Yes, it’s his real name and yes, it describes him perfectly. Chris Moneymaker, a little known accountant, is the man who turned a mere $40 buy-in into a multi-million dollar payday at the World Series of Poker.
Almost no one could have predicted that Chris Moneymaker, who made around $40,000 per year with his day job, could make a magical run through the World Series of Poker Main Event and in the process, knock out some of the best players in the world. The 2003 World Series was televised by ESPN, adding to Chris’ fame, and it also featured both the largest field and largest pot of any poker tournament in history.
Moneymaker’s card playing days can be traced to the most humble of roots. He didn’t start out winning high stakes card games in back rooms of New York City. In fact, he just learned to love cards and card games when he played bridge with his grandmother at a young age. He also learned to master the game of blackjack, which was one of the card games beloved by his father.
Chris’ early adult years were mostly devoid of gambling, as he had to focus in on what he thought would be his career. Chris took his time in completing his degree in Knoxville at the University of Tennessee. He later went on to get his Masters degree in accounting and planned for what he thought would be a normal life. Little did he know, one $40 investment would make all of his gambling fantasies a reality and his normal life a thing of the past.
Chris got his motivation for the game of poker through the very popular poker movie, Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton. The movie was something of a cult blockbuster, as it helped to stir tons of young folks to try their hand at poker hands. Chris wasn’t alone in his venture to learn poker. Many of his closest friends joined him in this quest. Before too long, Chris figured out that he was a little bit too good to be playing against his buddies in a home game. He wanted to go up against the best that there was, but Chris faced a little bit of a logistical problem. There wasn’t a legal poker table within realistic driving distance of Chris, so he had to find another way to indulge his urge.
That is where the popular website, Poker Stars came into play. Chris took particular interest in the multi table tournaments at Poker Stars and tried his best to win those. He spent much of his time learning the online game and burning bills while trying to win events. Eventually, Chris began to shine among his competition. He got to a point where he could consistently finish in the money in various tournaments. Chris made the best investment of his life when he took the chance of entering a $39 tournament. The winner of that tournament earned a seat in the World Series of Poker.
The tournament wasn’t big. It was a simple 18 player tourney with big stakes on the line. Chris went into the tournament, surprisingly, with few expectations. There weren’t any visions of Las Vegas dancing wildly in his head. Instead, he just wanted to get better at tournament poker and have some fun in the process.
When Chris conquered the other 17 players at his first satellite, a bigger tournament awaited. He had to defeat 59 other players in order to claim the big prize. If he could successful navigate his way through that satellite, he would win entry to the Main Event at the World Series of Poker. That, in itself, was worth $10,000.
Chris played in that tournament for hours and eventually, his chip stack grew enormously. He was the chip leader and stood a great chance of advancing. Finally, it was over and Chris Moneymaker was headed to Las Vegas. His simple $39 entry had turned into $10,000 and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Chris Moneymaker’s experience at the World Series of Poker seemed ordinary for a while. He was a small fish in a big pond, surrounded by all sorts of legends at the Horseshoe casino. According to Moneymaker, there was no nervousness when he stepped into the same room as all of those legends. Instead, he just felt extreme excitement over the opportunity that was in front of him.
Chris was somewhat new to the live poker game when he took on the field at the World Series of Poker. He had made his stake playing on the internet, which was a much different beast than stepping into live action. Chris had his doubts, which led him to putting on his characteristic accessories. Chris put on a hat and sunglasses to hide his eyes from his opponents.
Many people asked Moneymaker, following the tournament, what his goals were entering the event. Did he expect to go in there and win? Was he nervous, at all? Moneymaker’s goal when he entered the tournament was to make it through the first day. He wanted to do well, but never expected the enormous success that followed.
Chris Moneymaker made his arrival onto the national scene on the third day of the Main Event. Then, he was paired up at the featured ESPN table against the likes of Howard Lederer and Johnny Chan.
One hand stood out to Moneymaker at this table. It was this hand that brought him back to earth and reminded him that he was still very new to this poker thing. Legend Johnny Chan put in a raise on the pot, and then Howard Lederer followed with a re-raise. The action was on Chris, but he had no idea. After he sat there for a while, Chan was quick to remind him that it was his turn.
Chris realized, at this moment, that he hadn’t folded his cards like he meant to. From that experience came the desire to win. He was done looking stupid in front of poker pros and the national audience. He wanted to win the tournament now.
Chris eventually made his way to the final table, where he managed to defeat a number of respected poker players on his way to the title. The last man to fall was Sammy Farha, who couldn’t beat Moneymaker’s full house with only a pair of jacks.
Predictably, things changed for Moneymaker following his huge victory. His life went from a quiet one in the hills of Tennessee to being a fast paced celebrity life of action. The adjustment wasn’t only in lifestyle, though. He also had to modify his play in order to stay competitive. Many players thought they had a read on him based upon what they had seen on television.
Moneymaker has set out to prove that his run to the world title was no fluke. He’s now playing consistently on a number of professional circuits and routinely takes in some of the world’s biggest events. He hasn’t had the success that began his professional career, but he has experienced some success since that starting point.
In addition to his poker ventures, Moneymaker also started his own company in the last couple of years. Moneymaker Gaming is his newest toy, which Chris will be putting more time into in the near future.
Chris Moneymaker is playing at Poker Stars!
