June 2008

The project started great with a final table on the 3rd day, finishing 3rd and winning $6.55.

Hi all

We got a very nice poker tournament going at the end of this month, a freeroll with 300$ in the prizepool.

details.
name: freerollnews forum
pokersite: betsson – click here to register
date: the 29th of june
time: 19.00 CET.
Password: betszon
note: unfortunately betsson IS NOT u.s friendly.

(chris ferguson article from full tilt poker) 

0$ to 10.000$

So how’d he do it?

Starting with nothing but a Full Tilt Poker account, Chris played in Freerolls until he earned enough to graduate to games with a real-money buy-in. From there, Chris built up his bankroll by adhering to this strict set of guidelines:

• He never buys into a cash game or a Sit & Go with more than 5 percent of his total bankroll (there is an exception for the lowest limits: he is allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less).
• He doesn’t buy into a multi-table tournament for more than 2 percent of his total bankroll, but he’s allowed to buy into any multi-table tournament that costs $1.
• If at any time during a No-Limit or Pot-Limit cash-game session the money on the table represents more than 10 percent of his total bankroll, he must leave the game when the blinds reach him.

As you can see on the next chart, getting started wasn’t easy. In fact, it took more than seven months of steady play until he got his bankroll to stabilize at about $6.50. Then, on November 26th, 2006, Chris made a major breakthrough, turning a $1 tournament buy-in into to $104 in prize money by finishing second in a 683-person tournament. Even with that huge bankroll boost, it still took Chris nine more months of hard work to reach his current level.

Be sure to check this page for updates from Chris on his progress. When he reaches the $10,000 mark, Chris has pledged to donate his winnings to the Save the Children Foundation.

To learn more about how you can turn good play and patience into thousands of dollars, check out Chris’s Pro Tip on bankroll management. Remember that when you play in a game or tournament that is above your head, you are putting your entire bankroll at risk. If you plan ahead and play smart, you will be able to survive any bad beat or lousy run of cards without being crippled. Chris Ferguson knows this, and now he’s out to prove it.

Starting from Zero

Chris Ferguson

April 30th, 2007

I’m almost a year into an experiment on Full Tilt Poker. I’m attempting to turn $0 into a $10,000 bankroll. With no money to start with, I had no choice but to start out playing Freerolls. Starting out, I’d often manage to win a dollar or two, but I’d quickly get busted and have to start over again. It took some time but, after awhile, I was eventually able to graduate to games that required an actual buy-in.Even today, people don’t believe it’s really me when I sit down at Full Tilt’s small stakes games. They ask what I’m doing down here, and often tell me stories about how they turned $5 into $500 or $100 into $1,000. Usually, these stories end with the person telling me that they went broke. There’s no surprise there. These folks tried to quickly build a bankroll by gambling. They’d play in a game that was beyond their bankroll and, if they happened to win, they’d move up to a higher limit and risk it all one more time. Inevitably, they’d lose a few big hands and go broke.

For me, this experiment isn’t about the money. It’s about showing how, with proper bankroll management, you can start from nothing and move up to the point where you’re playing in some pretty big games. I know it’s possible because I did it once before, turning $1 into $20,000.

To ensure that I keep my bankroll intact, I’ve adopted some key rules:

• I’ll never buy into a cash game or a Sit & Go with more than 5 percent of my total bankroll (there is an exception for the lowest limits: I’m allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less).
• I won’t buy into a multi-table tournament for more than 2 percent of my total bankroll and I’m allowed to buy into any multi-table tournament that costs $1.
• If at any time during a No-Limit or Pot-Limit cash-game session the money on the table represents more than 10 percent of my total bankroll, I must leave the game when the blinds reach me.

I think a lot of players would do well to apply these rules. One great benefit from this approach to bankroll management is that it ensures you’ll be playing in games you can afford. You’ll never play for very long in a game that’s over your head because, when you’re losing, you’ll have no choice but to drop down to a smaller game. You can continue to sharpen your game at that lower limit until your bankroll allows you to move up and take another shot. These rules also prevent you from being completely decimated by a bad run of cards.

Dropping down and playing lower limits is difficult for a lot of players. They view it as a failure and their egos get in the way. Many want to remain at the level they’d been playing and win back their losses. But this can lead to some pretty severe tilt – and that can go through a bankroll in a hurry. I know that dropping down was difficult for me in my run from $1 to $20,000. When I first played in the $25/$50 game, I lost. Sticking to my rules, I dropped down to the $10/$25 game. I had a losing streak there and had to go down to $5/$10. That was tough. After playing $25/$50, a $5/$10 game was boring to me.

