Chris Moneymaker: Professional Poker Player - Champion 2003 World Series of Poker

Professional Poker player Chris Moneymaker was born in Spring Hill, Tennessee in 1976, attended the University of Tennessee and earned a masters degree in accounting.

Once he Finished college he began playing poker in 2000 after seeing the movie "Rounders". Before becoming the 2003 World Series of Poker Professional Champion, Chris Moneymaker was working two jobs, one as an accountant and the other part-time in a restaurant and earning around $ 40.000 a year.

Three years later Chris Moneymaker won his seat into the main event of the 2003 World Series of Poker by spending $39 playing at an online Poker Room Texas Hold'em.

Although he won the seat to the WSOP, he did not have enough money to pay the airfare, hotel and food for a week. So for small chunk of the winnings, his father and one of his friends (whose last name is Gamble) loaned him the money needed to get to Las Vegas, he entered his first real-time tournament and spent the next four days battling for a top spot at the final table.

Chris Moneymaker went on to win the first prize of $2.5 million as a Professional Poker player. It was his first live poker tournament. He has since then played on the World Poker Tour, finishing second at the Shooting Stars event, earning $200,000. After winning the WSOP, he quit his job and began traveling to play in larger buy-in tournaments.

His main goal, to provide for his family.

In 2004 the number of entrants - and the winning pool - at the World Series of Poker tripled, thanks in large part to the poker professional Chris Moneymaker, an amateur player who came out of nowhere to win the 2003 Series, and prove to newcomers and poker professionals alike that:

“anything is possible with a
chip and a chair"

Related professional poker articles about Chris Moneymaker:

- Poker Players: Professional Players - Moneymaker WSOP 2003 Champion
- Focus on Chris Moneymaker