I have recently completed my very own bankroll challenge where (after a few false starts) I managed to turn $10 into $1000. P5's has helped me get better as a poker player, so as a kind of thanks I thought i'd write another blog with some advice for all the other hundreds of folk trying stuff like this.

So with that in mind, here's a few essential things that no one will complete one of these tasks without.

1/ BANKROLL MANAGEMENT. Note the placement of this skill in a list of essentials. Bankroll management is, quite simply, what seperates profitable players from serial depositors in the world of online poker. There are hundreds of good articles on this so I won't repeat what I learned from better teachers, it will suffice to say that without solid, disciplined bankroll management (which is, by the way, FAAAAAR harder than it sounds), it is very nearly impossible to accumulate a decent amount of money.

2/ SKILLS. Everyone who plays online poker thinks that they can win. Why else would they play? So, realise that being able to beat your mates in a casual home game is very different from being able to make substantial cash playing online. Depending on your game of choice, (mine being 6-max turbo SnGs) there are areas of poker strategy theory that you need to master to be able to turn a profit in the long run. Stealing, re-stealing, fold equity, pot and implied odds, ICM, effective stack size, SAGE, optimal headsup strategy.....these are all terms that serious players should be familiar with, and the list goes on and on and varies depending on you game of choice (e.g. cash games require a whole different skill set). To succeed in any bankroll challenge you need to study the game, read books, review hands, participate in forums etc to ensure you are always improving faster than everyone else.

3/ DEDICATION. Money aint free, so don't expect to turn pitence into a deposit on a house if you only plan on playing the odd sunday night. If your serious about making money playing poker online, you need to put in some serious hours both studying the game and actually at the tables. In making $1000 i've played over 2,000 games, which shows that a sustained effort is required to turn a profit. Dedication is not hard once your making a decent profit on your games, but at the lower buy in levels it can be a hard slog.

4/PATIENCE. Variance is a cruel, cruel mistress. Everyone to ever play the game has at some point wondered if they are in some way cursed, because for some reason (from my point of view anyway) variance never rains but it f***ing pours. During these times its important to keep reviewing and improving your play, stay disciplined in your bankroll management and have faith that things will eventually turn your way.

A few other things that will help people looking to start a bankroll:

-Sharkscope. It kicks ass, costs little and is a massive help in determining where you are most profitable.

- Pokertracker. I only just got this but it makes 8-tabling a breeze.

- Make $x a decent amount. Playing $0.25 sit and goes on stars is a waste of your time. I would highly recommend depositing at least $100, so you can play games you will still be profitable in, without having to spend hours grinding from $10 to $50 or anything ridiculous like that.

Thats just about all I have to say, a big thank you to all P5ers who post (constructively) in the forums and stuff, and glgl to anyone else wanting to take on a challenge like this. Learn your stuff, put in the hours and its a matter of time.

Next for me will be a slap-up meal for my girlfriend and I at a fancy restaurant and a return to the grind. I think the next target will be to double my roll before the year's out, should be achievable on top of work and school!

D

I came nowhere near to completing my goal of 1000 DoN SnG's, I played exactly 177 with -7% ROI. These tourneys are achingly boring, i was going up to like 14 tables at a time and still bored to tears. Was actually doing ok but just started piling up too many tables and losing the plot. Still i guess i learned how to use ICM to an extent.

With regards to what i've been doing, i'm doing pretty well playing 4 tables of 6-max STTs, showing with a total profit of $668 on sharkscope so my bankroll is moving in the right direction.

A less than epic blog, but a promise is a promise so thought i'd post up these shit results.
GL at the felts