Cookies makes the world go round!

  • Cookies makes the world go round!

    Posted by Cookiesareforever on May 28, 2020 at 8:25 am

    Hi there!

    My handle is “CookiesAreForever”, now, that might tell you something about what kind of person I am, but then again, maybe not :).

    I was born in the summer of 1982 in Sweden, (no, not Switzerland) where I also still reside. By day I am working as a consultant within IT-management and RPA-solutions. I love working out, both by lifting weights in the gym and running, I do occasionally bicycle as well :). Oh! And I do love cookies, which is probably why I also love working out… since, when I workout I can eat more cookies, right!? 😉

    My first pokergame I played back in 2003, I was horrible, but, I thought I was pretty good. I mainly played NLH -> MTTs, SNG’s and CGs both live and online. I started to expand my pokergames to play Omaha, canadian stud, 7cs, 7cs8, PLO8 in 2004 but I only played the other games live and stuck to NLH online, low/microstakes.
    I did have a desire to become better, I’ve bought countless books, I’ve even bought coaching hours but I’ve always failed to get through the books or understand all the concepts. Or rather, I’ve never given myself the opportunity to succeed, I’ve always looked for that “over night transformation”, or that “quick fix” that doesn’t really exist.
    So, this time around I started by making an account over at Run it once, however, I soon noticed that I didn’t like their way of teaching, there are no clear paths and they skip a lot of stuff that I feel I’m lacking. I didn’t really search for anything new, I just powered on, watching 1-3 videos per day and also playing 300-1k PLO5 or PLO10 per day but then my friend made me aware of “PloMastermind” and I though, wow, $99 / month is kind of expensive for a microstakes player as me. However, I did think about it some more and soon decided that since my ambitions are to get better and play higher it would be a good investment, at least sign up for a month and have a look at what is offered, so I did and here I am :).
    I have now completed the 1st week of the 10 week program, now, I did go through the days a little quick, but in my defence, I’ve done everything asked and I do not feel that I’m not understanding any of the concepts and I do love the mental aspect of the course. I’ve started listening to “Primed mind” which so far, I like, if you haven’t tried it, I highly recomend that you do. I like to ingest books in different ways so this time I decided that I would listen to “The mental game of poker” instead of reading it, I’ve just started out so we will see how I like it.

    Enough about that, let’s get on with the “VIsion, Purpose and milestones”

    Vision

    I’m a part-time professional pokerplayer and I enjoy the game, I love the oppotunity poker gives me to form new relations and how lucky I am to be able to travel to world. I never give up learning and I always evolve.
    Poker should for the most part be fun, I do not want to lose my passion for the game so I need to find ways to do that in case I start to feel fatigued or if I find myself not prioritizing learning.

    Purpose

    I work on both my mental game and poker game almost every day to become a better player which enables me to travel, meet new people and grow a deeper love for the game. Not only will this show in my pokergame but it will also shine through in my personal life. I am a very calm and stable person as is but I need to start making more concious decisions an not just “go with the flow”.

    Milestones

    Dedicate at least 1 hour per day to studying
    Dedicate at least 30min per day to go through my handhistories
    Dedicate at least 30 minutes per day to the mental aspect
    Move up in stakes from PLO10

    Play in a PLO game outside of Sweden
    Be a winning player after 100k hands in mixed stakes


    Hopefully I got the assignment right and didn’t make to many spelling mistakes.

    I intend to write here a few times a week to keep you updated on my progress both on and off the tables.

    If you have any questions about nutrition on training feel free to ask away. I am not a licensed professional but I do have a lot of knowledge about both :).


    Good luck in life and at the felt!


    //Cookies!


    Edit, I am not a huge fan of the formating :D.

    Cookiesareforever replied 3 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 10 Replies
  • 10 Replies
  • JNandez

    Member
    May 28, 2020 at 9:47 am

    Hi Cookies,

    Welcome to the PLO Mastermind, glad you’ve joined us! I’m sure you will learn a lot along the way and we can hopefully learn something as well, from your blogposts.

