Who is Chris Moneymaker? Meet the winner of the 2003 World Series of Poker, who is said to have revolutionised poker and started the “Moneymaker effect”.
The American was the first person ever to become a world champion poker player after qualifying through an online poker site.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about one of poker’s biggest success stories.
Who Is Chris Moneymaker?
Moneymaker was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a student at Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee.
After graduating, he worked as a comptroller and part-time at a local restaurant. Moneymaker has claimed his German ancestors chose “Moneymaker” as an anglicised form of their “Nurmacher” surname.
He was working as an accountant when he earned his spot in 2003’s World Series of Poker Main Event. He won an $86 satellite tournament at the PokerStars online poker card room to qualify.
An unknown competitor before the tournament, he quickly gained attention for his skills. Sports handicapper Lou Diamond called Moneymaker his ‘dark horse’ to win the competition.
Moneymaker would go on to win the first prize of $2.5 million, instantly gaining superstardom in the poker scene.
How Did Chris Moneymaker Win The 2003 WSOP?
The WSOP in 2003 was Chris Moneymaker’s first live tournament. One of his biggest hands was against Sam Farha, where he bluffed “all in” on the river with King high.
Farha folded a pair of nines which quickly swung the momentum of the game. Moneymaker won the tournament when his 5♦ 4♠ beat Farha’s J♥ 10♦ on a board of J♠ 5♠ 4♣ 8♦ 5♥.
This gave him a full house versus Farha’s two pairs, winning him the title. Following the victory, Moneymaker quit his job and worked as a celebrity spokesman for the series, as well as PokerStars.
20 Years Ago Chris Moneymaker Won The WSOP Main Event And Started The Poker Boom https://t.co/rkcPxUSKDR pic.twitter.com/Kehu8UIGHN
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 24, 2023
He founded his own company, Moneymaker Gaming, and travelled to play in more lucrative tournaments.
Chris Moneymaker’s Autobiography
In 2005, Moneymaker published his autobiography. It was titled “Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker”.
Eric Raskin, editor of All In Magazine, took input from three dozen top poker players involved in the 2003 event.
Curiously, it appears Moneymaker misremembered the buy-in fee for the satellite tournament. The $40 listed in his title was actually $86, as mentioned previously.
Chris Moneymaker Career Earnings
In 2004, Moneymaker finished second at the 2004 Shooting Stars event, winning $200,000. He then took sixth place on event five of the 2008 World Championship of Online poker, taking home $139,000.
Another $28,000 came in event 16 of the same year, before he won the 2009 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha event in 2009, pocketing $15,889.
The 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event earned him $130,000 for an 11th-placed finish. And he then took second spot at the National Heads Up Poker Tournament, losing to Erik Seidel, but taking home $300,000.
Chris Moneymaker was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019, and as of 2022 his live tournament winnings exceeded $3,950,000.
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