Doing the Bird

I'm just starting to learn chess and my own personal style. 

I've found that when using the Bird opening, I can play what feel like good games against other players on this site whose ratings are 500 or more points higher than mine. I feel like I've learned the Bird opening fairly well, especially for someone at my level. 

However, I don't enjoy the Bird opening as much as other openings, particularly the King's Gambit, the Danish Gambit, the Smith-Morra Gambit and the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. However, I've found that I lose a lot of games using these gambits also. Part of the problem is the complications that arise when the gambits are declined. (Perhaps I just need more practice in playing the gambits.) 

In a recent game, a friend of mine said, "Positional games are tougher than wide open attack and defend games."

For this reason, I feel like I should study more openings like the Bird that lead to good, tough positional games even though it might be a different experience than the gambits that quickly clear out the pawns crowding the center of the board and create wide-open games. 

What are your thoughts? 

What are good positional openings to learn? 

The English is typically regarded as such.

I don't think positional games are necessarily tougher. That would depend on the player.

IMO, if you don't like something then don't play it.

I think that possibly the problem is I don't completely understand it enough to see the beauty of it. 

It's not that I don't like it. It's more that I don't completely see how everything is supposed to work out as opposed to a gambit, where things happen faster. 

Also, in the gambit games, things seem to go a lot faster and I'd like to be able to develop things more slowly. 

Thanks, Absurd. I'll definitely have to work on the English. 

I personally like the queen variation of the king's indian attack.  It may take awhile to set up but if done correctly is very powerful.

gambits are more dynamic, my favorite is Kings gambit. Bild up some solid openings, see what are there's benefits, such as ruy lopez, sicilian defence, reti ... etc

There is no rift between "positional" or "tactical" games all games have both qualities in them. @Artsan: play what ever opening feels right for you, at your level as long as the opening doesn't make you auto lose then the it doesn't really matter what you pick.

maybe the dutch leningrad? its the exact same opening but as black

you like the gambit openings because they are exciting.  the bird is a straight-forward game.  BUT, you are GOOD at it, so i agree with your assesment to continue playing it and find openings similar to it.  as mentioned, the english tends to be similar, and the Reti with c4 is a sharp opening as well.