    Question about your milestones: You’ve scheduled 2 hours a day for improvement. Can you swing that long-term? How do you balance this with your playing poker hours? And how much time do you then have left for your job, family and free time?

    Just some important questions to be aware of, so you don’t create milestones you can’t achieve. 😉

    Looking forward to your next updates.

    Good luck

    JN

    • Cookiesareforever

      Member
      May 28, 2020 at 11:10 am

      Hi JN,

      Thank you! 🙂

      I think I can swing 2 hours / day long-term, but, maybe I should start smaller to not get overwhelmed.
      Let’s say I study at least 1h per day, that should be doable, my goal is then to play poker at least 2 hours per day.
      Another goal I have is to take 1 day off from poker per week, I think that could benifit me in the long run.

      Feedback is always welcome :).

      Have a great day / week!

      //Cookies

  • Cookiesareforever

    Member
    May 28, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    <div>2nd update of today!? I know! Insane! Too many cookies probably 😀

    </div><div>I’m a bit unsure if this should be posted here, but then again, I do stand by what I’ve written, so, why not. Maybe it can help someone other than me as well.

    </div><div>Who am I becoming?</div><div>I’m becoming a more aware person instead of being the drone I’m used to be. It is easy to just trudge along, let life pass you by.</div><div>I want to be more, I want to become successfull at something I’m passionate about, at something I would actually care about losing.</div><div>I will find my biases and break free from them, I do not know what they are or how they affect me, all I know is that I’m capable of change.</div><div>I want to be able to live my life to the fullest and have as few regrets as possible when my time comes.</div>

    <div>There you have it, my statement, this is what I want and who I want to become.</div><div>I do think that I’m very privileged since I’ve already done most of the things that is discussed in the “The Dark Forces Holding You Back” video. I grew up in a very religious household and most of my friends were in the same religion. I broke free from that religion about 18 years ago and in the process I got a lot of new friends. In the same process I got to examine a lot of my worldviews, it sort of comes with the whole “I don’t believe in heaven, hell, satan or god”.</div><div>I still love discussing religion with people that have an open mind and aren’t activly trying to convert me. Same goes for almost any subject, I’m always interested in understanding other peoples views.</div>

    Be accepting of eachother, we all walk different walks of life and we all have different hurdles we must overcome.

    Also, always remember, cookies will never hate, they are pure love <3

    //Cookies

    • Cookiesareforever

      Member
      May 29, 2020 at 9:01 am

      Hi all,

      So, yesterday went as planed, I studied for a couple of hours and played for 2.
      I went to the gym and did cardio for 75mins and I listened to “onlinecashwarmup” by Jared T before I started playing. The mp3 did ground me and I felt more stable than I normaly do, accepting badbeats or losing flipps.

      I do however have a few questions regarding hands :).

      What would you guys do here?

      <div><div>Pacific Poker – $0.10 PL Hi (6 max) – Omaha Hi – 4 players
      Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
      SB: 100 BB

      Hero (BB): 138.9 BB
      CO: 60 BB

      BTN: 199.6 BB

      SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

      Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Ks Th Jd 9s

      fold, BTN raises to 3.5 BB, fold, Hero raises to 11 BB, BTN raises to 33.5 BB, Hero ?

      </div></div>

      And here?

      <div><div>Pacific Poker – $0.10 PL Hi (6 max) – Omaha Hi – 4 players
      Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
      BTN: 100.4 BB
      Hero (SB): 155.6 BB

      BB: 117.6 BB

      CO: 174.2 BB

      Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

      Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 2d Ad 4s 6s

      CO raises to 3.5 BB, fold, Hero calls 3 BB, fold

      Flop : (8 BB, 2 players) 7h As 4c

      Hero checks, CO checks
      Turn : (8 BB, 2 players) 8h
      Hero bets 5.2 BB, CO calls 5.2 BB

      River : (18.4 BB, 2 players) Qd

      Hero checks, CO bets 12.1 BB, Hero ?

      </div></div>

      Besides those 2 hands I seem to have trouble playing AAxx postlopp, unless I flopp really good.
      I do not have a good strategy postflopp and I just feel lost, sort of the same with KKxx.

