I settled on the Aaron Bartley Sit & Go By the Numbers challenge.  SnGs fit into my current schedule and I challenged myself to see how many tournaments it would take me to get through. The challenge lays out 5 tasks to successfully pass. These tasks highlight and force you to practice the ideas which were outlined in his Sit & Go By the Number video.

The 5 tasks for this challenge were:

1. Don’t finish in the bottom 3 in 4 9-handed S&Gs that pay 3 spots.
2. Fold A-J, A-T, A-9, K-Q, or K-J in early position 2 times while 7 or more players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
3. Go all in with A-Q, A-J, or A-T while 5 or 6 players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
4. Play 5 S&Gs; your buy-in for each can be no greater than 2 percent of your Full Tilt bankroll.
5. The Pro Play -  Finish in first place in 2 9-handed S&Gs.

I won’t bother going into details about why to go through each task, that’s what his instructional video will explain.  My goal was put his lessons into practice and force myself to play with a proper strategy.  I was also interested in how many tournament it would take to complete.  Obviously I needed to run 5 because of the 4th task.

Things started off well when I won my first SnG after accepting the challenge.  Not a bad kickoff.  A few days later I decided to pound through the challenge all in one evening.  Not willing to crush my bankroll I decided to go all the way down to micro $1.25 SnGs so I could multi-table and keep myself from becoming impatient.

11 tournaments later and my challenge was complete.  Mother Variance was obviously on my side as I cashed in 6 of the 11 and won a tournament to polish off all the tasks.

Keeping track of my tasks made things interesting.  I was already comfortable with most of the ideas presented by Bartley but it was another thing to actually put them in practice.  I will definitely say it helped me focus my game throughout the challenge.

I look forward to my next Full Tilt Poker Academy Challenge.  I think I will probably go with the Chris Ferguson Bankroll Management challenge.  Who better to learn from than the master?

Other posts about the Full Tilt Poker Academy and challenges:

Full Tilt Poker Academy – A First Look
Full Tilt Poker Academy – Bankroll Management Challenge
Full Tilt Poker Academy – Pre-flop Play Challenge

Post from: Poker From The Rail

Full Tilt Poker Academy – First Challenge

Related posts:

1. Full Tilt Poker Academy – Bankroll Management Challenge
2. Full Tilt Poker Academy – Pre-Flop Play Challenge
3. Full Tilt Poker Academy – A first look

Brian Hastings of Team CardRunners ran deep in FTOPS X Event #6

FTOPS X Event #6 attracted 642 entrants for the $500+35 6-max Pot Limit Omaha tournament just missing the $350,000 guarantee bringing a little overlay to the players. It looked like was a great chance for two members of Team Full Tilt to make the final table but fell short.

Recap after the jump.

Aaron Bartley seemed to be on an endless good run and the field was dropping quickly when he was moved to a table with fellow FTP’er Brian Hastings who also was flaunting a large chipstack. Bartley’s night came to a quick and spectacular end in two monster hands. He was sitting with a top 5 chip count with just under 30 players remaining yet lost two pots to finished in 24th. Brian Hastings was one of the players to receive a chip boost when he turned a bigger two pair against Bartley, the money went in on the flop.

Hastings himself seemed destined to make his first final table of FTOPS X but seemed to contract Bartley’s “crash and burn with a big stack” disease finishing 8th just off the final 6.

Your final tale and results:

1st – Broberts85 – $75,250
2nd – thecranium – $49,350
3rd – xquadfourskinx – $35,455
4th – d3fault – $26,950
5th – BubonicPlague – $19,250
6th – pu-sdaeh – $12,250

Broberts85 – over $200,000 in career earning on Full Tilt tournaments including a win in the $65k Guarantee and two previous FTOPS final table appearances.

BubonicPlague – adds $19k to his bankroll just 3 days after winning The Fifty-Fifty for $20k+.

