The Pros Speak: Aaron Bartley

Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak

Aaron Bartley recently distinguished himself from scores of poker pros through his uncanny awareness of brilliance. He is the first – and probably only – pro that has not only noticed our blog, but has actually read it. In fact, he went so far as to email us and share his thoughts on Poker From The Rail. As men of integrity, we’re well above sharing such precise and insightful commentaries on our journalistic and literary genius. Let it suffice to say that he recognized us as “pretty cool” and “having a good time.”

Recently, and after only moderate haranguing, Aaron was good enough to actually chat with us and share his thoughts on poker as well as what he’s up to in general. Here’s what he had to say:

What’s an “average” day consist of for you?

When I’m not involved in a tournament, I get up in the morning pretty much whenever the mood strikes. I usually go through my morning routine, turn on the computer and check emails, and log onto Full Tilt Poker. I’ll play some tournaments or cash games for a couple of hours while I’m catching up on all of my TiVo shows from the night before. By then one or two of my roommates are up and we’ll usually play some more poker and video games – we play Halo just about every day. Later on we might go to a bar or a casino and chill out. It’s a very laid back routine.

This all changes when I’m getting ready for a tournament. Since I have such a sporadic sleep schedule, I’ve got to adjust it about a week in advance. For the WSOP, I’ll start this as much as a couple of weeks in ahead so that I’ve got a routine down before it starts. If I’m on a regular schedule, I’ll be able to play comfortably and avoid making mistakes. With a big online tournament like an FTOPS event, I’ll make sure that there isn’t anything else lined up while it’s going on and that there’s food in the house so that I can settle down and do what I have to do. I’m completely focused on that and nothing else for the duration.

As a pro, what are your thoughts on the “poker lifestyle?”

You know, it’s pretty much like being at the “cool kids’” lunch table in a prep school. In that small community, you’re the man. But if you zoom out a bit – you’re still just a prep school kid. If you go to the Bellagio with a bunch of professional poker players, it really gives you a sense of self-worth. But when you go anywhere else, it’s like “who the hell are you?” It’s a very humbling experience when you step outside the poker life, which is why some of the bigger names never seem to get away from it. They’re always in the casino and totally into that type of “degenerate” lifestyle.

Where do you fit into this? Do you still enjoy it?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than doing almost anything else that I can think of. I just don’t get so wrapped up in it that it consumes 24 hours of my day when I’m not playing. I used to, but it goes back to the prep school example – there’s more to it than that. If I didn’t get a sense of enjoyment out of it, then what I’m doing would be no different than if I’d finished a degree and got a “real job.” Every time I play, I still get a sense of enjoyment out of it.

It’s all just a matter of keeping things balanced. I spend a lot of time hanging out with friends, whether we go to a movie or to the local bar for a few beers and some Golden Tee or trivia. Like I said before, it’s all very low-key – jeans and a t-shirt, just relaxing and talking with people.

Looking at other professional poker players, are there any in particular that you admire or think of as a “true professionals?”

As far as other professional poker players are concerned, I have great respect for Erick Lindgren and Allen Cunningham. They’re probably two of the best tournament players in the world today. In fact, I’ve always thought that Alan is the best player ever – it doesn’t surprise me that he’s won the bracelets he has and taken down millions every year. They’re both awesome people as well as poker pros – they’ve both influenced me professionally.

Another person who’s really influenced me – especially from a work ethic standpoint – is Jon “PearlJammed” Turner. We’re the same age, both from Raleigh, and we moved out to Vegas at the same time. His work ethic is inspiring – he’s able to work 4 to 8 tables at a time for 10 hours a day every day. He never tilts, he never blows up at people in chat, and he never loses his cool. He’s a solid player that puts in his time every day and wins his share of tournaments. I think that Jon’s one of the best online tournament players today, in terms of consistent solid play as well as lifestyle. And he’s really tall, too.

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