      I need to study RFI’s, hopefully that will come up during the 10 week course. I do feel that Iäm probably a little too lose for PLO10 but I’m just not comfortable with my ranges. Right now I just look at a hand and go, “this should be playable”, which isn’t really the right approach :D.
      I have been playing PLO for a long time, mainly live, but I do lack understanding of what ranges to play from where and when and also pot equity. I do feel like I understand the concepts but I need alot more training to understand it properly :).

      I realize I haven’t mentioned where I play, but I mainly play at 888 (Pacific) right now, there are quite a few bad players but the biggest problem is the rake and that there aren’t many players. A weekend there might be 4-5 PLO10 tables going, most weekdays there are 1-3 tables going. I usually start tables since I’m comfortable playing HU or shorthanded. My edge there mainly comes from agression, which works at PLO10 but wouldn’t work higher up in stakes, so I will also need to study HU and fewer than 6 players.

      I would like to start the “Crushing small stakes” course but I’m not sure if that is wise or not since I’m doing the 10 week PLO mastermind course as is.

      After reading some other forum posts I’ve also come to realize I need to, or at least want to, spcify my goals further.

      So, here goes.

      Poker goals:

      Short-term (1-3months):
      Move up in stakes from PLO10. I currently have ~$450 in my pokeraccount, I plan to move up once I have 50Bbs ($1250) for the next level but go down in level if I drop below $750.

      I also want to get a better grasp of ranges and general play style by then.

      Mid-term (6-9months):

      Move up to PLO50 and be comfortable at that level, I would need at least 100 buy-ins before I move up, mainly so that I don’t tilit because my BR isn’t big enough.

      I have continued to study and develop my game and I am a winning player with 5+bb/100h at this level.

      Long-term (1+ year):

      Play PLO100 comfortably with at least 100 buy-ins. I’ve continued to stay on track, both with pokerstudies and with the mental aspects of the game. I’ve surrounded myself with persons in poker that I can look up to and have a meaningfull discussion with. I am also a winning player in live cash games, both with friends and at the casino.

      Very long-term (2+ years):

      Be able to “live” on poker, at least so that I can stop working 50% and do what I really enjoy instead of being stuck in an office 9 hours a day.



      Life goals:

      Short-term:

      Lose 5kg of bodyfat by exercise and diet, should be done in 2 months max.

      Start running 3 times a week again (forced to take a break (periostitis)) and feel comfortable running 20km per week with added intervalls.
      Meditate each day

      Become a better leader

      Mid-term:
      Add 1-2kg of fat free mass.

      Continue helping friends and family to reach their fitnessgoals.

      Improve my leadership skills

      Long-term:

      Keep my, now, habits going.

      Not slacking of in any aspect of my life.

      Evaluate if I’m on the right path for my career or if I need to make changes, either by switching jobs or going down in time, depending on life in generall.

      Very long-term:

      Work 25-50% whilst playing poker rest of the time. I do love to help people and becoming a leader is fun, however, I want more quality of life, which I don’t feel like I have when working 100%.
      I then intend to become a dive-master since it is a goal that I have, but I do not have the time for it right now.

      I would like to spend more time over seas since I’m not a huge fan of the climate in Sweden during the fall, winter and spring :).


      Well, that’s all from this Cookie at the moment, talk to you all later!

      Feel free to hit me up on Discord or message me here if you have any questions or want to talk about anything.

      //Cookie



      • Cookiesareforever

        Member
        May 29, 2020 at 9:19 am

        Wanted to add 1 more hand but seems Iäm not allowed the edit the post more, so I’ll just add it here 🙂

        What about this spot?

        <div>Pacific Poker – $0.10 PL Hi (6 max) – Omaha Hi – 5 players

        Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

        CO: 119.8 BB

        BTN: 123.2 BB

        Hero (SB): 109.5 BB

        BB: 187.2 BB

        UTG: 150 BB

        Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

        Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Kc Tc 9s Js

        fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, BB calls 2 BB

        Flop : (6 BB, 2 players) Jh 8s Ts

        Hero bets 3.9 BB, BB raises to 15.6 BB, Hero ?


