Welcome to the TPF BBC (Bankroll Building Contest)...

[Talking Poker]

I came up with an interesting idea for a friendly competition the other day. I don't have the details worked out, but here are the basics...

I think we should have a bankroll building contest. Everyone who participates will start with exactly $25. Everyone is free to do with it what he or she chooses, but the contest will go on until someone has turned that $25 into a significantly higher amount of money (say, $500?). The winner will be determined by how many hands it takes (not time) to accomplish this task. You are free to play any limit of any poker game. The only thing you must do is keep track of the number of hands you play.

You can sit down with any amount up to your exact total ($25 to start). Obviously, everyone will need to keep records and this will all be done on the honor system. Let's say people have to post in this thread when they start and stop each session (that way, others are free to observe them play), and in the post at the end of the session, they need to say what their current bankroll is. If and when you bust out (I think most of us will bust out before hitting $500), post your total hands played. In other words:

-----
Starting session 1.
Current Bankroll: $25.
Total Hands Played: 0.
Table 12345. Sitting down with $25.
-----

and then later

-----
Ending Session 1.
Current Bankroll: $43.50.
Total Hands Played: 122.
-----

or in Aeq's case:

-----
Ending Session 1.
Current Bankroll: $0.
Total Hands Played: 14.
-----

If you reload at all during your session (say your bankroll was $43.50 and you only sat with $25, you would still have up to $18.50 to reload with), just post when you do. That way, no one will suspect anyone of any funny business.

To make things more interesting, we could have a little side bet going where everyone chips in $x and the winner takes it down. I think we should pass on that for now though, since it complicates things.... This is more of a low stakes bankroll building experiment than it is about the money, obviously.

We'll end the contest at a set date (maybe abount a month after the start) or when everyone is busted, whichever comes first. If we all bust, the winner can either be the person who lasted the most hands or the one who peaked at the highest $ amount. If someone does get to $500, that doesn't mean they win... someone else could still get there in fewer hands.

I think this will be fun.

So, what do you guys think? Anyone interested? If so, let's work out the details and then kick it off on June 1st. Maybe I'll throw in a poker book for the winner (assuming they are a trusted regular here - someone with 250+ posts).

[Kurn]

Sounds like fun. I'm game. Any site the player wants?

[BrianSwa]

I want to play....I wont come close to winning but think this sounds like a fun idea....I will doing mine on party poker which im sure most will do playing 25NL.

[Talking Poker]

I don't see why not. The idea of the experiment is to turn $25 int $500 as quickly as possible... How you do that is up to you.

[junYUN]

i'm game...i'm gonna hit the noble limit tables

[Talking Poker]

What should we do about bonuses? Should we ignore them, or include them? We should probably ignore them. Otherwise, I'm taking mt $25 straight to Noble and paying myself a $50 bonus without even playing a hand, as per this:

[BrianSwa]

ya if you include bonus's, It would be a little unfair for some people that have cleared alot of them. It would give big advantage to those who have only played like 1 or 2 sites.

[BlibbityBlabbity]

One of the Prima sites did something like this a while back. The BIG difference was that there were restrictions as to the limits you could play based on your bankroll. This eliminated the possibility of someone taking their $25 and getting 5-6 lucky hands at a limit far above the level that bankroll belongs at.

Seems that with all the chastising people take for playing above their bankroll around here rewarding someone who gets lucky with that would be ironic.

Sounds like a cool idea, I will play no matter what, but I think adding something to follow the 300 BB guidelines (move up to the next level when you get to milestones, move back down levels when you fall below the bankroll for the level you are playing) would keep this about skill, not luck.

[BrianSwa]

your gonna have to change the starting amount then because I think $25 isnt good bankroll for any level but .02/.04

[BlibbityBlabbity]

.04*300 = $12
.10*300 = $30
.20*300 = $60
.50*300 = $150
$1*300 = $300

You could use somewhere between 200 and 300 BB as a range for a given level as I am sure there are 90% out there who don't want to go play .02/04 or .05/.10 (even though that is where this should start).

For those that are interested what limits would you likely play?

I guess my thoughts were that someone who doesn't care about the possibility of losing $25 will jump into a $25 NL table and hit a few good hands then jump over to $1/2 or $2/$4 and be done with this in a day or two.

[Aequitas58]

This seems really hard to "police." In other words, what's stopping someone from fudging the numbers and basically saying he made $500 from $25 in one week?

I dunno.

All I know is that BBC or not, I have work to do with my new weenie-roll.

[Talking Poker]

I have to say, Blibbity, I disagree. No one ever said this $25 was supposed to represent someone's entire bankroll or that this is what someone should do if it was. I was to keep it a friendly $ amount, but no way am I sitting at some .02/.04 table.

If people (like me) get lucky playing $25 NL to start, so be it. There is just as good a chance that they will get unlucky and be busted in their first orbit.

That's the point though - everyone gets to decide how they want to work the $25. If they want to take the high risk/reward, so be it. If they want to grind away at the microlimits, that's fine too.

I'd you'd rather me change the name of this from "Bankroll Building Contest" to "$25 Building Contest," so be it... but there will be no restrictions as to what games/limits people play. If Heads up Triple Draw is your game, go for it!

[Talking Poker]

Well, like I said, this will be based on the honor system. If you feel unable to be honest about how you are doing, please don't play. But I'm sure the rest of us will do just fine.

This is also why I suggested posting when you start and finish a session. This way, people COULD watch you if they wanted to, and if anyone sees some get busted and reload or do anything else shady, they are out.

Hopefully no one would resort to that though. I know I won't.

[BlibbityBlabbity]

I wasn't saying you had to do it that way. That was just how the other contest was structured.

Funny though

[junYUN]

i plan on taking it to the .50/1 limit tables. theres NO WAY im playing .02/.04

[Talking Poker]

Other contest, schmother contest. This is OUR contest. We don't play by THEIR rules!!!

[omahilo]

can we play SNGs...

I rather just fire up 4 $6.50 turbo SNGs on stars and see how it goes lol.

[ChipFish]

OK.
I'm in.
But I'm only starting with a bankroll of $22.
I'll give the rest of you a $3 headstart.

I am on partypoker playing a $20+2 Potlimit Holdem Singletable tourney.
Table 13913.. There are still seats available if anyone wants to join.
Screenname on Party is "TeenRocker"

[ChipFish]

I'm out.

***** Hand History for Game 2106943656 *****
PL Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee Trny:12536063 Level:1 Blinds(10/15) - Thursday, May 26, 00:50:50 EDT 2005
Table Table 13913 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: ISmokRcks ( $740 )
Seat 2: buceador1 ( $1850 )
Seat 6: kelly1mm ( $2160 )
Seat 9: TeenRocker ( $740 )
Seat 10: Davemagoo ( $760 )
Seat 5: PivoOne ( $785 )
Seat 7: SportsFinder ( $750 )
Seat 4: KILLAMGV24 ( $215 )
Trny:12536063 Level:1
Blinds(10/15)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TeenRocker [ Qd Qs ]
PivoOne folds.
kelly1mm folds.
SportsFinder folds.
TeenRocker raises [35].
Davemagoo folds.
ISmokRcks folds.
buceador1 calls [25].
>You have options at Table 41445 (9 max) Table!.
KILLAMGV24 calls [20].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qh, Ad, 9d ]
buceador1 bets [100].
KILLAMGV24 folds.
TeenRocker raises [405].
buceador1 calls [305].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2h ]
buceador1 bets [15].
TeenRocker is all-In [300]
buceador1 calls [285].
** Dealing River ** [ Kh ]
buceador1 shows [ Jc, Td ] a straight, ten to ace.
TeenRocker shows [ Qd, Qs ] three of a kind, queens.
buceador1 wins 1515 chips from the main pot with a straight, ten to ace.
TeenRocker finished in eighth place.
TeenRocker has left the table.

[Talking Poker]

Lucky for you Chip, the contest hasn't started yet. We're still working out the details and seeing how much interest there is.

And yes, you can play SNGs with the money if you want. You can play anything at all so long as it is online poker.

Edit: Keep in mind though, you still need to count your hands played, and I have to think SNGs are going to take you a lot more hands than cash games would...

[lightfungus]

Geez, this sounds like a blast. I was thinking about cashing out all my current winnings anyway and sarting anew. Let the party begin!

[badblood44]

What the hell, I'm game

Here's my high-risk, high-reward strategy:

$25 to the .10/.25 NL tables - double up
$50 to the .25/.50 NL tables - double up
$100 to the .50/$1 NL tables - double up
$200 to the $1/$2 NL tables - double up
$400 to the $2/$4 NL tables - quarter up.

Done.

[Talking Poker]

I like it.

My strategy is to sit at a $15/30 limit game and go all in on the first hand (I'll be pot committed by my BB). Then I'm either the first one out (1 hand played) or I'll have tripled or maybe quadrupled up, and I'll head to the NL tables with a big head start on the rest of you!

Ok, that's not really my strategy, but I must admit, it is tempting.

Let's start on June 1st, 12:00 AM. Remember, it's not a time race, it's a hands played race. The winner will be the person who reaches the goal with the fewest hands played.

[Spidey44]

I'm in...I'll slowly grind away...

[Kurn]

Not that I thought you were serious, but where can you jump into a 15/30 with less than $150?