One of the more successful tournaments for Team Full Tilt as far as the number of players making the money. There were far fewer pros in this event yet 5 players made the money besides Brian Hastings late run. Aaron Bartley continues his heater with his 4th cash in 5 events played, Ali Sarkeshik with his second cash of FTOPS X, Berry Johnston and Huck Seed finish out the list with their first cash of the series. Aaron Bartely still head the Poker From the Rail Red Pro leaderboard.

1. Aaron Bartley – $68,149.24
2. Brian Hastings – $7,700.00
3. Gary Jones – $6,757.00
4. Ali Sarkeshik – $2,405.00
5. Jeremiah Smith – $2,340.00
6. Berry Johnston – $1,680.00
7. HuckleberrySeed – $910.00
8. Chip Jett – $696.53
9. Adam Schoenfeld – $461.16
10. Beth Shak – $420.17
11. Scott Fischman – $369.18
12. PearlJammed – $326.20
13. 53 with the same number of cashes as myself. Zero.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

FTOPS X Event #6 Recap

Related posts:

1. FTOPS X Event #4 Recap
2. FTOPS X Event #8 Recap
3. FTOPS X Event #5 Recap

Aaron Bartley came close to winning one for team Full Tilt in FTOPS X Event #4

FTOPS X Event #4 was a $300+22 with 1 rebuy and 1 add-on tournament that drew 815 players, 558 rebuys and 538 add-ons. The $300,000 guarantee was not reached so there a bit of an overlay for the event. Aaron Bartley is officially having a great start to FTOPS X with his 3rd cash in the first 4 events and a $64,000 payday for his 3rd place finish.

Recap after the jump.

It was a tough final table with plenty of successful online tournament specialists doing battle for the $138,000 first place prize. There was a ton of experience in evidence while no one was willing to go away quietly and the game finally ended after 8 hours of play.

1st – GrampaJeff – $138,000
2nd – mightypirate – $87,000
3rd – Aaron Bartley – $64,500
4th – mrcall912 – $49,500
5th – dbones6 – $37,500
6th – djmanga – $27,000
7th – darrenelias – $18,000
8th – raidalot – $14,040
9th – Shakar513 – $10,200

GrampaJeff – our winner is online professional player Jeff Gray who has over $1,000,000 in career earnings playing big tournaments. He picked up $138,000 for a 8 hours work in Event #4.

dbones6 – before the $37,500 score in this event his biggest score of Full Tilt was winning his way into the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $200 shootout.

djmanga – he has this final table appearance to go along with his FTOPS VI Event #8 $1,000 6-max final table as well as several in the Monday $1,000 buyin tournament.

darrenelias – also had a 6th place finish in FTOPS VII Event #9 for $49,000 a win in the $90,000 Guarantee this August.

Aaron Bartley – the current leader amongst Team Full Tilt with his 3rd cash in 4 events.

2 other members of Team Full Tilt made the money along with Bartley with their first cashes in FTOPS X. Jeremiah Smith finished in 23rd for $2,340 and Ali Sarkeshik with $1,320. We have a new leader atop the Poker From the Rail Red Pro Leaderboard and someone is going to have to make a big move with Aaron Bartley apparently riding a huge heater.

1. Aaron Bartley – $66,084.24
2. Gary Jones – $6,757.00
3. Jeremiah Smith – $2,340.00
4. Ali Sarkeshik – $1,320.00
5. Chip Jett – $696.53
6. Adam Schoenfeld – $461.16
7. Beth Shak – $420.17
8. PearlJammed – $326.20
9. 49 tied with zilch

Post from: Poker From The Rail

FTOPS X Event #4 Recap

Related posts:

1. FTOPS X Event #3 Recap
2. FTOPS X Event #6 Recap
3. FTOPS X Event #5 Recap

Category	Roland de Wolfe	Aaron Bartley	Survey Says
Career Earnings	Almost $4 million	Over $200K	To be fair here, Bartley mostly plays online and those results are not included in The Hendon Mob database, so he’s probably earned a bit more than $200K in his career. Nonetheless, the writing is on the wall for this one folks – Roland jumps out to an early lead.
Major Titles	1 WPT title	None	Bartley did make the final table of a WSOP-C table in 2005, but came in fifth. Too bad for him on that one, otherwise this might’ve been a closer call. As it is, de Wolfe takes down another category and leads 2-0.
Tournament Play	In addition to his WPT win, de Wolfe also won the EPT Dublin event in 2006, becoming the first player to win both a WPT and EPT title. So yes, you could say that Roland knows a thing or two about playing donkaments.	Bartley is almost strictly a tourney player online and has done very well in several major online tourneys.	So the big question here is a how do we compare a live tourney player with an online tourney specialist? It’s a fairly hard comparison to make, and either way I’m going to end up screwing someone over here. Both of these guys are good tourney players, they just happen to exist in different universes. With that said, I think I have to go with de Wolfe on this one – this difference in the money being won in live tourneys versus online ones is just too great. Roland continues his hot streak and now leads 3-0.
Cash Game Play	On occasion.	Only if there’s nothing to do before the next big online tourney goes off.	Yeah, so neither of these two are big into the cash game scene. I’d love to call this one a tie and move on, but my gut is telling me that if de Wolfe and Bartley sat down at the cash game table together Roland would probably eat Aaron alive. Unfortunately, the beat down continues as de Wolfe marches onward towards victory.
Best Game	NLHE	NLHE	This would normally be the place in one of these posts where I’d make some crap up just to make sure there’s not too much white on the page. You know, because there’s really not much to say in this category. But I’m not going to do that. I vow right now to make this as quick and painless as possible. I will not waste your valuable time spouting nonsensical drivel about whatever happens to be on my mind. You know, cause I’m nice like that. At any rate, even though these two both excel at the same game, I’m going to give this one to Bartley. I just can’t stand to see a beat down like this happen to someone that we here at The Rail actually like and think is cool. So this one’s for you Aaron. Don’t call it a comeback, but the score now stands at 4-1 for de Wolfe.
Playing Style	Live LAG	Online LAG	Both of these guys probably fall into the loose, aggressive (otherwise known as LAG) category of playing style. Another tough call to make here, but Bartley’s on a roll and I don’t feel like putting a stop to it. Besides, the LAG style is probably better suited for online play anyway. The comeback continues − Aaron now trails Roland by two points.
Nickname	The Sheep	Gamble AB	I think Roland is called The Sheep because he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing – get it? Yeah, it’s kind of lame. And I’m not saying that Bartley’s nickname is really that cool, but at least it doesn’t make you cringe. Looks like Aaron wins this one by default − the score stands at 4-3 for Roland heading into the final two frames of action.
Outside Poker	Former writer for a poker/gambling magazine.	Former nothing, Aaron went straight from school into the business of donkaments, coolers, and bad beats.	As much respect we have for writers around here (which is about none, so you can imagine the level of self-loathing going on), how cool would it be to go straight from school into poker. I mean, no real job, no BS, just poker all day, every day. That sounds like the life to me. Amazingly enough, we can now call this one a comeback as Bartley has evened the score at 4 apiece.
Best Pro Tip	Getting Paid on a Monster	Holding On To Your Winnings	Hmm – so we have a tip about making more money versus a tip about how not to lose your money. Guess which way I’m going with this one? That’s right, bankroll management be damned, all I care about is getting me some more Benjamins. Sorry Aaron, I tried my best to get you the win here, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Roland takes down the final category – the match is his.

So there you have it, Roland de Wolfe narrowly edges Aaron Bartley by a score of 5-4. It was an exciting match with a lot of ups and downs, highs and lows, and some paranoia and psychosis to boot. Check back next week for another round of action. Until then, you stay classy Pokerland…

Post from: Poker From The Rail

Heads Up: Roland de Wolfe Versus Aaron Bartley

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1. 2009 World Series of Poker – Roland De Wolfe delivers another bracelet
2. Heads Up: Berry Johnston Versus Jared Hamby
3. Heads Up: Steve Zolotow Versus Jon Turner

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.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

The Pros Speak: Aaron Bartley

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1. Heads Up: Roland de Wolfe Versus Aaron Bartley
2. The Pros Speak: Taylor Caby
3. The Pros Speak: Karina Jett