PRO CHAT TRANSCRIPT - August 12th 2010
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ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Hello Everyone and good luck in FTPOS.
QUESTION FROM Vueltin: hi chris, have you ever been in argentina? you will play the M.E. of Lapt
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Yes I was in Buenos Aris for one day. I saw an amazing Tango show, and went to a milonga (tango dance) in the evening. I'm looking forward to going back and learning tango.
QUESTION FROM quaker08: hi chris seen u in the world poker tour where u finished 6th watch the best bit of advice u can give for some1 startin out in the poker world just my brother is askin since hes new playin
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Always play well within your bankroll. I see many talented players go broke because they are playing too high and hit a bad streak.
QUESTION FROM Smiler15: Hi Chris, Ive been playing NLHE with fairly decent success for about a year now, and want to learn other games, mainly plo. how would you suggest i go about learning?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Practice. Play small and Keep a seprate bankroll, and only move up when you beat the lower limits. If they beat you, move down. Also the Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide has a nice section on PLO. I know because I wrote it myself. :)
QUESTION FROM BulletAllways: I am pretty shortstacked in this tourny i am playing right now, BB is 240, i have got 2737, How wpuld you suggest i play?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: All In with a good hand, else fold. If you double up, you can start "playing" again.
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: It depends o the player. Some are good at sng's others live. Play what you enjoy the most.
QUESTION FROM jhodge044: what are some good games to play when you want to build up a small bankroll?
QUESTION FROM jhodge044: do you think its better to know all the games or to focus on one game and specialize in that?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: I think you can do both. You can learn all games but specialize in those you are best at.
QUESTION FROM dasupat: i have a question, when it comes to bankroll management, the 5%, what if i am multi tabling? should it all add up to no more than 5%?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: No, each one can be about %5. After opening one table, you can open another using no more than 5% of your remaining bankroll assuming you lose everything at the first table. You can do the same for each successive table.
QUESTION FROM sdpoker17: Can I get some tips for beating the micro stakes ring games?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: I don't play much micro stakes, but I assume they play too many hands. I would actually tighten up as the first to enter a pot.
QUESTION FROM Smiler15: Will you be playing in the WSOPE in London?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Yes, I won't miss that tournament.
QUESTION FROM noodlearms: whats ur top tip on improving your game away from the tables?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: alk to friends about the game and learn from and teach themat the same time. Also, books are a great resource.
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: If you're almost always short stacked, you might want to take a few extra chances, else keep playing the way you are. Frequently cashing (15%+) is difficult and a sign of skill.
QUESTION FROM quaker08: chris i've played solid for about 6 months 2 a year but i always cash but never the big cash prizes should i keep playin the same or change my way after i cash
QUESTION FROM dasupat: when u were building the 10k roll, what was your biggest downswing and how long did it last?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Just broke $120,000 starting from $0. I was up to 20k and down to 10k, up to 35k and back down to 10k before finally taking off. During the downswings I LOWERED my max buyin from 5% to 2% otherwise the swings would have been greater.
QUESTION FROM dasupat: if you are first to come into a pot, do you raise? i saw phil gordon's video that he would usually. In early position to middle position
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Always! The only exception would be a very short stacked big blind, (less than 2 BB)
QUESTION FROM dasupat: and is it a good idea that in late position nomatter what i have, if i am first to come in, to raise?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: no, your opponents will catch on and reraise you frequently.
QUESTION FROM joeripoker: how can i work on my displine ? i keep loosing my concentration
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: stop playing when you lose concentration. That's your "punnishment". This will keep you concentrating better, and save your bankroll.
QUESTION FROM fartonmydog: hey chris, you are an amazing player and i admire you for the ferguson challenge, please answer me this, i have $20-$25 in my account what are the largest cash game stakes, sng levels and mtt's i should play? thankyou
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: never buy into a cash game or sng for over 5%, ar a tournament for over 2% of your bankroll. with $20, thats $1 max buy in for cash or sng and $0.40 for tournaments.
QUESTION FROM piXno: Hi! Could you explain me, how it could be that players like Brian Townsend or Gus Hansen change from a winning player to a loosing player over months?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: I don't know about particular players, but people playing over their bankroll will experience devistating swings.
QUESTION FROM Anonymizing: Online, are you primarily an MTT, an SnG or a ring game player?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: My favorite is MTT, but they don't have enough big ones for me, and the time commitment can be too much for me, so I play a lot of sng's too, and ocassionally live.
QUESTION FROM dasupat: i'm in oklahoma, and at live cash in the casino's the standard raise is 7-15 dollars preflop at 1-2nl, any tips on betting strategies? cause a standard 3x raise would get 23 to call
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: then make it $12 to go, but play super tight. Reraise with your big hands, and you'll be stealing.
QUESTION FROM whatever767: When does it make sense to cashout some of your stack in this tournament? isnt it -ev?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: If you have to go to a movie with the significant other, or pick someone up at the airport. Else I won't cash out.
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: about 3% for reraising a first position raiser in a nine handed game. about 15% for reraising a button raiser.
QUESTION FROM douggg86: Hi Chris good luck in tourny. Quick question what do you think my 3-bet percentage should be during a tourny? Thanks
QUESTION FROM c7dub: how do you avoid going on tilt?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Quit playing if you feel you are going on tilt.
QUESTION FROM BoSox3535: Would you ever lay down a set on the flop in a MTT or Sit n Go, even if you suspect the person may have flopped a straight or flush?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Yes, rarely. The main factor is the number off payers seeing the flop. 6 playes are 6 times as likely to flop a srtaight or flush than 1.
QUESTION FROM dasupat: do u think the variance in plo is so high that u must have a deep bankroll to survive? or can the same rules apply in bankroll management when it comes to plo also
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: PLO has more variance, so you should have a deeper stack to play it.
QUESTION FROM YEARYEARYEAR: its the first hand of the world series main event and some drunk person is going all in every hand, how wide is your calling range?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: I'll take a 55% - 45% edge all in on the first hand.
QUESTION FROM dasupat: do u think in plo that it rewards more loose aggressive play than tight aggressive?
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: It does not reward loose play. PLO just punnishes it less, which encourages more people to play that way. It is still not the right way to play. Stick with tight aggressive.
ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: Thanks a lot guys for joining. It's been fun. I'm getting back to the tourney now. GL all.