| Archive for Tagpoker Forum A friendly place for winning poker players to share their strategy to making money playing poker. |
| U Cook Socks |
U Cook Socks- Making it happen.Well the plan was to do this at the start of the year, but I have had some pretty bad problems in life to contend with, and it has slowed me right down. Still on going, but it is time to at least try and push on.New year, out with the old, in with the new. New name, new me. There is more than the name change, than just being bored, Blazing is dead now, dead but not forgotten. Time to stop living on the past, and prove myself all over again. It is fair to say, I have lost my way with poker over the past 6-12 months, plodded along slowly, making a little bit of money, but nothing like I had in the past. I have spent a lot of time looking in to why this is, and have come to some conclusions with the help of a few friends on Skype. Why have I stopped winning ? - Games have got harder Almost certainly true, there are definitely less of those fish that call you down to pot sized bets, with a gutshot, even the retard fish have worked out you can min raise pre flop, and half pot bet almost 100% of flops profitably. However this isn't a good enough reason for me not to be winning. I have beat (crushed infact) $30 games in the past, so I really still should be beating $7s and $15s with some ease, as the players are still lol bad, if not as lol bad as they used to be. -My Attitude I have to say, I think my attitude has been one of my biggest + points in my time playing poker. I don't really have an ego, or at least if I do, I try and keep it locked away. However, I do think that I have been at the stage at some point over the past 12 months where I have been thinking " I should be beating these games" which of course is totally the wrong attitude. I feel that lack of confidence has held me back over time too, but thinking I have some god given right (I don't believe in god btw) to beat these games, any games, is completely wrong. -Volume In my time soul searching, I have been asking certain people poker related questions. I had a chat with Borg one night, can't remember the exact quote, and I hope he doesn't mind me quoteing him. He said, the reason I have failed to reach high stakes, is because I don't put in enough volume. I think there is some truth to this. Downswings are so painful when you don't play enough, and your progress is certainly limited anyway. Borg has seen me play many times, and done HH reviews and videos for me, and obv there is room for improvement, but has always been happy with my play. This gives me hope that if I continue to work hard, I can actually make it. How much volume I can put in from now, will be determined by my home life, but I am really going to try and play as much as I possibly can. -Study Yes I do study, but no where near enough, how many times I get to the end of a session and not bother looking through hands, or before I start a new one. I have certainly been pretty lazy, convincing myself I am doing enough. I'd like to make it clear, I'm not doing enough. This needs to change if I am going to be the best, which is my aim, to just be the best. -Going Backwards I certainly feel that in my (poor) attempt to learn new concepts, I have lost my way, and lost some of what made me a decent player in the first place. The games have changed, and some of my ideas on certain things have too, I feel I haven't got the balance right yet, but it's something I am working on. Husng to date Below is a run down of my HUSNG'S from the beggining to now. 
Seems to be around $800 in profit missing from the FT graph, but w/e, I miss Full Tilt, although I made less money in total on there, that was mainly due to some horrific shots at the $50s where I lost a bunch of money. Where am I at now? Been playing some $7 games over the past few months, quietly building a roll. Started under rolled for the $7s, but now I have enough (30 bi) to play the $15s. My plan is to stick religously to the 30 bi plan, as used on the HUSNG Stairway. This is to stop me becoming to nitty, and playing stakes lower than I should be. That has also held me back over time. Had a pretty bad start at the $15s as it happens, but nothing I am over worried about. Plan is to really put some quality back in to my game, and hopefully be playing $100 games within 6 months, I know I can do it, it is up to me to make it happen now. Back with more soon. U Cook Socks |
||||
| Brokerstar |
The games can't be that much harder, I mean even a fish like Borg manages to make money 
Best of luck for 2012 and I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, as always!! 
Dom |
||||
| z1s6arn |
Will be following!
