Just sell before hand, either a dollar amount or percentage based on the prizepool. It would have to be with people you trust but I assume it wouldn't be that hard to figure out.

It sounds complicated

Regardless, I'll just bink the next one and make sure my hand holds.

It is actually very easy. Being rolled to play spin and goes is way different then being rolled to play a 50k SNG. It wouldn't take much time to sell action to friends. PM me if you want more advice on it.

I eat my own shorts if Barone needs & wants a stake to play 60s Spins, but nice try

What is the difference between this software and the tedency of people to take notes? I read this software and it seems it does the exact same thing. An advanced note taking software. I dont think it should be banned even though i am very jealous because i cant use it

I am a supporter of this ''ban-the-huds'' as the games would be much easier for everyone especially for the fishes

I'm pro banning HUDs too, but with the rather big market for poker products that are "HUD + X" and their relations with stars/amaya, this seems super unlikely to happen.

Players are not allowed to use ICMIZER or Coffeecalcs while playing, so why should they be allowed to use automated decision making software that effectively does all the work for them?

It doesnt make any decision for them. What is the difference from writing this ranges on a paper?

The main problem is that if the filter logic is good enough then this software gives you direct gameplay advice because it eliminates all non relevant charts from "chart database" and you get the only chart relevant for actual situation. After that only thing you must do is to read what you should do with your hand.
When you would have all those charts on the wall you would need to find the right chart and this is non practical for multitableing so there is a big difference (also you cannot have 100+ charts on the wall).

Here is what PokerStars staff told me when I asked how can holdemboss filtered push charts be approved which is a similar issue, but not that advanced:

Since they don't track spin n gos, what's a good ROI over the longterm in the $60 game? I saw that one guy had a 10% ROI for a month on the $30s which was pretty impressive. How many games can you comfortably play at once? 8? More HU tables takes a lot more thought than grinding out 18-mans or 6 max tables. Thanks!

Yeah 10% is out-of-this-world good. Honestly I think being profitable preRB is awesome if you have an adequate BR and solid rakeback.

Currently I'm playing them mostly mixed in with my SNGs, usually 3 at a time but sometimes I mess up and 6 games load. It's sort of frantic when that happens haha.

Congrats on your success

Well, well, well...





The Rant Twitch stream?

[ ] Soon.
[ ] Currently under consideration.
[ ] No way.
[ ] Other.

Thank you!

Friend of mine is designing my Twitch page at the moment, though he's a lazy SOB so we'll see when it actually gets done.

At first I was extremely anti-streaming and I still think it's -EV for most players. It's bound to take some concentration away from the actual grind resulting in a lower edge and you also will end up giving free 'coaching' to those watching. 99% of grinders are better off focusing on improving their game rather than showing off to an audience of recreational players.

All that said, I'm considering streaming a little because I do think it's a medium that can grow the game and possibly my "brand" as well. The hole-card cameras were instrumental in making poker a watchable "sport" and I think streaming is close to the online equivalent. Streams will undoubtedly generate interest in the game from sources who might not find poker otherwise and that interest = real dollars.

A man after my own heart.

I've been a long-time lurker of your stuff (no ****) and wanted to pop in and thank you for all of the great content you keep putting out there (PG&C, blog, etc.). As a low stakes SNG'er with his sights set on climbing the ladder in the second half of the year you're definitely someone I look up to.

Questions

- For someone looking to play 18s (mixing in 9s) full-time - and who has more emotional attachment to downswings/a lower 'pain tolerance' than he'd like to admit/should - how many BI's would you recommend as a bankroll before comfortably hopping into 30s? (Ideally enough to obtain that 'never feel like I'm about to go broke during downswings' sweet spot)
- Do you tend towards playing one giant session when you play or do you break it down into multiple 'blocks'? What does the average 'work day' for Aaron Barone look like?

Thanks in advance for the answers and wish you nothing but continued success in all of your endeavors going forward.

A couple more Q's

- Favourite music to listen to while grinding ('Tay Tay' comment was likely a bit of a tell in all honesty)?
- Name(s) of any poker idol(s) of yours, guys you really respect for their ability to crush the game/life/whatever?

Most guys would say 100 BI is enough and depending on your edge it might be, but I've never felt comfortable with at least 200, maybe even more. At one point I remember having 1,000 buy-ins in my BR for the $10 SNGs on Pokerroom and was "considering" trying out the $20s. Not having the fear of going broke is soooooo underrated. Really helps you clear your mind, focus on the decisions instead of the results, and ultimately makes poker/grinding more enjoyable.

