Readership Increases!

Matti - Thanks for the post. It is encouraging to know someone has an interest in this experiment and my blog.

In a few short days, I will have been playing for 4 months on the same $10 buy-in from Dec. 3. Honestly, for me this is quite a milestone, especially considering the absurd number of hands played since then....I'd rather not count them. In that sense, it has turned around my game from an obviously losing one, to one that is at least not losing. So far I am not a winning online player. The longer this experiment goes on, the stronger my resolve grows. I can now hope that if I can go from a losing player - buying in a few times a month - to a player who can at least play within a bankroll for several months without going broke, that there is some reason to expect that I might continue to improve, catch a few tournament wins, and test myself at the next higher limits.

I have shown that I can grind at the cash tables for long periods of time without going completely broke, but that also demonstrates that it won't make me rich at my current level of play. Either through grinding or several tournaments pay-outs, I need to grow the bankroll to the point where I can afford a tournament buy-in that will pay big. (Or several tournament wins at the lower limits.) I have always been a better tournament player than ring game player. I intend to stay with this experiment, and I'll know after one year whether I have any hope to reach $10,000. If I am still at $10 after one year, I just may not have what it takes to get there. On the other hand, if I continue to improve and I'm up to $100 or $200 by then, there may be hope to continue.

If you are interested in getting a handle on your bankroll, or tired of constantly buying in every few weeks, or want to improve your play and are not too proud to prove yourself at the .01/.02 tables, this experiment is for you. I don't think I've posted this article, Starting from Zero yet, but it is dated April 30, 2007 when Chris Ferguson was about a year into his project. He was still at the lowest limits then, but within 6 or 7 months he was to $10,000.

I am no Chris Ferguson, but I can't wait to see where my bankroll will be on September 3, one year into my experiment. By the way, if you run into Chris Ferguson, I'd love to hear what he thinks about my experiment. I'm always open to advice from the pros.

NBCT99