Chris Ferguson Nearing Challenge Goal

Back on March 22, 2006, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson set out on a quest that would be challenging even for the best professional players: to build a bankroll from zero all the way to $10,000. 

Playing on Full Tilt Poker, the online poker room which he helped build, Ferguson played freeroll upon freeroll to try to start his bankroll from nothing.  Within the first couple days, he had made a couple bucks, but it was difficult to keep any sort of stake going because of variance.  It wasn’t until the end of November, after having hovered around the $6.50 to $7.00 mark for some time, that his bankroll got a boost.  He placed second in a $1 multi-table tournament, cashing for $104.   

From there, Ferguson steadily climbed.  Around $200 by 2007.  $360 by February.  $470 by April.  In July, he surged, hitting four figures for good.  And by the end of July, he was up over $8,000.   

Now, in the middle of August, Chris Ferguson is less than $500 from reaching his goal of $10,000.   

In working his way up, Ferguson set some rules for himself so that he would practice proper bankroll management.  First, he is not allowed to buy-in to a cash game or sit-and-go tournament for more than five percent of his bankroll.  The exception to this rule is at the micro stakes, where he may buy-in for $2.50 or less.  For multi-table tournaments, the buy-in cannot exceed two percent of his bankroll, although he is allowed to buy-in to any $1 tournament, regardless of his bankroll size.  Finally, in any no-limit or pot-limit cash game, if he grows his chip stack to more than ten percent of his total bankroll, he must quit that game when the blinds come around. 

So no, if you saw Chris Ferguson playing at the penny tables last year, he wasn’t “busto.”  He was just in the beginning of his trek from “zero to hero.”