Chris Moneymaker
Name: Chris Moneymaker
Born: 21. November 1975 (Atlanta, Georgia)
Residence: Farragut, Tennessee
Tournament Winnings: $2,800,000
WSOP Bracelets: 1
Not everything in life revolves around money, but it does drive much of what goes on in our times - statistics are grand! Chris Moneymaker must have known this as an experienced bookkeeper when he learned the rules of poker that would change his life. Not only because he would make a living as a poker pro - he could always fall back on his academic degree: Master of Accounting from the University of Tennessee.
Born on November 21, 1975, he is at an age where most athletes are bringing their careers to an end. This is not the case with those intellectual sports like chess, backgammon, or poker any more, since the internet provides a constant influx of new players.
But before quitting his job and becoming a pro poker player, he had to attain something extraordinary: winning the 2003 World series of Poker (WSOP). He could only rely upon his online poker skills since the nearest card room to his house was a four hour drive away. In this way, he qualified for the tournament in a PokerStars satellite tournament, having bought in for 39 dollars. He went on to win the main event of the WSOP that year, living up to his (real) last name. His investment really paid off! After overcoming the difficulties of financing a flight and hotels in Las Vegas, he won his first live tournament heads-up against Sam Farha, earning him 2.5 million dollars.
The drama of the end of the tournament cannot be understated, as Chris Moneymaker went all-in on the river with just King high, bringing Farha to fold his pair of nines. Moneymaker finally won the tournament as he beat Farha, who had J
10
, with 5 4
on a board of J 5 4
8 5 , securing his bracelet with a full house.
He now travels as a representative and pro player for Poker Stars, playing tournaments around the world. He made second place in the World Poker Tour Shooting Stars and won $200,000. After acting as a speaker for Harrah's Entertainment, host of the World Series of Poker, and writing an autobiography "Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into
$2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker", he will never again have to worry about holes in his balance sheet.
| Successes | |||
| Year | Tournament - Buy-in | Placement | Winnings |
| 2003 | WSOP Main Event - $10,000 | 1 | $2,500,000 |
| 2004 | WPT Championship - $5,000 | 2 | $200,000 |
| 2004 | WSOP Pot Limit Omaha - $5,000 | 10 | $21,000 |
| 2004 | WPT Poker Classic - $6,000 | 18 | $13,000 |
| 2006 | WSOP Limit Hold'em SO $1,500 | 28 | $7,153 |
 |
|||
It's said that Chris Moneymaker is living an American dream, for which the poker boom of the past few years is responsible. The poker scene has many legends - Chris Moneymaker is one of the largest...
Author: Frank Große