the beginning

Hehe, I realized that I could make a killing playing roulette on GTA:SA by just doubling my bet if I lost. Learned all about expected value through that.

Soon after I realized I was making -EV decisions by playing roulette and the only gambling that's +EV is poker. Luckily, I figured this out without spending any money.

Signed up on PP and proceeded to sink $800 in about 3 months (just kept redepositing $50 every week). Went out and bought HEPFAP and noticed the URL on the back. Started breaking even for the next month (playing .50/1), and have had postitive months ever since (playing SnG's).

[playersare]

started with a Mac on Pokerroom and Cherry Casino, then had my friend build me a $300 PC (which I still use today!) to whore all the other sites. dog-paddled at $1/2 limit on UB and Full Tilt (gag) until I started to win more consistently on Bodog and Party. read 20 more books and downloaded 20 more sites, added a 2001FP, now a solid 4BB/100 at $1/2 and getting acclimated with 4-tabling $2/4 and $3/6, and exploring micro NL.

[Botchy Dud]

I started up a poker site and kept everyone's money.

[FishNChips]

somehow ended up on UB playing free money tables to figure the game out. Hit a "jackpot" and won $2.50. I ran that up to $100 playing .01/.02 (limit and NL) and .25/.50 limit. Went back down to $5. Swung between $5 and $50 for a year. Met some friends, got into a home game, read a few books got better ... still stuck at $50 - $100.

last year OCT Superior Poker (I don't even remember signing up with them) e-mailed and said "here's $5, come play". The place was a gold mine for about 4 months while everyone wasted their $5 and then put in more. I lucked my way from $5 to $500 playing .05/.10 NL and .10/.25 NL against some of the most attrociously bad opponents I've ever seen. Bought my wife a nice christmas present with $400 and left $100 there. In late Dec / early Jan I read the "how to bonus ho to fame and fortune" post from way way back. I had $200 and worked my way up from there --- I'm now multitabling 3/6.

Life is good!
FishNChips

[stillbr]

I started with $100 about 2 yrs ago. I now pay all my bills while going to college with poker winnings. I keep around a 5K BR. I've gone nearly broke only once in the beginning.

[pzhon]

About 19 months ago, I started on the play money tables of Yahoo and Card Player Poker, a skin of UltimateBet. I switched over to UltimateBet, where I now have 902,667.00 play chips. <font color="white">Also, they gave me $5 for a royal flush on a play money table, which I turned into $700 in 6 weeks, and about $15k in the first 6 months.</font>

[dink]

I started playing online blackjack (for the bonuses) in it's heyday, around Aug 2001.

I remember casinos with playthroughs of 2x, that was easy money.
About 12 months later while in the UK, I had pretty much milked all the online casinos (twice, once from Aus and once from the UK) playthroughs were also increasing, paypal stopped dealing with online casinos etc etc.

I tried some online poker.

I had only ever played in home games before that. Bought some books, moved back to Aus, found 2+2 and have never looked backed since.

I am not a big fish, but I make some nice pocket money, mostly from bonuses.

It's a great hobby and it is possible to make $$$

and the online poker rooms are not rigged.

and if they are I don't care because I am winning.


Dink

[Sciolist]

I'd played a few penny home games, then saw Late Night Poker on C4 in '99 (the first poker show that used under the table cameras, dunno if it was shown anywhere outside the UK).

I lost my first $150 on PS in 10c/25c NL, which was the smallest game at the time. Put $50 into Paradise, turned it into $1k playing SNG, cashed most of it out and lost the rest. Decided that there was a cashout curse, deposited $50 on PS, turned it into lots.

I bought a book on the game before I understood how tournament levels worked. I now know there's no cashout curse :]

[MyTurn2Raise]

December 04, I'm working at Borders during the holiday season to clear some extra cash to go with my grad assistantship. I used to spend breaks reading books. I was dabbling in the chess section and saw HPFAP. Picked it up. 7 months later, I'm playing B&amp;M for a living. My book smarts finally pay off. Deposit at UB and play at home for fun, get my @$$ kicked. I'm half convinced it's rigged. Stumble upon this site February 05. Lurk for awhile. Find out how online limits do not equal B&amp;M limits. Reinvest at party. Since then, steady, comfortable income for me. I'm still a low-limit bonus/rakeback whore. I'm building my roll in a very cautious risk/reward strategy. Plan on making my big splash in 6 years. I'm on the 7 year plan. That's how long I was in college for, so poker cannot be any easier than that. I'm still learning....it's fun

[lane mcbride]

I got the free 2 dollars from paradise when they offered it. played .02-.04 for awhile... eventually moved up limits... played at paradise for six months... turned that 2 dollars into 2k or so. set up a neteller account and then diversified to party and all the rest of the sites I play at.