So what kind of BB/100 are you experiencing? If it's like 10 and you're piossed of it's not 20+, then you need to relax and be happy with that. If it's 1 (and you have a big enough hand sample for it to be statistically meaningful, which I doubt) then either you're been unlucky or you haven't yet found the right way to win.

As everyone else said, solid, ABC poker forms an essential and straightforward base for a winning game at this level. As you get used to it, you will add in your own tweaks and tricks, and hopefully win more.

But I can't imagine you'll be staying around - at 5BB/100 you'll need 15,000 hands to go from $250 to $1000, i.e. to be rolled for $50NL, and I get the feleing you'll rattle them off in a couple of weeks!