I don't believe stories about how much people win. Do you?

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I think its safe to say that this story is indeed plausible, but that over half the stories told in this thread are not true.

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I don't disbelieve the people or their stories here, but I disagree with those who say that not depositing (or depositing the minimum once or twice) and then running your bankroll into the many thousands of dollars is "standard". That's absurd. If nobody ever deposited, there would be no industry - Full Tilt doesn't print $$$; it comes from somebody who DID deposit and lost it to you. (he he!)

[DWarrior]

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While getting his roll up to $500K is far-fetched (though not impossible, depending on how good/lucky the guy got), the never depositing angle is pretty standard.

I started playing with a free $10 that The Gaming Club gave me. I had never played poker for real money and had barely played for play money. I played some $10 buy-in (I think) PL Omaha (go figure, for a beginning) and ran it up to $100.

I have never put any of my own money into poker and while I play low stakes, so my bankroll is nothing compared to many 2+2'ers, I have still run it up several thousand dollars. That's not counting free gifts and goodies.

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You should quit while you're ahead

[King Spew]

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But of course this never happens.

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I'm not sure what this means, even tho I understand your post, I find it hard to believe that anyone, especially a beginner player, would be THAT disciplined. I guess I'm wrong on this point, but wouldn't it take MONTHS even at penny games where the winning is relatively easy, to build your bankroll into something substantial so you could have a shot at it? And wouldn't you have to pretty much always run well?

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You'd be surprised.

I have never made a deposit from my bank account onto a poker site. A small site gave me $.90 from some crappy promotion they had, and that was my starting bankroll when I was 17 years old, a little over a year ago. I was already a member of 2+2, so I had read that a solid bankroll is 300BBs in Limit. I started playing the lowest limits on the site, which were $.05/$.10, and told myself that I would stay at those limits until I had the bankroll to move up, which would be $60 for $.10/$.20.

A 9BB bankroll sure isn't much, but luck can take you pretty far. I *DIDN'T* go broke, and I'm *VERY* disciplined with my bankroll management. A little over a year later, which is present day, my bankroll has grown to nearly $20K and I'm playing $2/$4 NL. All from $.90. I've nearly beaten Chris Ferguson's achievement of $1 to $20K (although I think it's taken me longer). And I've only been 18 for two months.

Poker is an amazing thing.

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I won $48 on a Stars freeroll and have never looked back. It "can" happen.

[mynamewastaken]

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My roommate called me an idiot for not believing the story, and I just let it slide because he doesn't understand gambling, but I wanted to check with people who know what they're talking about.

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That's because you are.

Seems as though you think just because he deposited $50 that he has to make $500,000 at .02/.04 nl. You realize once his first 1000 is made he can then make about 5k the following month at 100 nl right? Then at that point on its pretty much history.

My story is pretty redic but true as well. I was fed up with online poker and getting my ass handed to me in a $25 nl game and down to $1.25 or so. I told myself when I lost that I was done and never redepositing again. I got it all in and sucked out to double up to $2.50. I then worked that up to about $6 and played a sng that I won. I managed to turn that sng win into about $250,000.

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You open by calling me an idiot for asking a question, and then you expect me to take you seriously.

I'll bite: You were down to your last $1.25 and had to suck out to stay alive. Then you spent 100% of your bankroll ($6) on one sng, where while your odds of cashing are certainly better than in a MTT, they are not a sure thing by any stretch. You got lucky again and cashed. That's at least twice in one short post where you were up against the ropes and got lucky. I imagine there were plenty more times after that.

I never imagined that the $500k was made at penny games. But there's no difference between using your last $6 to enter a $6 sng or using your last $1000 to enter a $1000 sng. Point being, with $50 you're either playing way above your bankroll to try to luck out (over and over and over and over) or you're playing properly bankrolled at penny games for a long long long time, more time than most people have patience for. But let's say you DID have the patience to make your first $1000 'correctly' and then moved up in stakes... how many people (especially people who are new to poker) would have the discipline to move back down IF and WHEN things got bad. You certainly didn't, according to your post. You pressed your last $1.25 all-in, when of course you should never get to that point, and then you spent your last $6 on a single sng entry when you should have been back at penny games.

PS every single person I know has been "down to their last x $" and told themselves if they lose they're never redepositing. Your story isn't "pretty redic", it's exactly what I would have expected. $250k is a lot of money for someone who calls others idiots on the internet and types with such braggadocio. Enjoy it!

Also I appreciate all the other responses in this thread. Thx everyone!

Anyway, congratulations to you if your story is true. I don't know you and am not grilling you. I appreciate your response even tho you call me an idiot and sort of prove my point.

[DWarrior]

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My roommate called me an idiot for not believing the story, and I just let it slide because he doesn't understand gambling, but I wanted to check with people who know what they're talking about.

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That's because you are.

Seems as though you think just because he deposited $50 that he has to make $500,000 at .02/.04 nl. You realize once his first 1000 is made he can then make about 5k the following month at 100 nl right? Then at that point on its pretty much history.

My story is pretty redic but true as well. I was fed up with online poker and getting my ass handed to me in a $25 nl game and down to $1.25 or so. I told myself when I lost that I was done and never redepositing again. I got it all in and sucked out to double up to $2.50. I then worked that up to about $6 and played a sng that I won. I managed to turn that sng win into about $250,000.

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You should cash out before you lose everything.

[RikaKazak]

I deposited $50 on empire poker. And I've NEVER made another deposit to a poker site. (I stayed at empire for over a year built it up, cashed out money, then deposited that money to other sites, so technically I've deposited, but it was only with my winnings)

I started at .5/1 limit full ring. Yes I got lucky never to swing down below that, but I got my $10 deposit bonus and just kept building it up.

Over the past 4 years of playing with that initial $50 I have cashed out and paid taxes on more than $500,000. So while your story may or may not be true...mine is true.

[Backspin20]

All you guys NEVER depositing to poker sites ever heard of "reup bonuses" BOOSH

[DWarrior]

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All you guys NEVER depositing to poker sites ever heard of "reup bonuses" BOOSH

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I would say I haven't deposited for close to 3 years now. But I moved money around using Neteller, I just didn't add outside funds to my bankroll. I think that's what most people mean.

[kruschel]

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I think its safe to say that this story is indeed plausible, but that over half the stories told in this thread are not true.

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I don't disbelieve the people or their stories here, but I disagree with those who say that not depositing (or depositing the minimum once or twice) and then running your bankroll into the many thousands of dollars is "standard". That's absurd. If nobody ever deposited, there would be no industry - Full Tilt doesn't print $$$; it comes from somebody who DID deposit and lost it to you. (he he!)

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Since all those stories are obviously from winning players, it is plausible. The money doesn't come from winning players. They are only taking it out (in the long run, of course) and shouldn't have to redeposit regardless what they started with.

[questions]

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Since all those stories are obviously from winning players, it is plausible. The money doesn't come from winning players. They are only taking it out (in the long run, of course) and shouldn't have to redeposit regardless what they started with.

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Right, agreed. That's what I meant. What I was trying to say was that since the estimate is that 90% of players are losers, it's absurd to draw a conclusion from what's been posted here that depositing once or twice and then never redepositing is "standard", i.e., the norm. How could it be the norm?

Rather, the sample of poker players who have chosen to post their histories here is a self-selected sample, i.e., not representative. Don't mean to get too snitty about this, since positive stories was what the OP wanted. I was just making a side point that it certainly should not be expected that an average person can just wander in and a year later have $50,000 dollars.

And by the way, congrats to those who have been successful! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I actually enjoy reading these accounts as well.