AZE (SiQ) in the WELL!! (newest instructor on deucescracked!)

Hello CardsChat!

I'm sure many of you won't remember me but I used to post a little bit on these forums a few years ago. In fact CardsChat was the first poker forum I ever found back when I was donking it up in the $5 SnGs.
A lot has changed in the last 2-3 years and I am now a solid winner in the $60-$235 games on FullTilt and pokerstars and have been doing well for quite some time.

I was very recently hired by DeucesCracked to be their newest video instructor and poker coach. I'm very excited to be a part of the DC team and wanted to share the excitement with the very first poker forum that got me started on my journey to where I am today and where I hope to be in the near future.

For those of you who aren't familiar with a well the basic idea is to just ask me ANYTHING. It doesn't have to be poker related but it can be. No-holds-barred.

... Well, go ahead CC, give me your best shot!

FWIW I don't want to give off the impression of myself spamming the fourms. I went ahead and cleared the well with Dorkus before posting. <3 you guys.

Weren't you blanko's horse at one point in time?

Very happy to see you enjoying so much success. Huge congrats on the DC gig.

Serious question: Doesn't playing SnGs make you want to stab your ankle on a daily basis???

yes. me and blanko are still working together. he's one of my favorite people in life BTW and I don't mean out of my poker friends.

Thank you!

Serious answer: No. I'm sure I would enjoy playing cash more for the same hourly but TBH I make a good living playing SnGs and while they can be a grind I still find them mentally engaging enough to keep my interest.
There have definitely been times where I've just been sick of them but that's when I take one of my famous 2 months 0 hands vacations

Do you play the high profile live tournaments?

Are you sponsored by any poker sites?

How many tables at a time?
9 mans or what?
Did you have any big "a-ha" moments that you can recall that helped in your climb to high stakes?
Paper or plastic?
Do you speak jive?

Thanks for doing this, mang - much continued success in your future I see.

Welcome back, congrats on your new job, must feel awesome.

I'm sure I'll have tons of questions being a fellow SNG player, but I'll start with just one: how much time do you spend studying compared to playing?

edit: another question already, lol, who are the other SNG coaches on DC besides yourself?

Gr3atness said:

Do you play the high profile live tournaments?

Are you sponsored by any poker sites?

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I was scheduled to play 11 events at this years wsop (including the ME and the $10k Heads Up) but last minute there was a tragic event involving my roommates family and I wasn't able to go.
I'll be trying to go out there in 2011 and will most likely be playing the WPT event in Hollywood, FL. on May of 2011.

I'm not sponsored by any sites. Hopefully one day.

relpraggy said:

How many tables at a time?
9 mans or what?
Did you have any big "a-ha" moments that you can recall that helped in your climb to high stakes?
Paper or plastic?
Do you speak jive?

Thanks for doing this, mang - much continued success in your future I see.

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I generally play around 9 tables at a time with buy-ins ranging from $60-235
mostly 6max SnGs
The biggest "aha" moment for me was when my friend The Lipo Fund told me (after me complaining about always getting it in good and losing) "if you're not getting it in bad, often, then you're not playing right".
Paper.
I'ma lay it on you straight, cat... nope.

cjatud2012 said:

Welcome back, congrats on your new job, must feel awesome.

I'm sure I'll have tons of questions being a fellow SNG player, but I'll start with just one: how much time do you spend studying compared to playing?

edit: another question already, lol, who are the other SNG coaches on DC besides yourself?

Click to expand...

Thanks!
I probably spend too much time studying, if that's possible. lol. I really do love learning the game and I get more joy out of studying than playing which is rare - I have to force myself to play almost.

