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Sonny617: shows [9h 9c] (three of a kind, Nines)
ROGATOS2: shows [Th Tc] (a pair of Tens)
Sonny617 collected $107.10 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $110.10 | Rake $3
Board [8h 9d 6s 2c Js]
Seat 1: Fil123 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Sonny617 showed [9h 9c] and won ($107.10) with three of a kind, Nines
Seat 3: zmoney24 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: ROGATOS2 (button) showed [Th Tc] and lost with a pair of Tens
Seat 5: rautavuori (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: JoeHead (big blind) folded before Flop

Obviously I was calling preflop regardless of the BB, but that certainly motivated me further. Flop there's nothing I'm afraid of, not really any turn cards that scare me (none that wouldn't draw out on me anyway). Get that money in and win ... getting paid!

I lost a coinflip after that with AK, called $15 to win a $24 pot, so I can't be down on myself too badly.

In the end this was a glorius day because I am now a GoldStar, and my BR has $1,012.88 .

Absolutely sick run the last few days, I'm gonna keep grinding out 50NL and stud for the next few days, and do my best to limit the inevitable downswing, let myself fold TPTK to big re-raises from likely sets, etc.