Aaron Bartley

Aaron Bartley grew up in a family full of card players in Cary, North Carolina. They taught him the basics of card play from an assortment of games that, unbeknown to them at the time, would stand as a basis for his future career.

Bartley began to focus on poker during his college years at Penn State where he majored in Actuarial Sciences. In the midst of a learning environment, he took it upon himself to get to the library and the bookstores where he studied all the poker books he could find. He continued his reading online, visiting poker forums, before sitting at the online poker tables under the moniker of “GambleAB”. He would later drop out of his college course to concentrate on starting a career in poker.

At first he played on the free money tables before gaining the confidence to play for real, funding his online habit with a big win on his 21st birthday in Atlantic City.

Although Bartley moved quickly up to bigger stakes tables it is a decision he regrets as he feels he did not have sufficient experience or enough bankroll to compete in tournaments. However, for top players, mistakes provide an opportunity to learn and a reason to keep going and this was certainly the case for Bartley. Indeed, on his official site, Bartley’s biggest tip to poker players is entitled ‘Holding On To Your Winnings’ and tells players to be patient at the lower stake tables before rushing into the more lucrative games.

His first live, big-money tournament appearance came in January 2005. After winning an online satellite, 22-year-old Bartley was granted a spot in the World Series of Poker Circuit Event in Atlantic City. Bartley was up against some of the biggest names on the poker circuit – the sort of people who were writing the books that Bartley used to teach himself. Nonetheless, he faced up to them and earned an appearance on the Final TV Table, finishing 5th and earning $141,000.

With this achievement, Bartley moved to Las Vegas in order to become a regular competitor. By the end of 2006, he had amassed over $215,000 from tournament play as well as winning a number of online competitions. Although he plays for big cash pots, Bartley prioritises enjoyment over money in poker and always looks to have fun with the people at his table. Old habits die hard with some and Bartley can often be found playing online at FullTiltPoker.com.

It is not rare to find him playing up to four tables at once with various distractions going on in the background. However, he admits that this is something he is trying to cut down on as he wants to focus on keeping his promising career on track.