I know bones and AMT (two guys I really like) were doing a lot of SnG content but nowadays are spending more of their time making MTT videos or HUSNG vids. There is another guy Skitz0frenik who I believe is still making SnG vids. I honestly don't know much about him, I think he's a lower stakes player than me but I watched half of one of his videos last night (will be finishing it later) and I don't recall disagreeing with anything he did. He seems pretty solid and he did a fine job narrating the video as well. Would definitely recommend him.
I could be wrong but me and Skitz may be the only guys putting out most of the SnG content for some time.

first, welcome.

i have a question for you, maybe kinda dumb but here it goes:

i play 6 max sngs on stars, but i play turbos, would you recommend normal sngs above turbos? i am asking this because often i find myself and another 2-3 guys kinda equal stack with the blinds being rather big and playing fit or fold poker which is not that great. so just give me your thoughts on turbos because i know you can find them as well at higher levels. do you play them, do you avoid them, do you think there is much difference between normal and turbos? anything.

question number 2: you might not want to answer this one, and i would understand but what stats do you use on you HUD (i doubt you play without one) when multi tabling sngs?

once again, thank you for being here.

Hi AZE and congratulations on your new coaching position.

Can you give us a quick breakdown of your evolution in sngs, what did start playing 9mans? Also how was your move through the levels?

What would you say are the most important things for a sng player to do at the table?

What would you say are the most important things a sng player to do away from the table?

Why are some motherf****rs always trying to iceskate uphill?

Thanks for doing this will prob have more later.

AZE said:

Thanks!
I probably spend too much time studying, if that's possible. lol. I really do love learning the game and I get more joy out of studying than playing which is rare - I have to force myself to play almost.

I know bones and AMT (two guys I really like) were doing a lot of SnG content but nowadays are spending more of their time making MTT videos or HUSNG vids. There is another guy Skitz0frenik who I believe is still making SnG vids. I honestly don't know much about him, I think he's a lower stakes player than me but I watched half of one of his videos last night (will be finishing it later) and I don't recall disagreeing with anything he did. He seems pretty solid and he did a fine job narrating the video as well. Would definitely recommend him.
I could be wrong but me and Skitz may be the only guys putting out most of the SnG content for some time.

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Thanks for the quick response. I wish I shared your joy for studying, lol, I mean I can do it for a little bit but I just feel very unproductive when I'm doing it. How do you study/review your sessions?

Welcome, AZE!

I just started playing SnG's and taking the game seriously in the last couple of months. I would like to know what is your normal study routine. Do you use SnG Wiz? And if so, what are some of the filters you look at most in HEM to check out in Wiz?

forsakenone said:

first, welcome.

i have a question for you, maybe kinda dumb but here it goes:

i play 6 max sngs on stars, but i play turbos, would you recommend normal sngs above turbos? i am asking this because often i find myself and another 2-3 guys kinda equal stack with the blinds being rather big and playing fit or fold poker which is not that great. so just give me your thoughts on turbos because i know you can find them as well at higher levels. do you play them, do you avoid them, do you think there is much difference between normal and turbos? anything.

question number 2: you might not want to answer this one, and i would understand but what stats do you use on you HUD (i doubt you play without one) when multi tabling sngs?

once again, thank you for being here.

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Good question. I think it really depends on your situation. Non-Turbo SnGs are going to give you a higher ROI and that's due to the fact that most of the better players aren't playing them and the blinds taking longer to increase means you'll have more time to play deeper against fish.
The downside is your hourly rate can't be as good. The games take about 2x as long so your ROI would have to be about double what it is in a Turbo and that's really hard to achieve.

I personally haven't played a non-turbo for at least a year. But I know some guys are making OK money playing them.

The stats I use for my HUD are just vpip / pfr / hands. But I will mostly check the; agg, fold to cbet, flop cbet, 3bet, cold call, VS Steal stats, and positional PFR stats in the pop-up.

Mr McCluskey said:

Hi AZE and congratulations on your new coaching position.
thanks!

Can you give us a quick breakdown of your evolution in sngs, what did start playing 9mans? Also how was your move through the levels?
started playing $5 9mans and stumbled across 6max shortly after and enjoyed them more so I played those at the $12 level and basically quickly moved up each level.

What would you say are the most important things for a sng player to do at the table?
pay attention to everything you can and don't tilt

What would you say are the most important things a sng player to do away from the table?
study, study, study

Why are some motherf****rs always trying to iceskate uphill?
lol

Thanks for doing this will prob have more later.
np. cool can't wait

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cjatud2012 said:

Thanks for the quick response. I wish I shared your joy for studying, lol, I mean I can do it for a little bit but I just feel very unproductive when I'm doing it. How do you study/review your sessions?

