On this week’s installment of the PocketFives.com Podcastsponsored by Carbon Poker, we welcome one of the veterans of the online poker scene. Aaron GambleABBartley, a Full Tilt Poker Red Pro, last appeared on the show back in 2006 and makes his return to discuss the ongoing Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) and Rush Poker. Both have led cash game and tournament players alike to Full Tilt, which offers continual innovation in the online space.

The FTOPS XV schedule features 27 tournaments, culminating in a $535 buy-in Main Event on February 21st. One day prior, the $2,620 No Limit Hold’em Ante from the Start Two-Day Event will kick off. Bartley revealed his schedule for the remainder of FTOPS XV: “I’m not sure if I’m going to be playing in the $2,500 because I have a bad taste in my mouth from the last FTOPS, but I’ll definitely be playing all of the Sunday tournaments. I’m actually looking forward to the $200 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up, which is on Sunday. I’ve started to really enjoy those tournaments. It should be pretty fun this weekend. It’s one of the biggest weekends of online poker.”
Debuting in recent weeks on Full Tilt is Rush Poker, which turned the cash game world upside down. Allowing players to begin a new hand at a new table when their action in the previous pot has ended, Rush Poker has captured the attention of pros like Bartley. He told the PocketFives.com Podcast, “I actually didn’t know it was coming out. It’s a lot of fun. It’s definitely a new game. You have to put yourself in a new mindset when you play. Hopefully, the games will continue to fill up and it’ll continue to grow strong.”

It has been a learning process for pros to deduce the optimal strategy for Rush Poker. In addition, poker software companies like Holdem Manager and PokerTracker rolled out Heads-Up Displays (HUDs) for the game, complicating matters further. Bartley assessed, “The basic strategy and fundamentals are still the same, but you have to be able to adjust to the different constraints. It’s still No Limit Hold’em or Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha. It’s the same game and you have to bring that aspect into it, but you have to be able to adjust to what other people’s starting hands and ranges are.”

Bartley finished fifth in the Atlantic City World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Main Event in 2005 for $142,000 and placed third in an FTOPS event last August for $70,000. One aspect of his game that has excelled is his heads-up play: “In heads-up, I quickly learned that what worked best for me was being very aggressive for long periods of time, making the other person get into the mindset that I was going to be playing anything, and then tightening up a bit. I’m not afraid to throw away a few bets in order to make a person stack off super light.” He also recorded FTOPS final tables in 2007 and 2008.

Bartley is passionate about cautioning players to assess their options before making the decision to play professionally: “I don’t want to see anyone give up a sure-thing income to chase a fun hobby like poker. I’m always afraid of people who are still in the, ‘I’m in love with poker’ phase. You can’t do well on, ‘I’ve been doing well for four months, so I’m going to do well for four years.’ Unless you have two or three years of steady, solid results, my recommendation is to keep your job, keep your normal life, and approach poker in a part-time capacity.” Bartley joined PocketFives.com in its first few months in existence and has been a steady contributor to the community ever since.

Check out the rest of this week’s PocketFives.com Podcastfeaturing Aaron GambleAB Bartley.

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