Author: Aaron Barone

Wednesday is when I’ll be saying good-bye to Playa del Carmen and starting my next chapter.  Adios Playa!  I’ll do a full recap tomorrow, complete with pictures of all (at least some) the food I ate, things I saw, and my overall impression of this place, but for now I wanted to focus on what […]

In the near future, I want to start video blogging.  I’ve seen a few other guys do it and it seems more fun, interactive, and would be a nice change of pace from all those big blocks of text I end up posting.  There’s a phrase in the internet community known as tl;dr which means […]

If you would have told me, six years ago,  that Collin Moshman would be interviewing me for PokerStrategy’s website, I would have laughed right in your face. Moshman?  Collin Moshman?  The author of several successful SNG books?  That guy?  Interviewing me?  Yeah, right.  Sure thing.  But lo and behold, on Wednesday afternoon, it happened. The […]

I’m a fairly happy, positive person.  I tend to see the proverbial glass half full, am able to laugh at myself, and don’t take life too seriously.  But none of that applies while I’m grinding. While I’m a talkative person in real-life, it’s not the case during sessions, as I only speak to accomplish one […]

In order to keep Supernova Elite and that precious 68% Rakeback, I’m required to earn 50,000 VPPs per month with up to two ‘buffer’ months where I don’t reach that total.  It shouldn’t  be that hard, considering I averaged almost double that last year.  But thanks to my Thailand/Disney-world excursions, I missed it in January. […]

Early Friday morning, I dragged myself out of bed to do a coaching session.  While I’ve drastically cut down on my coaching hours in the last year, when I do sessions they always seem to revitalize my interest in the game.  Each hand is like a puzzle to me and once I “solve” a few […]

New year, same old gripes. Variance is inescapable, but alas I had been away from the game for so long that I mostly forgot about it.  No worries though, the poker gods were around to remind me.  Through ~2000 games this month I’m down $3000 before rakeback.  Yuck.   Games do appear rather reg-infested and […]

After having way too much fun, I’m back in Playa del Carmen and back to work. The transition from leisurely vacation to structured grind hasn’t exactly been seamless.  Flew into town on the 20th and figured I’d wake up the next day and bang out eight hours of work like I used to.  Nope.  I […]

Last time I checked in, I was three days from hitting Supernova Elite.  I had planned on writing a detailed blogpost once I finished up, but obviously that didn’t happen.  Instead, I became Supernova Elite and fell off the grid. Two days after achieving my new tier, I started a two month-long victory tour: Visited friends/family […]

Current VPP count stands at ~984,000 so by my estimation, I should hit Supernova Elite in a little less than 72 hours.  Yup, all that’s left between me and that VIP status is three full days of work. I’m eager to be done.  To sit back, cash in the $20k bonus, close down the poker […]

I’m a preRB crusher.  When I say that, I hope you realize it isn’t meant to sound boastful. as if I’m puffing my chest out and declaring some sort of greatness to the world. Ever since I started playing single table tournaments, I had a positive ROI and that meant in addition to rakeback, I […]

Wooo, finally a decent day.  And boy did I need one. When I woke up this morning, I was exhausted.  Not physically.  Mentally.  My body was ready to get out of bed, but my mind wanted to stay wrapped in the cozy blanket and not face the day.  I was tired of running bad and […]

I’m on a downswing. And I don’t really want to write about it, but I feel like I should.  Although this blog is my own personal outlet, I do my best to be straightforward and honest with my readers.  And right now, to be honest, I’m going through a rather difficult time. When I decided […]

In October of 2012, I had recently relocated to Thailand and found myself at a local bar and heard a Thai band cover Green Day’s “Wake me Up When September Ends.” After struggling to post a profit this month, the lyrics resonate with me much more than before.  Judging solely by money made at the […]

I’m a huge, huge nit.  Let’s get that out of the way first.  For years, I played $5/$10 SNGs despite having the bankroll to move up.  Even now, I keep way too much money in my account in case something terribad happens. But this year I’ve started to shed that nit-skin a little bit and […]

Last month ended on a high note, as I pulled out of my variance-related nosedive.  On the 26th, I was $17k under EV and by the 31st I had chipped that number down to $10k.  Still sets my record for most money under EV in a month, but I was pretty happy all things considered. […]

Earlier today, a reg called me a luckbox.  I can’t remember exactly what he said, was something to the effect of: You’re definitely one of the better players abarone68, but you run redic good He’s not the first guy to call me a luckbox and he certainly won’t be the last, but his comment comes […]

Tomorrow happens to be a Sunday and that means I’ll be waking up a few hours earlier to load a bunch of multi-table tournaments.  So far this year, the excitement turns to frustration around Sunday evening. Despite that disgustingness, as I feverishly type away on my laptop late Saturday night, I’m super excited for tomorrow’s grind. […]

It’s 2 AM on Tuesday morning and I thought I’d be in bed by now.  Long gone are the days where I would stay up until 4, 5, or even 6 in the morning and sleep until the afternoon.  But right before I was about to close down my computer, a turbo SNG popped up […]

Here I am, less than 24 hours removed from a whiny blogpost about downswings.  Would you like some cheese with that wine?   Why yes, yes I would. Today I topped my previous record for most profit in a single day.  It felt damn good.   The lion’s share of the winnings came in an […]

Just finished a late-night session and for the first time in a while, I’m a bit tilted.  I’m not the type to yell, scream, and slam things but I can tell when I’m unnerved because my body temperature rises.  My face gets a bit redder.  My forehead feels hot.  And moments ago, I felt that […]

July 4th is just another day here in Canada, but back home in the United States, people are observing ‘Independence Day.’ Admittedly, I’m a bit jealous I don’t get to partake in the BBQs, carnivals, parades, alcohol, and fireworks.  But what bothers me more than missing out on the festivities is seeing the holiday’s underlying […]

June has been a rough ride, but thankfully my downswing came on the heels of two very successful and profitable months.  More importantly, it came after a half year of consistently beating the games and proving to myself that I “belonged.” I didn’t feel this way in January.  Immediately after starting my SNE chase, I […]

After absolutely crushing the last two months, I had all but forgotten what it felt like to lose.  Sure, I’d lose individual hands, games, sometimes even sessions — but at the end of each day the account balance kept growing.  Normally I cash out each time I’m a few thousand dollars above my starting bankroll, […]