Chris Moneymaker
Encyclopedia
Christopher Bryan Moneymaker (born November 21, 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia
) is an American
poker
player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker
(WSOP). His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker
because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker
site. This has been referred to in the press as the "Moneymaker Effect
."
Moneymaker attended Farragut High School
in Knoxville, Tennessee
, and later earned a master's degree
in accounting from the University of Tennessee
.
Moneymaker married his wife, Christina Wren, in Las Vegas in April, 2005. He has a daughter, Ashley, born three months before he won the WSOP main event. They currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee
.
. He was also a part-time employee at a local restaurant. After his WSOP win Moneymaker became a spokesman for PokerStars
. He has also started his own company, Moneymaker Gaming.
His autobiography
, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker was published in March 2005.
39 satellite tournament
at the PokerStars online poker card room. Although largely unknown prior to the tournament, on day one of the tournament his skills caught the attention of professional sports handicapper Lou Diamond, who called Moneymaker his "dark horse
to win the whole tournament." Moneymaker went on to win the first prize of $2.5 million, instantly garnering poker superstar status. It was his first live poker tournament. One of Moneymaker's most memorable hands was heads-up against Sam Farha
, when on the river he bluffed
"all in" with King high. Farha folded a pair of nines, quickly changing the momentum of the match. Moneymaker eventually won the WSOP when his beat Farha's on a board of , giving Moneymaker a full house. After winning the WSOP, he quit his job to serve as a celebrity spokesman for Series owner Harrah's Entertainment
as well as PokerStars. He also began traveling to play in more large buy-in tournaments.
Moneymaker finished second at the 2004 Shooting Stars event and won $200,000.
During Event 5 of the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker
which was a $10,300 buy-in of No Limit Hold'em, Moneymaker finished in sixth place, taking home over $139,000. He also did well in Event 16, the $215 Pot Limit Omaha with ReBuys, where he finished fifth, earning over $28,000.
Moneymaker finished in first place in the Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha event of the World Poker Open tournament in July 2009 and won $15,889.
Chris has also placed 11th in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, earning himself $130,000.
As of April 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,000,000, the majority of which, $2,532,041, have come at the WSOP.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
(WSOP). His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker
Poker boom
The poker boom was a period between 2003 and 2006, during which poker, primarily no limit Texas hold 'em, but also other variations, became considerably more popular around the world...
because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
site. This has been referred to in the press as the "Moneymaker Effect
Moneymaker Effect
The Moneymaker Effect is the name of the sudden growth in interest in poker after the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event. -History:The term was created after Chris Moneymaker, a twenty-seven-year-old accountant, and amateur poker player, from Tennessee, United States, outlasted 838 other players...
."
Personal life
Moneymaker's ancestors made silver and gold coins and chose the name "Moneymaker" as a modification of their German last name: "Nurmacher."Moneymaker attended Farragut High School
Farragut High School
Farragut High School is a high school located at 11237 Kingston Pike in Farragut, a suburb of Knoxville, Tennessee. It is operated by Knox County Schools, the unified Knox County, Tennessee school district....
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, and later earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in accounting from the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
.
Moneymaker married his wife, Christina Wren, in Las Vegas in April, 2005. He has a daughter, Ashley, born three months before he won the WSOP main event. They currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Career
After receiving his master's degree, Moneymaker worked as a comptrollerComptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
. He was also a part-time employee at a local restaurant. After his WSOP win Moneymaker became a spokesman for PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
. He has also started his own company, Moneymaker Gaming.
His autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker was published in March 2005.
World Series of Poker
Moneymaker was working as an accountant when he won a seat into the main event of the 2003 World Series of Poker through a US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
39 satellite tournament
Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region.-Poker:...
at the PokerStars online poker card room. Although largely unknown prior to the tournament, on day one of the tournament his skills caught the attention of professional sports handicapper Lou Diamond, who called Moneymaker his "dark horse
Dark horse
Dark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...
to win the whole tournament." Moneymaker went on to win the first prize of $2.5 million, instantly garnering poker superstar status. It was his first live poker tournament. One of Moneymaker's most memorable hands was heads-up against Sam Farha
Sam Farha
Ihsan Farha is a professional poker player. He is best known for finishing as runner up in the World Series of Poker main event in 2003 and has won three bracelets at the WSOP.-Early years:...
, when on the river he bluffed
Bluff (poker)
In the card game of poker, a bluff is a bet or raise made with a hand which is not thought to be the best hand. To bluff is to make such a bet. The objective of a bluff is to induce a fold by at least one opponent who holds a better hand. The size and frequency of a bluff determines its...
"all in" with King high. Farha folded a pair of nines, quickly changing the momentum of the match. Moneymaker eventually won the WSOP when his beat Farha's on a board of , giving Moneymaker a full house. After winning the WSOP, he quit his job to serve as a celebrity spokesman for Series owner Harrah's Entertainment
Harrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
as well as PokerStars. He also began traveling to play in more large buy-in tournaments.
Other poker tournaments
On the World Poker TourWorld Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
Moneymaker finished second at the 2004 Shooting Stars event and won $200,000.
During Event 5 of the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker
World Championship of Online Poker
The World Championship of Online Poker is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It is played on the PokerStars site in September....
which was a $10,300 buy-in of No Limit Hold'em, Moneymaker finished in sixth place, taking home over $139,000. He also did well in Event 16, the $215 Pot Limit Omaha with ReBuys, where he finished fifth, earning over $28,000.
Moneymaker finished in first place in the Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha event of the World Poker Open tournament in July 2009 and won $15,889.
Chris has also placed 11th in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, earning himself $130,000.
As of April 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,000,000, the majority of which, $2,532,041, have come at the WSOP.