Chris Ferguson Challenge 0 to $10,000

Chris Ferguson Challenge

In September of 2007 Chris finally achieved his $0 to $10,000 goal. Always true to his word, he donated his winnings to the Save the Children Foundation upon reaching the $10K mark.

Here's how he did it:

Chris Graph

Starting with nothing but a Full Tilt Poker account, Chris played in Freerolls until he earned enough to graduate to games with real-money buy-ins. From that point on, he adhered to a strict set of guidelines to build up his bankroll:

  • He never bought into a cash game or a Sit & Go for more than 5 percent of his total bankroll; the only exception was at the lowest limits: he was allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less
  • He didn’t buy into any multi-table tournaments for more than 2 percent of his total bankroll; the only exception was $1 MTTs
  • If at any time during a No-Limit or Pot-Limit cash-game session the money on the table represented more than 10 percent of his total bankroll, he had to leave the game when the blinds reached him

Getting started wasn’t easy. In fact, it took more than seven months of steady play until he got his bankroll to stabilize at about $6.50. Undaunted, Chris maintained his discipline and dedication and continued with his challenge. Then, on November 26th, 2006, Chris made a major breakthrough. He turned a $1 tournament buy-in into $104 in prize money when he finished second in a 683-player tournament. Even with that huge bankroll boost, it still took Chris nine more months of hard work to reach $10K. But because he strictly adhered to the bankroll management strategy that he’d set for himself, Chris achieved his goal the following September.

To learn more about how you can turn good play and patience into thousands of dollars, check out Chris’s Pro Tip on bankroll management. Remember that when you play in a game or tournament that is above your head, you are putting your entire bankroll at risk. If you plan ahead and play smart, you’ll be able to survive any bad beat or tough run without being crippled. Chris Ferguson knows this – he's done it.