CHRIS MONEYMAKER

'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).^[1] His victory is generally credited for being one of the main catalysts for the poker boom in the years following his win.
Moneymaker attended Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee and later earned a master's degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. He was working as an accountant in Tennessee when he won a seat into the main event of the 2003 WSOP through a US$39 satellite tournament at the PokerStars online poker card room. He went on to win the first prize of $2.5 million, instantly garnering poker superstar status. It was his first live poker tournament.
Moneymaker's most memorable hand set him 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. Farha did, however, win a rematch on Pokerstars a month later.
Moneymaker has since played on the World Poker Tour, finishing second at the Shooting Stars event, earning $200,000.^[2][3]
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 is married and has a daughter named Ashley, born 3 months before his WSOP win. 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 (ISBN 0-06-076001-X).
Moneymaker can be heard Thursdays on Playboy Radio's Morning Show on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Contents

Last name

Notes

External links

Last name

Moneymaker's last name is an aptronym. His last name is not a pseudonym and is in fact his real birth name. "Moneymaker" is actually a modification of a German last name which is approximately "Nurmacher".^[4]
many poker players feel that moneymaker's win at the 2003 wsop was responsible for the preceding popularity of texas holdem.

Notes

1. Hendon Mob tournament results: Chris Moneymaker
2. Poker Babes: Bay 101 Shooting Star World Poker Tour Report
3. World Poker Tour: Bay 101 Shooting Star
4. Chris Moneymaker at the German tv show TV Total. (video-link on the bottom)

External links

★ Official site

★ Poker Babes profile

★ Team PokerStars profile

★ Guide to Poker profile

★ Launch Poker interview

★ Blonde Poker interview