Matrix

The Matrix SNGs on Full Tilt have been treating me very well...
I have only been playing the standard SNGs, non-turbos, which I can't abide normally as they are too slow.
Four-tabling against the same 9 foes at this speed, however, really allows you to pick their play apart. It lowers variance and it seems to separate the better players from the worst ones.
Time and time again over the weekend I was heads-up or three-handed against the same players on three.
I was very, very close to being Dominatrix - winning all four tables and scooping the entire pot - on a $10 + $1 SNG. I won the first two tables and was playing three-handed on the remaining two when this happens.

I'm in the BB with q4o and short stacked, button limps, SB folds, 1k in pot. Flop comes A,q,10 rainbow. I check, looking to check raise all-in as he would have raised any bare ace here with me short-stacked. Button duly bets, I push, he calls, turning over j10o, I figure I'm good and focus on the other table.
In fact I had 94o for a mis-read and I bust third.
I came third on the final table so it was immaterial but still mighty annoying.

My stack on FT is back up $500, and Mansion and Pokerstars are up around $50 from my last bankroll totting up. I think I'm now past the $5,000 level which has been within reach for almost six months now.

A quickie on the US Dollar, it seems to have reached a floor at $1.70 to $1.75. If it dips below $1.70 over the next few weeks I would look to withdraw some. The dollar looks under pressure over the medium term due to this bailout/credit crisis - it will be seriously in debt.
The main plus for Brit players is that sterling also looks a pile of garbage and it is a toss-up as to which is weaker, the dollar or sterling.
Don't take this as gospel, or any sort of investment advice - cos its not! But my thoughts at the mo are cash out some below $1.70 and buy a loved one something nice :)