Toasting in an epic bread. I didn't realize it was bumped from like, September.
Srsly, though:
what would suggest to help improve my game and maybe start to rise through the ranks
Start listening to the advice given in this thread. Getting good at hand reading requires examining each individual betting street and slowly deducing an opponents hand through analysis and logic. It takes patience, time, and practice.
Are you going to call an all-in bet, holding 97s on a K9Ar when the villain open-raised 5x UTG, knowing that he only opens with this amount with
hands like AK? It's not just saying "oh he has AK"; it's about narrowing it down from each individual street, and understanding why you got there.