An example of Growing your bankroll

One of the most popular poker stories of 2007 centered around Full Tilt professional Chris Ferguson who announced that he was going to attempt to build a bankroll of $10,000 without any starting capital.

After a slow start where Ferguson was working his way through a number of freerolls, he managed to complete his challenge nine months later and went on to donate all his winnings to a popular Children’s charity. Chris ferguson is playing at Full Tilt Poker where you can also play the pros.

His success got a lot of poker players talking about whether they might be able to do the same thing, which ultimately led to discussions about the best way to really maximize your bank roll when playing online poker.

A lot of players were of the opinion that the average player would find it very hard to match Ferguson’s achievement based on the fact that he’s a full time professional and one of the best players in the world.

However, I’d like to point out that the average poker player has an advantage that Ferguson didn’t have … and that’s the ability to be able to use poker bonus codes when you first sign up to a room. With so many online poker rooms now offering large amounts of cash to new players, you don’t have to be a full time professional to build up a fair amount of cash from a fairly modest starting position.

The key thing to bare in mind is that you need to be patient when trying to achieve something similar. As Ferguson discovered, you’re going to be spending a fair bit of time at the beginning playing freerolls and low stake games where the cash prizes are relatively small.

You really need to make sure that you’re not tempted to move up to higher levels too soon where one small mistake or just a bit of bad luck can really hurt your bankroll.

Instead, when you’re just starting out make sure you pick your games carefully. Only play at those tables that you feel suit your style and resist paying more than $1 for a game until you’ve added around $50 to the value of your bankroll. Once you’ve reached that point, you can start to think about moving your game up to the $5 tables.

Whatever limits you’re playing at though, make sure you continue to set yourself boundaries. Even when you have moved on from the freerolls and the dollar games, keep an eye on your account balance. Resist the urge to move up to the next level until you’ve at least tripled your bankroll at the level you’re currently playing at.

The reason for this is that you need to make sure that your game grows as your bank balance does. It’s important that you don’t find yourself out of your depth in terms of the players you’re playing against, as that’s a great way to find your hard work being undone very quickly.

Whenever you try to follow a strategy such as this, there are going to be slightly rough times when you find your bankroll going down. It’s hugely important during these times that you stick to your boundaries. For example, if you find yourself dropping below $50 again, then make sure you adjust your game by returning to the dollar games until your bankroll starts to grow again.

However tempted you are though, don’t start using money that you can’t afford to lose. There’s just no reason for it, especially with so many online poker rooms offering such large bonuses. If you feel that luck is deserting, then simply turn off the computer and stop playing. Don’t even think about chasing the cash you’ve lost by getting your credit card out again or by playing at higher-level tables.

Things will change. After all, even Chris Ferguson went through a couple of slow times. He just knew he had to be patient … and that is the main lesson to be learned here!

 I am doing this challenge myself, and you can follow my journey here:
The freeroll challenge

Your FREE weekly shot at $1,000!

The Sunday Grand is the newest and easiest way to play for $1,000 FREE every week at DoylesRoom. Finish in the top 300 of any one of our QuickDraw FreeRoll tournaments nightly at 10pm EST, and gain entry into the weekly Sunday Grand.
With six chances a week to win, don’t miss your seat this weekend to the biggest freeroll tournament on DoylesRoom every Sunday at 9pm EST.

No Deposit Necessary – but it may help you get ahead

There is no raked hand requirement in order to play in the QuickDraw feeder or The Sunday Grand.
If you have 1000 chips or less, double your stack with a 10 cent re-buy (or Loyalty Points) or buy a new life after a bad beat for the first 30 minutes.
Gain an added advantage over your poker opponents with one add-on at the end of the re-buy period. The Sunday Grand is a speed tournament with fast paced levels raising every 5 minutes.
Good Luck Join today!

QuickDraw satellites ARE NOT automatic feeders

QuickDraw winners will be pre-registered into The Sunday Grand within 24 hours of placing in the top 300 of the tournament.
Players may only win one Sunday Grand per week.
Multiple QuickDraw wins in one week will not award more than one Sunday Grand tournament.

From the Game Lobby:
Scheduled Tournaments > Loyalty Tournaments > The Sunday Grand

Get started today click here

Get in on all the free poker action available at betED!

Freerolls (or free tournaments) are available to all players of all levels. They are free to enter and are a great way to practice your poker skills without cashing in your bankroll.

Freeroll tournaments at betED Poker have some entry requirements – check out the details below for a full list of tournaments and any requirements.

*All times are listed in betED.com Time (GMT -5, ET)*

$50,000 Freeroll

On the last Sunday of every month at 15:00, betED.com will run a $50,000 Freeroll that is open to all players who earn 5000 comp points so far in the current month.

$10,000 Freeroll

Every Sunday at 15:00 (except the last Sunday of every month), betED.com holds a $10,000 freeroll for players that have earned at least 2500 comp points in the previous 159 hours prior to the tournament start time.

$2,000 Freeroll

Every Saturday at 15:00, betEDholds a $2,000 freeroll for players that have earned at least 1000 comp points in the previous 72 hours prior to the tournament start time.

$1,000 Freeroll

Every Monday through Friday, betED holds a $1,000 freeroll for players that have earned at least 1000 comp points in the previous 72 hours prior to the tournament start time.
Monday – 19:00
Tuesday – 13:00
Wednesday – 19:00
Thursday – 13:00
Friday – 19:00

Make an initial deposit at betED and you will gain a coupon valid for 14 days entry into the daily $500 initial depositors freeroll.