Gl mate! z1 |
||||
| doodiewiz |
GL Mark! Will be following 
|
||||
| zoozy |
gl u deserve success! | ||||
| BetMagicMoney |
nooooooooo don't come take my $15s  i want to see you playing $100, you can do it no problems lets get some sweats going  GL and gogogo
BMM |
||||
| blsmur |
hi there
pretty impressive graphs I think and you are making headway next time you SS a guy and he is 2000 minus just imagine how he feels Your doing way better than most poker players ever do , just remember that next time you feeling a bit down I just wish I could catch up to you I would be so proud good luck Ron |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
To be honest, I don't think there is much place for empathy in poker. I make money from people because they have been to lazy to learn the game, or haven't learned it as well as I have. People make money from me, because I have been lazier than they have. I'm not going to worry to much about some muppett who after 6000 games has lost enough money to buy a house, and still keeps donating, I'm also not going to berate them, cos I want them to keep coming back. I often talk politely to them, and agree with the advice they give me, in a hope they will accept re-matches. I also wont be bothered because I have done better than "most" poker players, because I have worked harder than the ones I have done better than, it really is as simple as that. If I had worked harder, I would probably/definitely have done much better. If all that sounds harsh then so be it, You can do as well as I have, you can do better than I have. As well as working hard, it is about attitude too. I still see you arguing with good players who are trying to advise you, and you often say things like "that's just how I do it" and similar statements. I have nothing against you at all, even if you think I have, but until you change your outlook on learning poker, you are going to struggle I am afraid. Anyway, good luck to you in your quest, thread gone slightly off track now. For what it's worth, first 25 games at the $15s, I am -$70 and running 7 buyins under ev. No problem, the games are definitely beatable by a large amount. |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
*Update*
Hey, been a while, been quietly plodding along. All in all, I have stuck to what I said, am really happy with my volume, have really put some effort in to actually playing poker, even when it has been a real struggle. To anyone with a family, they will know how hard it can be. Have studied quite well too, lots of videos, self reviews etc, lots of long talks about poker with Chesslw, who I must thank, he has been most helpful, and definitely a player to watch out for at the hypers, think he is going places. Thanks again anyway, always a pleasure to chat with you. Garph 
90% of the games above are turbos, I did sit some reg speeds if the tables were free, but in the main stuck to turbos. Ran quite a bit below EV, been quite frustrating, plenty of 90% + hands gone down, but whatever, it will turn around if I keep working hard to improve. Will be back in a few days to set out March goals. U Cook Socks on the up. |
||||
| kolonel |
Soooo gonna be an epic thread this.
Have subscribed (love that button) to this thread, and look forward to future posts, stories, anicdotes and general chit chat in the future. |
||||
| PittsburghPhil |
Nice volume !
Once you stop running like trash you will make a killing, gl man |
||||
| BetMagicMoney |
nice volume sir, great to see you plating alot
|
||||
| chesslw |
Nice volume u cook socks! Good to see you are dedicating more time to poker .
I'm always up for a chat when online about anything (most likely poker related tbh), though I don't really think I helped you that much imo (thanks for the kind words). I think you just see ghosts too much and therefore became more nitty (probably downswings/running below EV doesn't help either) in general. I mean, when you thought about spots yourself logically, you could see where you made mistakes anyway, right? Tbh I'm not a great player by any stretch of the the imagination and make tons of mistakes :S. But I can at least crush some fishes in this silly game .
|
||||
| kolonel |
This is the reason why i feel players on this site still continue to do well. Never seems to be to much trouble to get some help.
