This week, the PocketFives.com Podcast sponsored by the USA-facing online poker site Carbon Poker welcomes one of the longtime members of the community, Jon apestyles Van Fleet, to the airwaves. The 34th player on the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings, Van Fleet is just a few weeks removed from a win in the PokerStars $200 rebuy for $38,000. Two months ago, he won the site’s $100 version for $42,000 and has become one of the game’s dominant forces.

Van Fleet has experienced a resurgence of sorts in recent months. In the first 11 days of November, the PocketFives.com member from Texas has earned $84,000 in tournaments that are tracked for the Rankings in 56 in the money finishes, an average of five per day. On his newfound success, Van Fleet told the PocketFives.com Podcast, “I wake up, have a good breakfast, and work out before I play. Also, I’ve been studying the game a lot more. I think it’s a huge contributor to my recent upswing. I’m also a believer that ego gets in the way. I’ve been focusing on making the calmest decision I possibly can that I think will make me the most money.”
Van Fleet earned a pair of Triple Crown titles in August of 2007 and, the following year, final tabled the Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed and PokerStars $100 rebuy. He explained, “Last year, I had a pretty bad year. I think it was because I was kind of arrogant. I had been at the top of the Rankings and making a lot of money for a long time. I basically thought I had nothing to learn. When I was playing, I was playing a lot of tables, talking on AIM, and not paying attention. My results showed it.”

Together with Eric Rizen Lynch (pictured at left) and Jon PearlJammer Turner, Van Fleet is the co-author of “Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand At A Time.” In recent months, he’s headed to training sites to check out videos created by some of his opponents to pick up on playing styles and remarked how his life has been flipped upside down since returning from the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event: “I can’t say enough about the changes I’ve made so far. I came back from Vegas this year fatter… and more out of shape. I decided that I wasn’t happy with my results and a lot of things. I did a complete 180. I quit drinking completely. I’ve changed what I’ve eaten. Everything I did, I changed completely.” Van Fleet has shed 55 pounds as a result.

Van Fleet can be found swapping percentages with Stephen stevie444 Chidwick (pictured at right), who sits at #95 worldwide. The two PocketFives.com ranked players swap 25% of each other’s action in over $5,000 scores and, on the benefits of doing so, Van Fleet told the PocketFives.com Podcast, “It has to be with someone who is on an equal skill level with you and someone who you trust. I think swapping percents is fun. You get some extra sweats once you’ve busted from a tournament and there’s less variance.” Chidwick has the same arsenal of badges hanging in his profile as Van Fleet: Monthly PLB, Triple Crown, and Mod designations.

Finally, Van Fleet trails Travis TravestyFund Rice on the Sliding PLB for the state of Texas. On his homeland’s wealth of poker talent, Van Fleet explained, “It’s Texas Hold’em. Obviously, I think we have really good talent. [Rice] plays really well and is a tough, tricky, and aggressive opponent to play against. I definitely don’t want to have him at my table.” Rice took down the 2007 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, earning $800,000. Here’s a look at the Top 10 in the Sliding PLB for Texas at the time of writing:



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