1. #1
    ProPokerPlayer
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    $1 into $20,000 ???? i find it hard to believe

    I dont know if you've read the story going around about Jesus Ferguson claiming to have run $1 into $20000 online but me i find it hard to believe..
    First thing is y? they say it was a challange but ive never read by who for how much.
    2nd and i hope there is a math whiz out there who could do the calculations but he says he never risked more than 5% of his bankroll starting after the !st dollar...this just seems to me like it would take a tremendous amount of hrs that i find it hard to believe a millionaire pro player would take the countless hrs such a task would require for a measly 20 grand..me yea!!! him? nooooooo

    i just believe this is some kind of full tilt publicity stunt.....your thoughts????

  2. #2
    QuickLearner
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    I learned long ago not to disagree with anything that anyone named Jesus says. At least not in writing.

  3. #3
    Illusion
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    He's a great player that I respect, but there's noway in hell this could be true.

  4. #4
    QuickLearner
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    It's true. It is the subject of one of his podcasts in the "Notes from the Pros" section at Full Tilt. I think it was a personal challenge, not a bet.

    P3, I'm not surprised at the 5% bankroll aspect of the thing. It would mean that he set a requirement of 20 buy-ins at each level...and that's about standard for a winning player. It was probably a lot more than he needed. It's been a while since I listened to it, but as I remember the most interesting part was his discussion of moving up and down between limits. He did say that it took a lot of hours, but from the way he talked he was careful. He might have been able to do it faster with a more "kamikaze" plan, but that's just not his style.

  5. #5
    PokerRoomReview.com
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    That must have taken him a VERY long time.

  6. #6
    scottyy11
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    I believe this to be 100% true as I turned the free $10 at prima to over 4k so cant see why $1 to 20k couldnt be done think i could do it myself if time was not a limit and depending on site.........note probably couldnt do it at tilt though find it one of the tougher sites

  7. #7
    PokerRoomReview.com
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottyy11
    I believe this to be 100% true as I turned the free $10 at prima to over 4k so cant see why $1 to 20k couldnt be done think i could do it myself if time was not a limit and depending on site.........note probably couldnt do it at tilt though find it one of the tougher sites
    That is a nice win, certainly a story that has some bragging rights

  8. #8
    biggs
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottyy11
    I believe this to be 100% true as I turned the free $10 at prima to over 4k so cant see why $1 to 20k couldnt be done think i could do it myself if time was not a limit and depending on site.........note probably couldnt do it at tilt though find it one of the tougher sites
    thats a sweet win made with a comp....did you have to make a deposit to cash out?

    again thats a sweet win

  9. #9
    scottyy11
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    yep they make you deposit $10 but was ok with it...I took some out probably should take more from bad things i have heard about prima(but its sometimes hard to know if these things are legit complaints or 16yr olds cheaters who got caught. I just figure if I could do that (the donk i am) jesus def could do 1 to 20k

  10. #10
    TheTurk
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottyy11
    yep they make you deposit $10 but was ok with it...I took some out probably should take more from bad things i have heard about prima(but its sometimes hard to know if these things are legit complaints or 16yr olds cheaters who got caught. I just figure if I could do that (the donk i am) jesus def could do 1 to 20k
    I agree i made 9k in bodog after starting with 40$ and I started playing poker 6 months ago.

  11. #11
    slacker00
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    I believe it. I do wonder how long it took. I would also like to see the specifics. Did he play NL or limit, ring or tournies, Hold 'Em or Omaha, etc. Also how long he spent at each limit. Does anyone have a link? I did find this:

    Chris “Jesus” Ferguson – who’s a good friend of mine – took a dollar and turned it into $20,000 over a five-month period using my system – just for a lark in his spare time.

  12. #12
    QuickLearner
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    Listen to his podcast on Full Tilt. I think he played strictly no limit hold'em and moved up through the levels as his bankroll increased. I don't remember whether he said how long it took.

  13. #13

  14. #14
    MrX
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    Most certainly possible, but why?

    Doing this wouldn't even be tremendously hard as some on here know. But personally I couldn't imagine putting in that kind of time at the microlimits just to prove something that I already knew. Now maybe if someone wants to bet me 100,000 that I can't duplicate the feat...


  15. #15
    Annorax
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    I've run $1 into $5,000. Then I gave it up and moved on.

  16. #16
    slacker00
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    I'm currently giving it a try on UB. The first $10 is the hardest, according to Ferguson's podcast, and I believe it. The bankroll scheme that he uses, never risking more than 5% of his total bankroll, which means, if I double through my $.10 table stake, I've got to leave the table. Ugh. This is going to take a long time to get that first 10 bucks doing it that way, but I realize it minimizes the risk of ruin. Annorax, what was your experience?

  17. #17
    MrX
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    I'm sure it's been said here plenty, but what an amazing time to be a poker player. Ten years ago there could never have been a discussion about turning $1 into $20,000. It's incredible what can be done without a bankroll now. I'm tempted to say that I wish I had these options when I was scraping by on a small bankroll, but I guess things worked out just fine the way it was. Good luck everyone.

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