Chris Moneymaker burst onto the scene nearly a decade ago when as an amateur player, he won the 2003 $10 million World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event at Bunion’s Horseshoe. Chris’s win was especially impressive because he turned a $39 investment into a million dollar payday.
Moneymaker qualified for the WSOP Main Event via Pokerstars, the online casino. He paid a paltry $39, played his way until he was the last person standing until he was $2,500,000 richer.
Chris started his professional career as in accountant. Playing poker was something he did as a sideline, for fun mostly. However, he quickly found himself competing against some of the world’s best players and then thrust into the spotlight after his 2003 win.
Moneymaker was a satellite qualifier and did not enter the tournament with much fan fair. In fact, outside of his family and friends it would have been hard to find someone who knew who he was. They would, after he beat more then 800 players to be crowned the WSOP Main Event Champion.
Since that time, Moneymaker’s play has continued to be impressive. He finished second in the Bay 101 Shooting Star Tournament, where he took home $200,000. He finished in 10th place at the 2005 WSOP tournament, placed 17th at the EPT (European Poker Tour) and 6th at the World Championship on Online Poker (WCOOP). Moneymaker came close to taking another top prize in a tournament, but only managed to finished in second place at the World Poker Open.
Besides playing in tournaments both offline and online, Moneymaker is also a member of Team PokerStars Pro. Individuals interested in taking him on and testing their own skills against a World Champion can do so. Chris Moneymaker uses the moniker, ‘Money800.’
What Moneymaker has managed to accomplish is what many amateurs aspire to. Coming out of no where to shock the world is what most poker players dream about.