        Thanks in advance!

        //Cookies

        </div>

      • Adelaney

        Member
        May 29, 2020 at 12:42 pm

        Welcome cookies, I thought i’d responded here but I must have got sidetracked apologies about that, welcome to the PLO Mastermind and the community 🙂 great to have you on board!

        Like how you’ve broken up your goals in terms of poker and life and look forward to following along as you achieve these!

        Keep up the good work and enjoying those cookies Cookie

        • Cookiesareforever

          Member
          May 30, 2020 at 9:45 am

          Hey there, thanks! 🙂
          Sounds good, I’ll try to keep you updated 😀
          I will enjoy them cookies! ;D

  • Nstphillips

    Member
    May 29, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    Hi Cookies,

    Great reading through your blog and vision. Glad to see you are also looking to improve health and fitness as well as poker.

    I can’t really assist with your hand that you have posted as I am still too new to the program and not too sure myself. I have found the pre-flop helper and the spreadsheet really useful to review some of the hands in my sessions, have you started to use them yet?

    Anyway I really look forward to reading more.

    Take care,

    Nick

    • Cookiesareforever

      Member
      May 30, 2020 at 9:47 am

      Hi,

      Glad you enjoyed it :). Ya, It’s always good to have heatlh goals :D.
      No problem, let’s see if someone else answers… 😛

      Thanks, I’ll try to post more tomorrow :).

      Have a great weekend!

      /Cookie

  • Cookiesareforever

    Member
    June 26, 2020 at 8:39 am

    Long time no see :D.

    Hey all! I haven’t really taken the time to update this blog in a while. But here goes :).

    I’m on the end of week 5 on the Mastermind 10 week plo transformation, there is soooooo much information to take in. I thought I was at least ok at PLO until I started with the quizzes in week 5, that broke my selfesteem, let me tell you xD. I’m trying to get myself to accept that I do not need to know everything from the get-go, I just need to strive to get better and improve each and every day.

    My biggest problem (from my point of view) was that I was playing too many hands, both RFI and 3b, do I have begun to rectify that by trying to learn what hands not to open and call a 3b with. I really had no idea how “weak” QQxxds were unless the 2 other cards are connected, as an example.
    I sit with the preflopp trainer about 10mins / day to get a better grasp of what I’m supposed to play, it’s helping but it’s slow going. I have however noticed an improvement in my stats and game.

    I have moved up in stakes and I am now playing PLO25 and PLO50, I usually have 1 table of each up and running. My bankroll is healthy and I have 100 Buyins for PLO50. A big problem I have tho is that the player pool I have where I’m mainly playing at is very shallow. There are usually 1 PLO25 table running, 3-4 if you are really lucky. PLO50 there is usually 1 running, maaaaaybe 2.
    They are seldome 6 handed, I just confirmed this by looking through my hand, out of 20k hands, only 6,5k were 6 handed, the rest where anything from HU and up. It is not uncommon that I have to start a table to get games going, which really isn’t great cause I have no idea what I’m suppose to do HU, however, nor do my opponents either, it seems :).

    I have almost completed “The mental game of poker” and “positive poker”, both of which are good reads, I will need to re-read them and reflect more over what I’ve read and really zone in on the problems I have to be able to handle them better. I did not consider myself someone that has a tiltproblem, but after reading more about it I realized that’s not quite true, it’s just not the “monkey crazy tilt” that some ppl have.

    I have tried meditating with the help of “Primed mind” but I haven’t been able to keep it up, I have now vowed to try and just sit still and meditate without “help” for 5 minutes per day for 2-3 weeks, just to get into it, after that we will see if I just prolong the time or if I choose another direction.

    I really hate that we aren’t allowed rakeback in Sweden, I’ve so far payed about $680 in rake, which feels horrible since that is far more than I’ve won, no surprise there :D.

    I try to play about 1-2hours of poker most days per week, I think I average about 5 sessions, sometimes more and for longer hours. I’m still studying but not as intensiv as when I started, I just couldn’t retain the information, I now do it at slower pace and try to remind myself that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

    Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great run at the pokertables!

    //Cookies

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