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I mark hands in HEM while playing and review those either after the session or before a session the next day. And once or twice a week I will just do a huge review of a ton of the games I've played in the week.
I also get a lot out of coaching other players actually. Win-win IMO

dg1267 said:

Welcome, AZE!

I just started playing SnG's and taking the game seriously in the last couple of months. I would like to know what is your normal study routine. Do you use SnG Wiz? And if so, what are some of the filters you look at most in HEM to check out in Wiz?

Click to expand...

Thanks. Good luck!
I kinda outlined my study schedule above. I do use SnGWIZ a lot. Don't really filter anything out in HEM just review hands and games.



Keep 'em coming guys!

I don't have any questions at this time, I just wanted to say I am sorry about the WSOP misfortune, hopefully you will get there next year.
And welcome back and congratulations on your accomplishments.

"The Hustler" or "The color of money"?

What factor was most important in improving your game?

a.) practice
b.) reading books
c.) taking part in discussion on forums, posting hands etc.

hi love :flowers:

what do you think is your biggest strength as a poker player? biggest weakness?

if you werent a pro poker player what would you do/what would you aspire to be?

what's the most embarrassing thing that you can remember ever happening to you?

chinese food or mexican food?

what you gon' do with all that junk? all that junk inside your trunk?

what's the highest number you can think of?

batman or spider-man?

patrik antonius or tom dwan?

phil ivey or... wait nevermind, the answer is phil ivey

cardplayer52 said:

"The Hustler" or "The color of money"?

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The Hustler was a better movie overall IMO tho I'm sure more people would find The Color of Money more entertaining nowadays.
I think I enjoyed both of them equally and have watched both who knows how many times.

Aldito said:

What factor was most important in improving your game?

a.) practice
b.) reading books
c.) taking part in discussion on forums, posting hands etc.

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I only read Super System and I don't think it had any effect on my game thankfully because most of the advice in that book is for the live games of yesteryear.

I'd say A and C are probably equal where practice = studying/reviewing/working with a coach.

blankoblanco said:

hi love :flowers:

what do you think is your biggest strength as a poker player?
my humility. the ability to admit you can be wrong about anything is a pretty strong asset in poker because it allows you to drop the ego and try to play optimally at all times.

biggest weakness?
easily my lack of volume. a leak that you know too well of that I am trying to plug

if you werent a pro poker player what would you do/what would you aspire to be?
it's possible tho unlikely i would still be just playing pool for money. more likely i would have continued to build the graphic design/print company i started. as far as aspirations i'd possibly get back into music and try to do something with that

what's the most embarrassing thing that you can remember ever happening to you?
i once had an awkward moment, just to see what it felt like

chinese food or mexican food?
chinese ainec

what you gon' do with all that junk? all that junk inside your trunk?
imma get get get get you drunk, get you love drunk off my humps

what's the highest number you can think of?
9

batman or spider-man?
spider-man. my all-time favorite super-hero

patrik antonius or tom dwan?
question should read patrik antonius or patrik antonius... but then my head would explode

phil ivey or... wait nevermind, the answer is phil ivey
incorrect. the correct answer is patrik antonius

yup, that was me

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<3

Welcome back! Many congrats on your success.

Mac or PC?

Rock, Jazz, Blues, or Country?

My butt squeaks on my leather chair when I play - does this mean I'm too nitty?

For micro-stakes, is 6-max still as good of ROI as the higher stakes?

Congratulations on your new gig; I hope it opens the door for you and your students to become more profitable. A few questions if I may.

1. How long did it take you to build your BR from its $30 beginning to a level that you could consider playing poker full time.

2. Your coaching profile shows you specialize in STT and MTT's. I'm a SNG player who's delving into MTT's with moderate success. I'd love to hear your take on how you change your strategy between STT and MTT.

3. Any tips on how to multi table more effectively? There have been a number of posts around here lately on this topic. I play on PS and was thinking about Table Ninja but need to do more research on it. For now, I cascade 3 tables but have been itching to do more lately.

