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The poker world owes a great deal of gratitude to Chris Moneymaker
(unbelievably that is his real name). It is a funny thing that the 29
year-old accountant from Tennessee, who had never played a live tournament
before the 2003 WSOP, would go on to win the Main Event, and in the process
become one of the most influential figures of the the modern poker age. But
there Chris is, walking proud and standing tall, and serving as an
inspiration to all the people who sit down at their home games and dream of
bigger things.
Chris' story is by now the stuff of legend. He was a travelling accountant
who spent many lonely hours on the road. Many a night he sat in his crummy
hotel room trying to pass the time. He enjoyed playing poker but he found it
difficult to find a game, so he turned to the internet. He started playing
on Pokerstars whenever he had free time (he still does under the same name,
Money800). Over time his game improved, so he decided to take a run at
qualifying for the World Series. As luck would have it he eventually won a
seat, paying $40 in the process. Cash was tight and Chris realized he
probably wouldn't even be able to afford to travel to Vegas to play, so he
sold pieces of his action to his father and a friend. It turned out to be a
better investment than anyone could ever have imagined, and when the dust
had settled Chris was clutching both the trophy and $2.5 million in cash. It
is in this respect that Chris has emerged as the most influential figure in
poker. His rags-to-riches story has prompted millions of average joes to
take a shot at poker glory, both in live play and on the internet. All of
the players who are competing for bloated prize pools should buy Chris a
drink.
Whenever someone has success there will always be people who attribute it to
luck, and Chris is no exception. Many people have stated that they could
have won the WSOP too if they were holding the same cards Chris held. It is
undeniable that luck was on Chris' side during the tournament. He busted out
Humberto Brenes' pocket A's when his pocket 8's hit a set on the turn, and
he rivered an A to make a higher full house than Phil Ivey (and knock him
out in a bitter 10th). But luck plays a factor in every tournament with
large fields, and when the play got down to the final table Chris took
control of the table. And what a tough table it was, with former World
Champion Dan Harrington and feared cash player Sammy Farha. Chris played
like a seasoned veteran and never backed down. He slowplayed his top pair to
bust out Harrington in third and then went mano a mano with Farha. On one
critical hand, Chris bluffed Farha off of his top pair when the board turned
up three to
the flush. It was a ballsy all-in move that showed the heart of a champion,
and it gave Chris a 2-1 chip lead. It set the stage for the final hand, when
Chris' 4-5 flopped two pair to Sammy's pair of jacks. All the money got in
on the turn and the river brought the 5, giving Chris a full boat and a
place in poker immortality.
Chris proved he wasn't a flash in the pan by finishing second to Phil Gordon
in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star. I was very impressed with Chris' play in
this event (I felt he was the best player at the table), and if wasn't for a
couple of bad beats he easily could have won. However, it hardly matters if
Chris ever anything again in the future, for his place in poker history is
assured. He is the man who brought poker mainstream, and the reason why
millions sit in their underwear and play 1000 hands a day.
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