But I had the discipline to stick to my rules, and that motivated me to play better at the lower levels. I really didn’t want to lose any more because I knew the consequences: I’d have to play even lower and work even harder to get back to where I’d been, which could take as long as a month. If you ever find yourself bored or frustrated playing at the lower limits, you’re obviously not playing well. Take a break from the game. Often, stepping away can give you a fresh perspective and heightened motivation to play well when you return.

There are a couple of more tips I’d like to share regarding bankroll management. First, you should never play in a game that is beyond your bankroll simply because the game seems to be soft that day. It’s never soft enough to risk money that puts your bankroll in jeopardy. The other point is that you should avoid playing in games that are at the top of your bankroll limits, when a lower game offers more opportunity for profit.

I’m confident that by sticking to these sound bankroll management rules, I’ll make it to my $10,000 goal. These rules are sure to help you as well, as you pursue your own poker ambitions. So, if you want to start your own quest – or play against me while I’m continuing with mine – come open a free account at Full Tilt Poker and look for me online. But hurry, because I’m hoping I won’t be in the lower limits for too much longer.

To celebrate the forthcoming milestone of Ladbrokes Poker’s 1,000,000,000th hand and being the largest team of European players at this year’s WSOP; Ladbrokes Poker will be holding a Billionth Hand Freeroll which will award $300,000 of WSOP prizes:

• The top 20 finishers will get the chance to join Team Ladbrokes at the world’s largest tournament by winning a $14,000 Ladbrokes WSOP Package.
• Two Hundred runners up will get a second chance to join Team Ladbrokes at this years WSOP by winning $109 Ladbrokes WSOP Daily Final seats.

To take part in this tournament, all players need to do is earn 50 Player Points (Cash games, MTT’s or STT’s) on the day the Billionth hand is dealt, and they will automatically be invited to enter this tournament, (Which will be held in the evening of Monday 16th June, 48 hours after the billionth hand is played). Obtaining 50 player points is so easy! Simply rake $2 on fixed limit tables, $2.50 on no limit tables or pay $2.50 in tournament fees a you’ll have qualified for this WSOP package extravaganza!

Ladbrokes Poker’s Billionth Hand will be dealt during June so make sure you log on regularly to make sure you have a chance of winning one of these great prizes!

Join ladbrokes today, click here 

The Ladbrokes Poker Team

The Billionth Hand freeroll is capped at 6,000 runners. All qualifying players will receive an invitation on the Monday 16th June, and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

• All Prizes in the Billionth Hand Freeroll are non-transferable, but WSOP packages can be exchanged for a cash alternative of $7,000.
• The Billionth Hand Freeroll will be held in the evening of Monday 16th June, that is 48 hours after the billionth hand is played. Details of the start time will published in the Poker Lobby Details of the start time will published in the Poker Lobby.
• The 200 runners-up who win WSOP daily final seats will be pre-registered for the WSOP daily final that will be held on Tuesday 17th June.
• To qualify for and to be invited to the Billionth Hand Freeroll, players will need to have earned 50 Player Points on the day the Billionth hand is dealt. A day runs from 00:01 to 24:00 BST.
• The promoter reserves the right to modify, alter, discontinue or terminate this promotion at any time for any reason whatsoever without notice to players, using reasonable efforts to provide such notice in advance
• The minimum age for Ladbrokes online participation is 18 years of age
• Promoter: Ladbrokes Limited (LADBROKES) PO Box 150, Suite 8, 5th Floor, Europort, Gibraltar

Calling all new real money players:

Make sure the foundations of your poker career are firm with the Bankroll Builder.

As a rookie, partypoker want you to take your first steps into real money play without risking a thing: You’ll get exclusive entries into the exciting daily freeroll qualifiers for 60 days after you’ve made your first real money deposit.

Put in some quality performances and you’ll even be able to play for some serious cash, including a share of $10,000 in the monthly finale.

Best of all, Bankroll Builder tournaments are all freerolls so it won’t cost you a penny to play. With more than 100 chances to win cash, it’s the perfect way to experience the excitement of tournament play. And you’ll only be up against other beginners, not experienced pros.

As an added incentive to get your poker adventure started as soon as possible, you can enter the weekly $2,500 tournament directly without going through the $100 freerolls during your first seven days as a real money player.

Good luck and see you at the tables click here and start playing today