Which game of pool did you play? I assume probably 9 ball since you played for money. What kind of pool cue do you own?

Congrats on the position at DC man! I was just reading one of your posts on the DC forums today, then when I saw this I was surprised to see it was you, haven't seen ya on here in a while, glad you're back

On to my questions...

How much table selection do you do and what all are you looking for(I've heard some pros saying they look for the usual fish that they already have notes one, but I have heard others say that they are looking for people that they might not have any notes on because then they know they aren't regs(more notes required obv)).

Do you use PTR/sharkscope to look up stats on your opponents at all?

Do you like the color blue?

Have you gotten into Rush Tournaments at all?

Are you ranked in the APA for pool? If so, what are you?

Like others, I'm sure more are to come

arahel_jazz said:

Welcome back! Many congrats on your success.
thanks!

Mac or PC?
for personal use mac osx, but for poker I run windows 7 via bootcamp on my MBP


Rock, Jazz, Blues, or Country?
jazz

My butt squeaks on my leather chair when I play - does this mean I'm too nitty?
it means you should wear clothes when you play

For micro-stakes, is 6-max still as good of ROI as the higher stakes?
I can't be sure but I would imagine yes

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medeiros13 said:

Congratulations on your new gig; I hope it opens the door for you and your students to become more profitable. A few questions if I may.

1. How long did it take you to build your BR from its $30 beginning to a level that you could consider playing poker full time.
you know i can't really remember really but I want to say 6 months maybe? I really got obsessed quickly

2. Your coaching profile shows you specialize in STT and MTT's. I'm a SNG player who's delving into MTT's with moderate success. I'd love to hear your take on how you change your strategy between STT and MTT.
for the sake of time i'll just simplify it by saying MTTs are more chip accumulation than STTs. In STTs you're punished a lot more for losing chips than you are rewarded for gaining them because of the structure. Basically you're allowed to take smaller edges in an MTT more often if that makes sense

3. Any tips on how to multi table more effectively? There have been a number of posts around here lately on this topic. I play on PS and was thinking about Table Ninja but need to do more research on it. For now, I cascade 3 tables but have been itching to do more lately.

Click to expand...

Studying is a big part. When you study more and your thought process becomes more fluid you'll be able to add more tables.
Table Ninja definitely helps and I use it every day.

dakota-xx said:

Which game of pool did you play? I assume probably 9 ball since you played for money. What kind of pool cue do you own?

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I played mostly played 9ball, 10ball, 8ball and 1pocket but really I would play any game if I was matched up right.
I own a custom Ted Harris. Ted is a good friend of mine and makes a great cue.
My cue is very similar to this one Ted also made:

absoluthamm said:

Congrats on the position at DC man! I was just reading one of your posts on the DC forums today, then when I saw this I was surprised to see it was you, haven't seen ya on here in a while, glad you're back
Thanks!
On to my questions...

How much table selection do you do and what all are you looking for(I've heard some pros saying they look for the usual fish that they already have notes one, but I have heard others say that they are looking for people that they might not have any notes on because then they know they aren't regs(more notes required obv)).
I table select very heavily. It's become a key part of being a solid winning player in todays SnG climate. I have a note-taking system and pay attention to all types (fish, breakeven, winners, top players)

Do you use PTR/Sharkscope to look up stats on your opponents at all?
I won't say that I don't use SS

Do you like the color blue?
my favorite color

Have you gotten into Rush Tournaments at all?
no but they seem fun. i may try it out some day. rush cash has been fun

Are you ranked in the APA for pool? If so, what are you?
never played APA, played TAP league but hated it. I really just like to gamble and play a few tournaments here and there. I would be whatever APA's top level is (7?) but I'm sure there are guys in the league better than me

Like others, I'm sure more are to come

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Nice looking pool cue! I have a Schon that was a limited edition. (along with a Joss, Viking and Meucci).

What state are you in?

You just set up a new question for me. What is an example of your note taking system if you don't mind my asking? I am always looking for better ways to compile my notes without letting them get out of control.

Also, do you use HEM/PT3 for your notes or do you use the poker client?