Chris Moneymaker Profile
- Birthdate: November 21, 1975
- Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Resides: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Chris
Moneymaker was an accountant before poker took hold of his life. Since
winning the Main Event at the
2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP),
Moneymaker plays tournaments when he can and is an international spokesman for
a variety of poker-related products.
Chris Moneymaker World Series of Poker
Chris Moneymaker is the perfect example of the possibilities thrown up by the WSOP qualification process – he qualified for the 2003 WSOP via an online card room.
Moneymaker - and yes, that is his real name! - reached the World Series on a $40 investment. He went on to win the WSOP 2003 Main Event, the No-Limit Hold'em Championship. The pot Moneymaker claimed was worth $2.5 million.
At the time, Moneymaker had been playing poker for three years, but had never played in a live tournament before.
He won the final hand with a full house, fives full of fours, beating a top pair from veteran ring game player Sam Farha.
Since his sensational arrival on the professional poker scene, Moneymaker has finished in the money 4 times at the World Series for total winnings of $2 781 730.
World Poker Tour And Other Tournaments
Moneymaker has reached a final table on the World Poker Tour and finished in the money twice, while he has also finished in the money once on the European Poker Tour.
Chris Moneymaker Poker Trivia
- Moneymaker was struggling to cover the cost of his trip to the 2003 WSOP until his father and a friend, David Gamble (that's right, it's also his real name!), helped to cover the trip in return for a portion of his winnings
- Moneymaker donated $25 000 of his prize to cancer research
- On the first day of the 2003 WSOP, in his first live tournament, Moneymaker had Johnny Chan on his right and Phil Ivey on his left
- His 2003 victory is credited as being one of the main catalysts for the dramatic rise in poker's popularity in the following years.