Chris Moneymaker

VITALS:

Name: Christopher Bryan Moneymaker
Date of Birth: November 21, 1975
Nationality: American
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
WSOP Bracelets: 1
WSOP Cashes: 4
WPT Titles: 0
WPT Cashes: 2
Online Poker Room: PokerStars

PROFILE:

Chris Moneymaker has lived the everyday Joe’s poker fantasy. There’s no other way to put it. After earning his masters degree in accounting from Tennessee State University, he became an accountant and began playing poker online as a hobby. In 2003, Moneymaker competed in a $39 PokerStars tournament and won. His win in that satellite event earned him a seat at a bigger satellite tourney, which he also won. The prize was a seat at the WSOP Main Event in Vegas. Maybe it’s his last name or perhaps the stars were aligned properly or it could just be that Moneymaker was primed and ready, but the amateur player won the 2003 WSOP Main Event, earning the gold bracelet and a $2.5 million prize. What can you say but, “Wow?”

Moneymaker’s good fortune was also good for online poker as it created a huge interest in Internet poker, which was called the “Moneymaker Effect”. That win has been Moneymaker’s primary score to date. The 2003 WSOP champ is known for his good sportsmanship and gentlemanly quality. When he first started playing, he was an aggressive player but over time, Moneymaker has developed a more conservative wait and see style of play. He focuses on his opponents and table position and tends to be reactive, waiting for the right moment to strike.

When he’s not traveling the poker circuit, Moneymaker, a family man, spends a lot of time at his Nashville, TN, home with his wife and kids. He’s on Team Poker Stars and in 2005 his autobiography, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker, was published. The title says it all.