Dont undersell yourself sir, you seem to be ripping it up too at the moment. |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
I think you underestimate how much you have helped actually. It's not like I have sent you a bunch of hands and you have said you should do this, that and the other. What you have done, is helped me think about things in the right way, which is the most important thing of all when thinking about anything in poker. Got to admit as soon as I make any progress the doom switch seems to kick in, but I haven't let it hold me back this time, keep plugging away, doing my best. If I fail, then so be it, at least I am giving it a chance this time around. |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
*Update*
Run pretty hot so far this month. Volume not as good as last month, but still time to catch up. Going to be giving the 15 Euro games a go now, seems a nice stepping stone to getting back to the $30 games. Going to post this months HEM stats below, and then my total SS graph to work from, from now, as HEM doesn't tell the difference between $ and Euro, so going to be using a different database to track those games. 
|
||||
| z1s6arn |
Excellent!
z1
|
||||
| Kingmunkey |
Nice one UCS from what ive seen from you on the forum you deserve all the success you get in poker i hope to post graphs like this some day keep it up mate
|
||||
| Wannawin |
nice 1 mate, keep the updates coming | ||||
| BetMagicMoney |
gogogo i have a good feeling about your continued run good
|
||||
| The Little Fish |
Well done mate. Keep going and dont stop for anything! | ||||
| blsmur |
I love it well done | ||||
| PittsburghPhil |
Great stuff ! About time you started running normal
|
||||
| U Cook Socks |
To be fair, I have run really well so far this month, but not nearly enough to make up for last months brutality! Off to a nice start at the Euro games too, the regs do not like me
|
||||
| drawingdead |
Well done, keep crushin'! Very inspiring for me!
GL! |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
Well, almost time to wrap the month up for me, I am away all weekend, on a mix of beer and football (mostly beer)
May play a few more later today, but maybe not. My volume hasn't been as good as last month, but I have hardly played this week, to many jobs need doing, can't just play poker all day, as much as I would like to. Probably much the same next month, aim for around 400 games, and be happy if I play more. Got to be happy with this month, it is fair to say I have run really well, but still not enough to catch up with last months horribleness. Have took some money out to pay for this weekend away, it probably is stunting my progress to a certain extent, but at the same time I think it is good to reward yourself, and remind you that it isn't just a number on a screen. It is also nice to just say fuck the world I made money playing poker, and I can do what I want! Still got a solid roll for the $30s next month. This months graph below, mainly $15 and 15 Euro games, with a handful of $7s, and $30s thrown in for good measure. Play some $7s shootouts, without much success. 
. |
||||
| icemanv6 |
Haha love this! Good work, hope you can keep progressing. |
||||
| Brokerstar |
I fully agree that you should always treat yourself from time to time or else it just becomes one big grind.
I always think people should have a target and then get themselves something nice like a watch, new shoes, mini holiday, nice jacket etc. Whatever does it for you but have something that was paid for by the fish!!
|
||||
| Borg7 |
your stats are looking really good, mate!
gotta work on the volume and good things will happen imo. |
||||
| blsmur |
good job mate
well done have a good un |
||||
| NinjaReads |
Good to see you doing well Blazing, you just need to put the volume in and it's obvious you can make good money.
I see you've moved from Stars, I saw you on Ipoker tonight. I've just played about 2000 games on Stars and the rakeback rewards were shocking so I think I'll stay with Ipoker with the deal I have, at least it's about 25-30% rakeback until FT comes back. Are you just swapping between sites? |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
I have an Ipoker account, with 60% rb, which is obviously a great deal. The problem with this, is there just isn't enough action. I don't think above the $20 games, I could get enough games in, to make it worth while. The turbo structure is brutal on Ipoker too, which is fine I guess, I am ok with playing shallow stacked, but it's not my main strength (at the moment)
Stars is still my site, to be honest April is going to be a dead month for me, just got to much going on at home to put the volume in. So I have just been playing a few on Ipoker when I have some spare time. Got a few $ on there, played some $5 $10s and $20s, and run so horribly! Seem to play the same five or six players all the time, which is fine, I have an edge on all of them, but it's no way to build a roll imo. The rakeback/bonus system on Stars isn't great, especially for low stake players, but it's the only way forward in my opinion. It still has so many fish on there, the software is just a bonus. Add to that, I think it is without doubt the safest site. So yeah, I am on hold a little, which is frustrating to some extent, but I have other priorities, just the way it has to be. |
||||
| doodiewiz |
great you're doing well mate. I too would love to play poker more often, but i have work commitments so similar situation for me too. I think for both of us its a question of volume or maybe I'm a massive luckbox. Have you thought about playing hypers?
