World Champion poker pro Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, winner of the World Series of Poker main event in 2000, recently completed an experiment in which he created a $10,000 bankroll after starting with nothing by playing poker online. Well, I certainly have a good bit of nothing to put towards such a venture, so I figure I can attempt the same thing.
I've been playing online poker--almost exclusively no-limit Texas Hold-Em--for over a year now, with mixed results. I've definitely become a better player through that experience and study, although by no means good enough yet to challenge for the world championship. But my meager bankroll has been dwindling lately due to untimely lousy luck on countless occasions. So it's time to give the "something from nothing" experiment a shot.
Today I created an account on the PokerStars site, where I haven't played before. (I've played on some others: Full Tilt Poker, UltimateBet, and Absolute Poker, mainly.) They have "Freeroll" tournaments every day, which allow the entrants to play for small cash prizes without paying any entry fees. I signed up for one of those on PokerStars that started at 5:00 this evening, and entered the fray against 3114 opponents. Things went pretty well for me as I built up my chip stack without much resistance, although I certainly didn't dominate the competition at my tables. I made it into the money (the tournament paid prizes to the top 486 places), finishing in 443rd place, but would have done better but for my usual rotten luck.
In my final hand I was dealt an off-suit ace and jack and made the standard pre-flop raise of 3 times the big blind. Two other players called. The flop came in with an ace, so I had top pair and a big kicker. Since I had made the money and the blinds were big, I decided to go all-in. One of the other players folded but the other called...with pocket 4s, so I was looking good. Then, of course, the river card came up a 4, giving him a set, so I busted out earning a whopping $1.20. But that was a good start on my "something from nothing" campaign, so I guess I can't complain too much.
Anyway, I'll add a new entry to this blog whenever I play on PokerStars so I can keep you updated on my bankroll's status. Keep in mind it took a top pro more than a year--14 months I think it was--to build his bankroll to $10,000 from nothing, so don't expect me to be reporting on my new fortune anytime soon. Drop on by every now and then to see how my grand experiment is progressing, and rejoice with me in my successes and commiserate when my luck turns brutal, as it will.
By the way, in my full-time job I'm currently an over-the-road truck driver, so it will be difficult to devote much time to this endeavor for the most part. I take a laptop computer along with me in my truck so I can play while away from home, but my work hours are long most days. I will play when I can, though, and let y'all know how it goes. I hope through careful, cautious, but strong, aggressive play to build my bankroll steadily. But downswings are inevitable. All I can do is limit my losses when the cards are going badly and capitalize when they're hot.
Thanks for looking in. I hope this will be a fun ride to poker profitability, and that I can make it entertaining for you, too.
