In fact, to date, I've received $150 from pokerstrategy ($50 for Pokerstars + $50 points bonus and $50 for Pacific), $225 from yourpokercash ($50 for Ultimate bet + $10 points bonus, $50 for Full Tilt + $15 points bonus, $50 for Titan and $50 for Ultimate) and I'm waiting on $50 from pokersource (for CD Poker). I'm also applying for another $50 from bankrollmob.com (for Mansion).
That's a total of $375 so far, and potentially another $100 pending. Why use your own money to play poker when there's sites out there that will give you it for free.
Anyway, I got an email from PKR a couple of weeks ago saying that as I was a member of their forum and had made at least 10 posts, that I was eligible for a freeroll tournament. Your starting stack was based on your number of posts, and as I had only 10 my stack would be 300 chips (the most was 20,000!). I hate these freerolls, as everyone goes mad and pushes all-in with anything as it hasn't cost them a bean (I had a horrendous beat in a freeroll at Full Tilt recently, but that's another story).
Well, there were over 1,000 entrants and the prizes were peanuts, but I hadn't played PKR for almost a year so I decided to have a go, for a laugh. In fact, it had been so long that I had to install the PKR client as I had changed my PC in the mean time.
The blinds started at 50-100, so I had to make a move early and pushed with about the 3rd hand and got incredibly lucky against 4 callers. Up to over 1,500 I'm still mega short for the tournament structure so had to push with the next decent hand - which I won and doubled through.
To cut a long story short, my luck held long enough for me to make the money and I picked up a whopping $3.50 (hey, it's all profit).
So, I decided to put the whole lot on a $3.00 6-seat STT, and finished 2nd - $5.40 return, so now I'm up to $5.90. Another 6-seat STT, again 2nd - another $5.40 and I'm up to $7.50 (I've now doubled my initial bankroll).
For the last 2 weeks I've been playing in small $1 & $3 buy-in STT's and have been cashing almost every other game, mostly 2nd's. So I decided to play some heads-up, starting at the $1 level, and won four on the bounce. I've since moved up to $3 HU, and have also won 4 straight, the last two have been at PLO, where I seem to be up against opponents with no clue (hence they are playing at the $3 level).
My 8th straight HU win was finished off with an amazing hand. I had picked up Pocket Rockets the hand before (one suited) and after my opponents min-raise, I pot raised and he folded.
I showed the AA after he folded to show it was a serious raise. The very next hand I get the rockets again, but this time not suited. My opponent min-raises again and I pot raise to $750 - this time he calls.
The flop comes 3d-10s-Ad, and my opponent checks. I push all-in, hoping he hasn't got a decent enough flush draw to call, but knowing I have the house-redraw if he gets lucky.
He waits an eternity, then calls - turning over 4d-5d-5s-9d. An incredible call really, with such a low flush draw, but I suppose the gut-shot straight-flush draw (2d) was enough to entice him.
My hand improved immesurably on the turn, as the As gave me top quads, but he still had the inside straight flush redraw, and anything can happen on PKR, so I'm not counting my chickens just yet. The river is a safe 10c, and I've won my 8th straight HU game. Previous to this I'd never won more than 3 HU games in a row, so I'm quite please; especially as my PKR bankroll now stands at $33.24.
This is turning into one of those challenges you hear the poker pro's talking about - spinning up a large amount from nothing (such as Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson did, and Daniel Negreanu is attempting - but he started with $10).
Knowing my luck, I'll hit a wall and lose 5 straight games and half my bankroll in the process, but you never know; long may the streak last.
Seriously, check out these free bankroll sites (mentioned at the top of the post) - who can say no to free money!
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