How Tim64 turned $20 into $5,000

We chat to our latest Bankroll Challenge completer to find out how he went from NL2 to NL100 in a year.

You have been blogging in our forum longer than anyone, what has kept you updating the blog? What do you get out of it?

Tim64: Well I did have a long break of a few years when I hardly ever returned to my blog. I think what brought me back to it was remembering how much it helped me, when I first got into poker, to express my thoughts somewhere in a way that made me accountable, at least to myself.

The bankroll challenge was part of a cash game experiment where you climbed the ranks quite quickly – what is your advice for players wanting to move up from NL2 to NL100 fast?

Tim64: Don't. There are no shortcuts in poker, honestly. You have to do the hard work which mostly involves properly beating a lower limit before moving up. Of course if you already have the skills, you can race up through the limits but then that begs the question why you're not playing higher already? I frankly wasted a lot of time bouncing between limits because I wasn't properly rolled on the challenge site, nor properly focused on working on my game with the right advice and tools.

"At 50NL+ you need a balanced style"

What stakes did you see the biggest gulf in class between the last stake and the new one?

Tim64: 50NL was the first stake where I really doubted my ability to beat the field. Below that, you can count on players making frequent and significant errors, and good discipline with hand selection will get you paid off. At 50NL and up you have to develop a more balanced game.

Was the key to moving up in stakes a quite aggressive bankroll management strategy?

Tim64: No, the key is working on your game and getting to the point where you 'understand the limit'. So, you have to decode how people (regs and recs alike) actually play and exploit their leaks. Aggressive BRM actually has the distinct downside that you don't stay at a given limit long enough to properly understand what's needed to beat it.

You were an SNG player before, did you move to cash because those games are drying up a little?

Tim64: Basically, yes. Although when I started playing cash I hadn't yet decided to become a full time regular. I was just testing the water…

What are the biggest differences in strategy you had to learn between SNGs and cash?

Tim64: Navigating spots with big stacks, and all the remaining streets still to play, was a big change. In a SNG, 100BBs is like an oasis in the desert.

"Settle in for the long grind"

Lots of people make challenges to turn a small deposit into a $5,000 bankroll – how does it feel to actually do it and what is your advice to others who want to do the same?

Tim64: I have to admit that finally crossing the line was accompanied with a great sense of relief and elation.

My advice to others is to settle in for a long grind! And never miss an opportunity to be honest with yourself. I came incredibly close to quitting, not just the challenge but even professional poker, during the journey, so it's not at all easy and tilt of various kinds is waiting around every corner!

What is the next goal? You mentioned taking shots at NL500 at the start of the challenge, is that still the plan?

Tim64: I'm just getting started at 200NL so the rest of this year will be focused on trying to get established at that limit. The 500NL plan was just a pipe dream cooked up when I thought, with no justification, that I'd race up through the limits with ease. As I mentioned, that's pretty short sighted. It also failed to recognise just how much work winning regs have put into their game. So 500NL just for the sake of it is no longer something I'm interested in. If I get there eventually, all good. But I'm not rushing up the mountain without oxygen any longer!

What is the Bankroll Challenge?

In the Bankroll Challenge we encourage our members to get better by blogging about their poker journey and setting some ambitious goals. 

Our members found that having a blog kept them accountable to their goals and it's a great way to help them get to know their fellow PokerStrategists. As the saying goes 'what gets measured, gets managed' and simply having a blog keeps you on your A-Game. 

To help you on your journey and with a little bit of luck you can win $100 that we will raffle once a month among our active bloggers, regardless of where they play, accompanied by a special badge for their forum avatar for anyone succeeding in their first Bankroll Challenge.

How to join the Bankroll Challenge

The challenge is open to all PokerStrategists and you do not need to be tracked to us to participate. All you need to do is:

• Start a blog in our forum.
• State your starting bankroll, your regular stakes/games and your poker room in the first post.
• Set a long term bankroll goal of at least $500 and/or a minimum of five times your starting bankroll.
• Sign-up to the Bankroll Challenge in our registration thread, with a link to your personal blog, your initial bankroll and your goal.
• Post at least once a week in your blog.

Once a month we will raffle $100 among all eligble PokerStrategists participating in the Bankroll Challenge regardless of where you play.

Have you ever turned a small deposit into thousands? Let us know in the comments: