MTT crusher Aaron Barone is the latest mid to high-stakes poker player to sign for premium coaching site Upswing Poker.
The American Twitch streamer recently crossed the $1 million earnings mark and is one of tournament poker’s hottest properties right now.
How I made $1M+ playing MTTs (A thread)
Given the volatility of multi-table tournaments because of their large fields and top heavy payout structures, even successful grinders can have wonky looking graphs. Often looks something like: Bink a big score, lose a bunch back, bink… pic.twitter.com/u1ixo6vFx4
— Aaron Barone (@abarone68) March 26, 2024
Barone — AKA “abarone68” — has been playing poker for more than 15 years but didn’t dive into the world of MTTs until 2018.
Initially picking up the game by playing a $0.02 big blind weekly cash game with his friends, Aaron Barone found himself more motivated by beating his friends than he was from winning money.
But this was during the boom years when everyone was talking about Chris Moneymaker and Phil Ivey. Everyone had a dream and Barone was no different.
He followed the usual method of improvement: studying hand histories and talking with friends about the game. And by 2009 it was time to take a shot at the pro ranks.
March Recap:
Profit-wise, it's actually my worst month of 2024 yet on a big picture level, might be the best month of my entire career.
Games: 967
Profit: $24,917– Crossed the $1M profit mark in MTTs
– Re-signed with @888poker
– Joined @UpswingPoker as their newest MTT… pic.twitter.com/rzaVZvlFtQ— Aaron Barone (@abarone68) April 1, 2024
Sadly, after a couple of years, Black Friday happened and the landscape for US-based players changed dramatically overnight.
But not one to be put off from making tough decisions, Aaron Barone left his home country and started checking out other locations.
The warmth of Thailand and Mexico beckoned, even Europe, but Vancouver, Canada, ended up being his new home.
Welcome to the Upswing Poker team, @abarone68!
In the last ~5 years of playing tournaments, he has profited nearly $1 million with no single win over $60,000 💰
Learn more about Aaron’s career and the content he will be making for Upswing ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WhIZ2iDxDB
— UpswingPoker (@UpswingPoker) March 22, 2024
Aaron Barone Makes the Switch to MTTs
Many players fall in love with the game and reach a decent level in their game of choice, but variety is the spice of life.
Having started with cash games, Aaron Barone spent more than a decade playing Sit & Go’s and the three-man Spins.
Adding in tables with ever increasing seat numbers made the decision to move over to MTTs full-time a natural one.
With already having plenty of experience in the bank, it’s no surprise to hear that everything went swimmingly well.
And although Barone is only one of many players to cross the $1 million winnings mark, his record is quite different from most of them.
MTT players spend countless hours grinding only to make the vast majority of their profit from only a small handful of scores.
Aaron Barone has never won more than $60,000 in a single tournament. This is a record built up from consistent high-level play rather than hitting the jackpot on occasion.
Here are his five best scores:
3rd @PokerStars $530 8-Max Bounty Builder $59,957
1st @GGPoker$ 525 Bounty Hunters HR $41,876
6th @GGPoker $1050 GG Masters HR $35,626
2nd @GGPoker Ho Chi Minh City Cup $31,961
3rd @PokerStars $530 Bounty Builder HR $31,714
#1 Volume: Before I moved to MTTs, I played SNGs. And from 2010-2015, I played appropriately 242,000 of them. Early on, I figured out that how much money I made at the game came down to a simple math problem.
Profit = $/per game x games played
It's more difficult to… pic.twitter.com/U3bbpMngX5
— Aaron Barone (@abarone68) March 26, 2024
Aaron Barone’s Twitch Channel
In March 2021, Aaron Barone started streaming his sessions on Twitch, hoping to link up with a broader audience and foster a connection with fellow poker enthusiasts while sharing his experiences.
Last year, 888Poker saw Barone’s potential and invited him to join the 888Poker StreamTeam.
“I am thrilled to join the 888poker team and look forward to our collaboration. As someone who has devoted more than half of his life to playing poker, I’m confident that our partnership will be mutually beneficial.
“Together, we can achieve great things both on and off the felt.”
#2 Game Selection: In my mind, game selection refers to both buy-in and format.
My ABI is $110 and I'm often asked 'Why don't you play higher?' It's not because I don't think I could beat the games. But I ask myself, how much do I want to push those edges? How much variance…
— Aaron Barone (@abarone68) March 26, 2024
Joining Upswing Poker
Aaron Barone’s recent signing with Upswing Poker as an MTT coach marks a new chapter in his career.
Upswing Poker, known for its comprehensive poker training programs, has welcomed Barone to bring his wealth of experience to its members.
His approach to coaching is expected to focus on practical tournament strategy, complementing the theoretical aspects of Game Theory Optimal (GTO) poker.
Barone’s debut with Upswing Poker includes a Play & Explain series, where he breaks down his strategies in a recent $44 buy-in MTT, which he won for an $8k payday.
This series, along with upcoming MTT modules, will be available in the Upswing Poker Lab throughout 2024, offering valuable insights to aspiring poker players.
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