Chris Moneymaker Poker Player Story
From racks to riches. This is the story of how an amateur poker player got inspired by the movie Rounders, won a World Series of Poker seat online, and beat the pros in Las Vegas. This is the amazing story of Chris Bryan Moneymaker.
Who Is Chris Moneymaker?
Chris Bryan Moneymaker is an American professional poker player. He is most famous for his road to poker fame. In 2003, Moneymaker was the first player to qualify from a PokerStars online poker room and continue on to win the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Before poker made him famous, Moneymaker was a regular guy with a regular job. That was exactly why his win became such a big story. It made poker feel possible for anyone.
Early Life of Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker was born on November 21, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. He later worked as an accountant in Tennessee and played poker as a hobby.
The movie Rounders helped pull him deeper into the game. Like many players in the early online era he started testing himself online, and eventually found his way into a PokerStars satellite tournament. The format he won it in is the same Texas Hold’em most people play today.
Beating the Pros
He ended up winning the tournament and received the grand prize: a seat at the 2003 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chris entered the tournament with 839 entrants. Moneymaker reached the final table, went heads-up with Sammy Farha, and won the Main Event. The prize was an astounding $2,500,000.
The Poker Boom
Moneymaker’s achievement was the cherry on top of the early 2000s poker boom. An amateur beating the pros made a real impact on mainstream popularity, especially with televised poker taking off in the same year – the era we trace in our history of poker.
The Chris Moneymaker Effect
Moneymaker’s achievement, together with the introduction of televised poker, helped poker skyrocket throughout the next three years.
The “Moneymaker Effect” became the term for amateurs making it. The boom later slowed in October 2006 when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was voted into law in the United States. It had a negative impact on the poker boom, because it also affected online poker.
Chris Moneymaker’s Poker Winnings
Chris Moneymaker’s live tournament earnings run to roughly $4 million, the bulk of it from that single night in 2003. Beyond the Main Event he has finished in the top 10 several times.
In 2004 he finished second at the Shooting Stars event and won $200,000. Four years later he took home $139,000 at the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker. In 2011 he finished 11th at a Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha event in the World Poker Open tournament.
He has won prizes at other events, but still has not outdone his performance in 2003. Since then, one of his biggest achievements has been induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Controversy
In 2005, Moneymaker authored a controversial book called Bet Big to Win Big. The National Council on Problem Gambling was not happy with the book, as they believed it encouraged gambling and addiction.
Chris described the book as a way to teach mathematics and principles he had learned from poker and life.
Private Life of Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker has been married twice. He was divorced in 2004 and remarried in 2005. He has a daughter from his first marriage and later married Christina Wren in Las Vegas.
His daughter was born three months before his big win, making 2003 a year that changed his life both privately and professionally.
Besides making poker history, Chris is known for supporting charitable causes, including organizations focused on animals and autism awareness.
The American Dream
Donation and charity have become a major part of poker. Mike Sexton, the American professional player and commentator, even pledged that his cash prizes after 2006 would go to charity.
Mike was called “The Ambassador of Poker”, but Chris Moneymaker will always be tied to the poker version of the American Dream: the man with a daytime job who dared to dream and made the dream come true.
Chris also published an autobiography titled Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker. In it, he talks about his childhood, upbringing, life before poker fame, and life after his major win.
Are You the Next Moneymaker?
Chris Moneymaker got hooked on poker and went on to beat them all. Everyone who has ever won a satellite started somewhere less glamorous than a Vegas final table.
Try EasyPoker – it’s free, fun and built for friends. Create a private table, share the 4-digit game PIN, and play without chips or playing cards. Texas Hold’em is free and unlimited. For games with 4 or more players, the host needs EasyPoker Plus, and our poker hand rankings will tell you what beats what.
Want More Poker Player Stories?
If Chris’s story landed, we’ve written about Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of Poker, Mike Sexton, the Ambassador of Poker, Doug Polk and Maria Ho – plus a tribute to the top Danish poker players.
If there’s a player you’d like us to profile next, let us know.
Chris Moneymaker FAQ
Who is Chris Moneymaker?
Chris Moneymaker is an American professional poker player best known for winning the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event after qualifying through an online satellite.
What did Chris Moneymaker win in 2003?
He won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas and took home $2,500,000.
What is the Moneymaker Effect?
The Moneymaker Effect is the surge in poker popularity that followed his WSOP win. An amateur online qualifier beating the pros made poker feel possible for regular players.
Why was Chris Moneymaker’s win so important?
His win connected online poker, televised poker and the dream of everyday players competing with professionals, helping fuel the poker boom of the early 2000s.
Can I play poker with friends like a home game?
Yes. EasyPoker lets you create a private poker table, share a 4-digit game PIN and play poker with friends using digital cards and chips.
