A few months ago I wrote about Chris Ferguson, a high profile pro that makes a living off his Full Tilt Poker download. In that entry I briefly mentioned that he had once turned $0 into $10k. I find this story very interesting because a lot of people complain that they simply cannot afford to play poker. The Chris Ferguson Challenge shows that anyone can earn thousands of dollars on their Full Tilt Poker download with a lot of work and dedication.
The goal of the Chris Ferguson Challenge was simple: open an account on the Full Tilt Poker download, start with nothing, and eventually end up with a $10k bankroll. Ferguson promised that he would donate the entire $10k to the Save the Children Foundation when he was finished.
It is very important to know that to succeed on the top Texas Holdem sites, a player must adhere to strict bankroll management guidelines. With this in mind, Ferguson set up the following rules for himself:
1) Download Full Tilt Poker and play freerolls until a real money bankroll is established
2) Never enter a Sit & Go for more than 5% of the total bankroll (except for $2.50 and below)
3) Never enter a multi-table tournament for more than 2% of the total bankroll (except for $1 and below)
This challenge ended up taking a long time because winning freerolls on money poker sites is a daunting challenge. In fact, it took more seven months before Ferguson had his bankroll steady at $6.50! As a professional, Ferguson understood the need to keep plugging along, however. His first major breakthrough came when he placed 2/683 in a $1 tournament and won $104 in prize money.
This huge boost in the bankroll did not mean the end was close by, however. It is tough to turn a quick profit, even on the best US poker sites. It wasn’t until 9 months after his $1 MTT score that he finally reached the $10k mark to complete his own challenge.
The most important thing to note about the Chris Ferguson Challenge is that it is impossible to accomplish such a feat with bad bankroll management skills. For tips on this, I strongly suggest you consult an applicable poker video. If you want to be successful at this game, you must know how to protect your bankroll.