Ninjareads - gg the other day mate. Apologies for the cooler... |
||||
| U Cook Socks |
I have thought about hypers, but do you know what, I can't be bothered with all the stress of them. If I were serious about playing poker for a living, I think I would have started them by now, as they are probably the best way to go about it in todays game (in husng format) I am happy enough playing turbos, and the odd reg speed. I think half my problem is, I don't have enough desire to make bomb loads of money, I struggle with the mental side of losing large amounts of money. Even if I know I am a winning player, taking a big hit still hits me hard. So I play it pretty safe. I've still done okay, made more money than some ever will, but I have no doubt I could and probably should have won a lot more. |
||||
| doodiewiz |
Totally understandable mate and it's really important i think to enjoy playing and feel relaxed. I felt like you did and do still but now i grind much longer sessions when i play which isnt often. Sometimes for 8 hours with hardly a break and its really hardened my attitude to swings. I guess i'm just saying putting in a lot of volume when i do play and going through the natural swings of variance in poker naturally helps desensitise you to it a bit. I'm not going to ramble on though which i tend to do...i have b game leaks and do lots of spewy stuff...at the end of the day its pretty good just making money while playing poker and spending it
|
||||
| U Cook Socks |
Yep, I think we are pretty similar actually, from reading your posts. I enjoy making money, and I usually spend it, when if I actually pushed myself, and didn't spend the money, I could make a lot more. I have B game leaks too, and they often come out in force when things aren' going well. Still, I can for now at least make money playing poker. I like this. |
||||
| NinjaReads |
Turbo rake on Ipoker is the same as reg speeds though. Rip off.
Yeah, it's a shame Ipoker can't pull it's finger out it's arse and employ some people with half a business brain to make a decent product but they seem happy to limp along, way behind the business leader. FT used to be behind Ipoker some time ago then went on to challenge Stars. Surely they can see it can be done. I only started playing again last month after taking about four month off which is why I haven't posted on here for a while. I've just had a look at my Ipoker deal and it's $80 back for $180 rake, that's about a $10 Stellar reward on Jokerstars so I think I'll grind it out a bit longer but yeah, it's quiet after playing on Stars a while and getting instant games. I've got 300 vpps on Stars to clear though for some bonus so I'm going to try a 10 buy in move up challenge soon and do a bankroll thread on it for a bit motivation & fun.
120 hands just to see my aces cracked  Surprised the game lasted that long to be honest seeing as you were super aggro from the start. ;o)
Yeah, that last hand was a weird one, just looking at it now. You'd raised pre loads, 80%? 3bet 30%, basically very aggro so I get dealt Aces and I'm wondering whether to flat or 3 bet and you limp! What the... So I decide to just check with the plan of checkraising the flop. It comes K82 so I cr but you can't fold your 8 and Jokerstars finds another 8 for you on the turn 
Was a good game though even if my laptop froze halfway through. Oh, were you scoping me when you typed my name in the chatbox before the game started?
|
||||
| doodiewiz |
ha ha no i was just playing aggro and loose because it was a 7 dollar game. Also i knew you were a decent player from the forum and in game i thought hes minraising a lot, so started 3 betting and then i thoughts he's folding to 3 bets a bit and got carried away. Playing on my iphone so had no hud That's why i kept 3betting to 300 when blinds were 50/100 as was to lazy to type a bet amount in and didnt want to bet 200 lol...was a fun game though!
|
||||
| chesslw |
Well deserved ucs! It's a shame you don't have much time for poker :S |