Interview with Aaron "abarone68" Barone
Introduction
I'm a 2x SNE, originally from the U.S., and started playing professionally around 2009. After 'Black Friday' I was forced to relocate, and have since lived almost exclusively in Canada, Thailand, and Mexico. For the majority of my career, 9m SNGs were my main format and I did quite well in them. However, due to concerns about game liquidity, I began playing Spins in February of last year and have played 25,000 of them since ($74 ABI).
Despite all of my experience in SNGs, once I moved to Spins I found myself somewhat unprepared for the skill difference (vs regs). At times, it felt like they were playing an entirely different game. I put in a lot of work/study off the table in an effort to become less exploitable and it's still a work in progress; there's a contingent of regs who think I'm the worst player ever, and others who've told me they highly respect my game. Either side could be leveling, I suppose.
Charles Hawk: What are your goals for 2016?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: To be honest, I've yet to set any goals for 2016. Spent the past two weeks in vacation-mode and haven't outlined my exact plan for the rest of the year. I don't have anything in mind in regards to profit goals, but I would like to put in roughly the same number of hours at the tables (1600) that I did in 2015. Might be a bit tougher this year without the motivation of the SNE program.
Charles Hawk: How optimistic are you about your poker future? Are you as motivated as before?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: I'm not ready to throw in the proverbial towel just yet. 2015 was my most profitable year to date and I'm confident in my ability to adapt to the changing landscape. It's no secret that the viability of online poker is trending in the wrong direction, but instead of whining about the thinner edges I'm trying to focus that energy on making improvements in my own game.
I'll admit that finding motivation was much easier when I was less financially stable. That said, the fact that my window in the online poker era might be closing definitely gives me an extra kick.
Charles Hawk: Describe your emotions when you find out about rake decrease and transition to StarsCoins?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: Assuming we're talking about the VIP changes...
Disbelief --> Anger --> Disappointment
Obviously losing $40,000 (the difference in effective rake-back) hurts, but what bothers me more is the manner in which those changes were (poorly) communicated. The Supernova Elite program is a 2-year agreement and it was only after players fulfilled their end of the bargain that PokerStars slashed the rewards. While I agree that PokerStars has every right to change their VIP program, doing so after players paid the rake needed to achieve their rewards is highly unethical and borderline theft.
Representatives from PS have tried to defend themselves by pointing to a vague statement in late 2014 that mentioned the possibility of changes. But in the twelve months that followed, players repeatedly asked those same representatives for more clarification and none was provided. The 'announcement' was repeatedly delayed, possibly in an effort to encourage players to continue grinding for phantom rewards. The community learned about the changes on November 1st, not because Stars released the information but because it was accidentally leaked on a Russian website. If that hadn't happened, who knows when players would have been informed?
Charles Hawk: Describe me how are you learning/improving working off-tables? What tools do you use?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: Aside from talking about spots with a very small group of other players, I do a lot of work in my HEM database. Once I can diagnose the position/situation I'm struggling in, it's much easier to try and fix it.
Charles Hawk: How many tables do you play at once?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: Back when I was mass-tabling SNGs, I'd play 24+ games without much of an issue. I can't do that with Spins though because my brain and mouse can't think or click that fast. I've grown comfortable with 4-6 at a time, usually on the lower end when I find myself in tougher games.
Charles Hawk: What are the most valuable lessons which you learned in Spins not from theory but from actual practice?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: I remember getting heads-up vs one player and he said (in chat) that I sucked. Normally that wouldn't even register for me, but it came during a significant downswing when I had began to question my place in the food-chain. In addition, he was actually a solid winner at mid-to-high stakes HU SNGs. As much as it pained me to admit it, he wasn't entirely wrong. I definitely had (and still have) leaks. Months earlier, I was arguably the best in my format of choice (9m SNGs) and it was frustrating to be in a new game where I wasn't considered one of the elite players. His comment helped me realize how much more there was for me to learn about the game and lit a fire under me to put in the work needed to improve.
Charles Hawk: Describe me how your ordinary day looks like? Do you have any routines?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: I have to start with coffee. Without it, I'm a zombie. But other than a regular caffeine fix, I'm not super rigid with my schedule.
My normal day revolves around work, exercise, delicious food, and relaxation -- with the order changing frequently. In December, I was on a more strict version because I needed to get 150,000 VPPs (200 hours) to reach Supernova Elite.
Once the coffee kicked in, I'd start the day with a morning session. A few hours would pass and then I'd break up the button clicking with a workout. As much as I value caffeine, exercise is just as important; it helps me deal with much of the poker related mental stress and counteract the physical damage I've done spending most of my day in a chair. After the gym, I'd enjoy a meal at one of the many great restaurants here in Chiang Mai and swig down another coffee before beginning my second session of the day. On most days I'd finish up around 9 PM and spend the rest of the night chilling at home by myself or going out with friends.
Charles Hawk: How balanced are you in life? What is your ratio between poker and other activities?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: Even after playing poker professionally for several years, I still enjoy it -- which is rare from what I've heard -- so I think I lean more towards work than other activities because it doesn't feel like work to me. While I'm fairly diligent about getting in 150+ hrs a month, I've rarely felt that I'm not doing enough "social" things off the felt. I'm still able to make it to the gym five days a week, have dinner with my friends/girlfriend, and do touristy stuff when I'm visiting a location that allows for it.
Charles Hawk: What do you do in spare time? What are your interests?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: I really enjoy traveling/exploring. It was something I never knew about myself until poker (Black Friday) forced me to relocate outside of the U.S. In the four years since I've lived in Mexico, Canada, Thailand, the Bahamas (briefly), and visited several other countries.
One of my friends back home said to me that of all the people he knew, I was probably the last person he thought would forge a life abroad. It's true, I'm a very different person now than I was back then largely because of poker. Playing for a living has changed me in many ways, one of which being I'm much more adventurous and willing to put myself in seemingly uncomfortable situations purely out of curiosity and the desire for further personal growth.
(View from apartment in Playa del Carmen)
(Thailand)
(Amsterdam)
Charles Hawk: Do you have problems with tilt or frustrations, or any other uncontrolled emotions during the unsuccessful streaks? What is the best way to handle it?
Aaron "abarone68" Barone: I've never broken anything, all of the mice I've ever owned made it to retirement in one piece.
For the most part, as soon as I log off my computer, I'm able to disconnect from the negative emotions associated with undesired outcomes at the tables. I've always prided myself in not bringing the stress of work into my personal life. Having an outlet such as physical exercise has been extremely helpful as well as having several close friends/fellow poker players to console me if needed.
I had the worst month of my life (professionally) in December (-$8k postRB, $30k+ under EV) and when I caught myself moping about the bad run, I'd stop and step back to take a look at the larger picture -- I had a fantastic 2015, moving to an entirely new (and much more difficult) format and eclipsing the profit goals I set for myself. If that didn't work, I'd take a step back even further -- Poker has provided me with so many amazing, "once in a lifetime" type experiences, allowed me to see parts of the world I never thought possible, and meet incredible people. It has had an overwhelmingly net positive effect on my life and a 1-month hiccup can't change that.
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Aaron "abarone68" Barone: A few 2+2 threads that pretty much sum up my career/poker life:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/174/poker-goals-challenges/2013-raise-up-1283973/
Thanx for this interview. Did abarone planning on making 2016 thread? that 2015 was awesome!!
Thanks!
I won't be doing a 2016 thread on 2+2, but I plan to update my blog a lot more frequently. Feel free to follow along:
www.aaronbarone.com