By
Lenny
In high school, the "sick day" was somewhat of a trump card you could pull out the day of a big test, or if an essay was due or you just didn’t feel like getting out of bed. In the world of online poker, “sick” has many uses (see: “sick beat”, “sick play”, “sick table”, etc.). This past Thursday, aaronbeen put his stamp on the online dictionary entry for “sick day” by winning the $33 rebuy and the $100 rebuy, and also taking second in the $215 freezeout in the same day, all on UltimateBet.
In one of the peculiarities of online poker, aaronbeen was playing in these three tournaments almost simultaneously. He won the $100 rebuy while down to the final two tables in the $30 rebuy and $215 freezeout. He proceeded to win the $30r and get heads up against Gator93 in the freezeout. Gator93 is a tough opponent and he prevented the trifecta when his QJ outraced Aaron’s K7. Nonetheless, a definitively sick day for Aaron “MTTwelfare” Been.
In the $100 rebuy aaronbeen had better luck against another tough opponent, yngmanN4quiki who has been a UB regular for years. Aaron was not very familiar with Mike “yngmanN4quiki” Postle, but he had this to say about him, “I think yngmanN4quickie was probably my toughest opponent shorthanded in all three tournaments. Most UB players are pretty passive, and he was very aggressive, and tricky. It was tough to put him on a hand.”
In addition to his online success, Aaron Been has ventured out into the world of live poker. Since deciding to pursue poker professionally last September he has played in a number of major live events. When asked about how his parents view his career choice he said, “They are happy that I'm making enough money to secure my future and getting to see the world. In the past five months I have been to Aruba, Turningstone, Niagra, The Bahamas, and Melbourne.” Not a bad itinerary for a jet-setting young executive, let alone a 20 year old card player.
Speaking of age, it is normal for a 20 year old to be counting the days until his or her birthday, but for the young poker pro it has a lot of added meaning. Aaron turns 21 on May 1st, just in time for the 2007 World Series of Poker. He plans to play all the No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold’em events and probably a few others as well. He is not well schooled in the less fashionable games, but he plans to change that this year. The popularity of Hold’em is great for poker, but the giant fields make coming out on top quite the long shot, even for the best players. “I want to learn some of the other games so I can have a better chance at a bracelet,” said Aaron about his plans for the World Series.
Aaron Been is a very talented player and he has a bright future ahead of him both at the tables and in the game of life. They say laughter is the best medicine, and while I'm sure he doesn't want any cure from days like this past Thursday, aaronbeen is definitely laughing all the way to the bank.