Our Verdict:
New guest pro at Taylor Caby’s poker training site www.cardrunners.com 21-year-old Aaron Been, aka “aaronbeen” on PokerStars or “BreakThru” on Bodog is one of the most widely respected online multi-table tournament pros.
Currently ranked 26 on PocketFives.com's ranking system he has numerous large scores on all the sites of note. He has won the $100 rebuy on PokerStars - good for $27,150; taken down the $1,000 ‘Pro Bounty’ $80,000 guaranteed on AbsolutePoker for $27,150, and has come second in The Nightly Hundred Grand on PokerStars for $19,107.
The level of performance sustained by Aaron is truly phenomenal; if there is a tournament with a buy-in above $50 (even with these he seems to only bother with the $50 rebuys) he has taken down a large score in it. He has been getting deep in the PokerStars $100 and $200 rebuys for the last two years (these tournaments in particular require the utmost skill to consistently win in, the level of play is arguably the highest of any online tournament). Having won over $341,000 in the highest stake MTTs on PokerStars over the last two years it is clear that Aaron really is one of the top tournament players online.
It has not all been big scores and successes for Aaron though; he has become embroiled in a alleged cheating scandal where he offered to buy a player’s account who was deep in the UltimateBet $200,000 Guaranteed, as well as allegations for similar antics in the FullTilt $400,000 Guaranteed (where he plays under the alias “SpanishKey”).
There is an ongoing thread surrounding these allegations here. This thread raises some interesting points about the rules surrounding the buying and selling of poker action/knowledge in an online environment. To be fair to Aaron he makes no attempt to disguise any of his behaviour - coming clean and effectively asking what is wrong with taking over for players deep in tournaments for percentages of profit or flat fees, citing that this behaviour is often quite common (it is alleged that ActionJeff took over for a player deep in the PokerStars Sunday Million for example).
This is clearly a contentious issue with many points of view being expressed - and not many being resolved. It certainly seems a shame that one of the best up and coming young pros has had his reputation blighted by such allegations.
What is certain is that Aaron has a poker brain of the highest quality. To watch his poker training videos on CardRunners.com is to see a player of the highest calibre at work. Regardless of his table dealings with others his consistent success is testimony to his level of skill - Aaron is definitely a player to keep your eye on if he sits down at your table.