As for the pain tolerance, I don't know a way to build it other than by losing. Dropped $5500 on Sunday, gave absolutely zero ****s. Definitely didn't have that (lack of a) reaction in 2010 when I was playing $15s. Back then, losing $300 in a day was painful.

One giant-ish session. Normally start around 10-11 AM and grind til 4-5 PM. Usually I'll have accrued the VPPs needed for the day (3500 to 4500) and I can either take the rest of the day off or have a short late night session, my choice.

I did blog *twice* about my normal days, not sure if I'm allowed to post them here though. Titles of those entries are 'The Normal Day' and 'The Timeline.'

I know you had other questions, in games now tho and will need a few minutes/hours to get to those.

+1 for the twitch stream. Gl with developing that brand, I'll catch a few for sure.

I have like 100+ playlists on Youtube and I'll either listen to that or Songza on my phone. Genre depends on my mood, can be anything from top 40 pop (i.e. Tay Tay), mainstream rap, American country, etc. Never liked country that much til I moved out of the US and since then it's really grown on me.

Ace Hood has a surprising number of songs that almost sound like they're about poker. He's basically singing about the work it takes to be a baller and the life he wants to lead, which I can certainly get behind.









My days of fanboy'ing in the poker world are mostly over. I was recently asked to do a WSOP Fantasy Draft and I couldn't care less. GL to the guys playing this year, but I'm not about to waste my time sweating the deep runs of players I don't know. Conversely, I'll spend hours going over Fantasy Football mock drafts and my Sundays are dedicated to watching all the games.

When I first started playing poker, I admired Spacegravy because he seemed to be doing really well and played my 9-max turbos. I remember one poster wrote I was 'the Spacegravy of lower stakes' and that warmed my heart. Recently met Speacegravy in Playa and he was super nice, but at no point did I feel the 'OMGOMGOMG it's Spacegravy' nerves. Just a regular dude who happens to be really good at poker.

If anything, I'm a bigger fan of the guys who perhaps don't have that natural talent and work/study/grind their butts off. A SNG grinder I know had a huuuuge score in a MTT and the next day, he was back to work at his normal stakes. Love that.

I've only met a few other big name pros in my life, biggest one was certainly DN when I made videos for PokerVT. Had heard mixed things about him, but he was nothing but friendly IRL: to me, the dealer, the production crew, everyone. He also owned my face when I tried to float him. The guy gets a lot of crap from 2+2, some deserved/some not so much, but I think he doesn't get enough credit for being the ambassador that poker probably needed.

What would you play/learn if you where to start playing/learning poker right now? Would you still choose 9m sngs?

I've been playing MTTs for a living for almost a year now and always wonder how you sng guys can play those monster sessions without a single break. Please tell me your secret - do you never have to go to bathroom / eat /relax etc.?

Also who you consider top regs in 9men/18men sngs these days?

Do you grind fifty50s at all and if not, why?

Thank you for reply in advance!

Def not 9m SNGs. Liquidity/volume has dropped off considerably and it was down even before the Spins were implemented. I'd probably start with a cash coach to learn basic concepts and then transition to MTTs. <$30 ABI MTTs are the softest game around IMO, even on Stars you'll see guys who don't play particularly well with really high winrates.

Bathroom: Unplug HDMI cable between laptop and monitor, run to bathroom with laptop in hand.

Eat: Usually not hungry during my session. Towards the end, maybe, but normally the coffee/caffeine gets me through the day. If needed, I almost always have a protein shake in the fridge.

Relax: Ain't nobody got time for that!

It's really tough to gauge top regs without being able to see their winrates or ICM folds. Nearly every reg has made ICM mistakes but for some reason when they see a different guy make a mistake, they'll automatically mark him as some ICM punter moron fish. Sigh. So much negativity in this world.

The one guy who puts me in the most difficult spots on a regular basis is Sherfy. Not saying he's the best, but he's the one who certainly gives me the most trouble.

I don't. For one, the ICM is rather complicated and is so unlike any other format that learning it is basically useless outside of F50s. Secondly, there may or may not be a group of players colluding with each other.

What current stakes of cash game could you beat right now if you were to play nl cash on stars. Do you agree many mtt and stt players couldn't win even at 100nl because the skill level is much different?

Do I get coaching? If I got 2-3 sessions from a cash game wiz, I think I could beat $100 NL.

Currently tho, without a HUD...yeesh. Umm, I know I can beat $25 NL. Maybe $50 NL.

I agree they couldn't win currently, but not because cash players are necessarily better poker players -- but because SNG players aren't used to those stack depths. The skills required to beat cash are much different than SNGs, just as a SNG player would struggle in cash, a cash player wouldn't be able to beat $30 SNGs right now without some knowledge of ICM.

Appreciate your reply, thanks!