All Inbox -- Chris Ferguson

In Card Player TV’s All Inbox, fans can ask for advice from the world’s most successful poker pros by sending their questions to [email protected]. In this edition, Erik from Wisconsin was able to get his inquiries answered by 2000 World Series of Poker main-event champion Chris Ferguson, specifically about Ferguson’s bankroll challenge, in which he built his bankroll from zero to $10,000.

Question: Chris, I’m a huge fan. I thought your zero to $10,000 bankroll challenge was inspiring. What was the toughest part about it?

Chris Ferguson: I think getting from zero dollars to around $10 was the really hard part, because I had to play freerolls …

Question: Would you suggest to players who are struggling or going through a downswing or tough times to create challenges for themselves?

CF: I think that’s actually a very good idea. I know that a lot of people were trying to do the same challenge. Poker players really need a lot of discipline if they want to succeed. You can be an amazing poker player, but if you don’t have discipline, you’re just not going to succeed. I’ve seen a lot of players who are just amazingly good play way over their bankroll and maybe get overconfident, but even if they are not overconfident and can beat the game, playing over their bankroll is just a recipe for disaster. If they win, they can player bigger, but if they lose, they could be back down to square one.