Should I adjust my play?

Normally I play SnG's online. More than anyting else, anyway. My playtime is usually ranked SnG > Tourney > Ring games.

Recently I've gone out to the casino's here in St. Louis, and have done extremely well. The past two nights I sat at a $1/$2 NL Table, and the first night I started with $100 and took it to about $300 over the course of 3-4 hours before leaving. The second night, I played 2 monster first hands and took $130 to about $700 and quit immediately. I know the 2nd case was pure luck (KK first hand @ a live table w/ an underflop & second hand flopped a hidden 666 and took someones entire stack when he flopped a hidden 555). How should my game change when moving from tourney to ring at a live game? I'm pretty good at noting players mistakes and waiting for the right hand to pounce, (which i did on the first night) but should I be doing anything else different, specifically?

Also, should I switch to limit instead possibly?

NO!

You're doing fine. NL ring games live tend to be a better cash cow than limit games for a variety of reasons, The most of which are:

1) In NL games you'll get fewer callers for your raises, making your big hands worth more. AA loses VALUE tremendously in a 3/6 Limit game when in most hands you have between 6-9 preflop callers in the hand. Even to a raise.

2) Position means A LOT less in limit. Tied in from the last example, lets say you're dealt KK on the button. And there are 5 limpers to you. You put in a raise on the button, the small blind folds. The big blind will almost certainly call you, as will the other limpers - it only costs them 3 more dollars to call - and they're not in trouble of loosing their entire stacks at once, wheras in NL, if it limps around to you on the button with KK, a raise to 15 straight will usually knock out any low holdings such as connectors, or suited kings or queens while the only ones staying around for 15 would be 2 face cards, or a high ace. (a-10 or better)

as an aside for a moment, the low-limit players aren't much worse than the NL players at a B&M casino, but in general most of hte people you'll play aren't very good. These people will see a hand for a flop a vast majority of the time with any pair, any suited card, any connector, any face/junk and any ace (more so at limit than NL because the raises knock these hands out). The players at 3/6 usually will "play sheriff" to assure themselves you're not trying to steal the pot. Which brings me to #3.

3) 3/6 limit is generally impossible to bluff, and the semi-bluff weakens in power. For example, you hold 67s in the hole, and you hit a pair, and you have had good reads on your opponent all night, and you put him on a set of trips on the turn. However, you have a redraw to a straight AND the board is flushing, but not of your suit. Playing against a good player (or in NL where the bets can really scare someone off), you're likely to win 2 ways (assuming the board pairing gives him a higher boat). The straight card hits giving you the stronger hand, and taking him for the most money you can get out of him, or the flush card hits and you bet him out of the pot. The turn play plays alot into this. Lets assume that hte 2nd flush card hits on the turn (which also gives you the straight draw). You put your over-sized bet in, indicating you're on the draw, and when the scare card hits, your opponent has to think twice about calling the big bet you make on the river, and very often will throw away his trips. (its not a good example, but go with me here.) In Limit, your turn bet will be 6$. Always, and the set will call you. Then the flush card comes on the river, giving you nothing. If you bet again, you'll be called because its 1 bet, and its worth the call. Long story short, you cannot push anyone off of a hand. Which leads to my 4th point...

4) Drawouts are all too common. I was sitting next to a guy (on the right) who would play ANY TWO CARDS every time for 3 dollars, and if he'd already put in 3 dollars and there was a raise he'd call a raise EVERY TIME. "Any two cards can hit a flop" he'd say. Well, i played my usual tight aggressive, and played only the strong hands Any PP, AK-AT KQ-KJ and QJ, and suited connectors. This guy seemed to be taking down pots left and right with crap cards, and one time cracked my 2 pair AK with a 2-6 when he hit runner runner 45. (A3K45). This is MUCH more common in limit.

So, in general, if you can play NL well enough, DEFINATELY stick to it. The bad beats are rarer, and the money is better. The same players play 1/2 NL and 3/6 limit - so capitalize on their mistakes when it costs them 100$ rather than when it'll cost them at most 18$.

Wow, thanks.

Anything else I should do when switching gears from Tourney play to Ring play?

Occasionally in tourney play you make plays that are wrong, for your tourney life. IE, you have a PP of 3 in your hand, and tight, but predictable player raises you all in preflop, everyone folds back around to you (you don't have to worry about another caller) if you are certain he doesn't have an overpair, but instead has 2 overcards, you should call in ring play. However, in tourney play, this is an obvious fold. You're not going to waste your stack/tournement life on a 6:5 favorite. However, in ring play, while its nearly a coin flip, you still come out on top because its a 6:5 fav for you. I wouldn't always call here, but i'll call if i'm 100% sure he's overplaying Ace/face.

Keep in mind, your goal isn't to win the tournement in ring play - its to get the most chips from whomever you're against at that time. Winning the small pots, and picking up the blinds isn't worth it. You should aim for picking up the big pots and doing what you do best...capitalize on your opponents mistakes. I always look at a tourney as a very long poker game....Cash games, though, i look at 1 hand at a time, because what happens to me there, is simply based on a hand to hand basis for me. One hand isn't going to affect the outcome of the game - in otherwords you can make more mistakes, and still win money.