Chris Moneymaker changed the face of poker.
Other no-names had won big poker tournaments before. Relative nobodies had even won the World Series of Poker main event. Robert Varkoni won the main event just the year prior.
But Moneymaker's story outshined all the others, and it did because of one reason: Moneymaker won his way into the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $40 buy-in satellite event atPokerstars
.
When the online player took down first prize, professional poker would never be the same. People could see that anyone had a chance against the pros. If Chris Moneymaker could do it, then anyone could win the World Series of Poker
.
Chris Moneymaker's Beginnings
Chris Moneymaker was born in Tennessee in 1976. His first introduction to cards was via his grandmother, who taught him to play bridge. Chris's father got him interested in blackjack, but this interest was more in the way of a hobby. Like many young gamblers, Moneymaker's interest in poker was stoked in college. At the University of Tennessee, he played with fellow students for small pots. At the same time, Chris worked towards a Masters Degree in Accounting.
Chris worked for years as an accountant, settling into the conventional suburban life of a working father. In 2000, Moneymaker and a few friends watched the movie Rounders.
Chris's interest in the game of poker grew to an passion. Because he couldn't find a legal game nearby, Chris began playing cards online. He searched all over the internet for the best action and eventually began playing at Pokerstars.com.
It could be said that Pokerstars changed Chris Moneymaker's life forever.
Shake Your Moneymaker
Moneymaker was playing the $20 and $40 buy-ins tournaments regularly. He bought in to a $39 tournament in 2003, one which was a pathway to the World Series of Poker. Winning the tournament, Chris got a freeroll into a World Series of Poker satellite event. Vying with 63 other players, Chris won the satellite event. Suddenly, Chris had a freeroll into the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event.
Chris entered a field of over 700 players. He had to scrape together the money to visit Vegas, including a loan from his friend, David Gamble, in exchange for a percentage of Chris's winnings. The first day of the tournament, Chris was placed at a table that included Johnny Chan, who appeared in Rounders, and Phil Ivey, considered by many to be the best player in the world at the time.
As the tournament continued, Chris would build the biggest chip stack. He would knock out several of the biggest names in the sport, eventually squaring off with veteran Sam Farha for the championship. Chris would eventually win, taking home $2.5 million dollars.
More importantly, Moneymaker became a household name.
Chris Moneymaker, Instant Superstar
Chris's win came at the perfect time for him and poker. His name was pure Hollywood, perfect to catch the attention of the average poker fan.
The win also coincided with heightened coverage by ESPN, which had purchased the broadcast rights for the World Series of Poker. ESPN seemed to show the World Series of Poker Main Event a thousand times in 2003. The interest in poker was huge. Because of Chris Moneymaker, the interest in online poker exploded. Poker was a phenomenon.
Chris has become an ambassador for poker and a spokesman for online poker. He signed a deal with PokerStars, the very entity which gave Chris his big break. And Chris has become a fixture on the World Poker Tour
.
He finished 2nd at the San Jose Bay 101 Shooting Star World Poker Tour event, winning $200,000. Chris finished 10th at a 2004 $5,000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha event, winning another big chunk. And Chris finished 18th out of 647 entries at the World Poker Tour's Aruba event.
But Chris Moneymaker remains a humble man, claiming he is not interested in becoming a legend of poker, but simply providing for the ones closest to him.
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