In the records of professional poker history, there are arguably few names as well-known as Chris Moneymaker. And with a name as apt as ‘Moneymaker’ it is perhaps of little surprise that Chris would go on to have such success in the world of poker.
Born in November 1975 in Nashville, Tennessee, Chris Moneymaker is an American poker player who became prominent following his performance at the 2003 World Series of Poker competition.
When competing in the Main Event at the 2003 World Series of Poker tournament (WSOP), Moneymaker’s performance is frequently referenced as revolutionizing the game and ushering in a new era of professional poker.
But what exactly made Moneymaker’s performance so crucial in the history of professional poker? And what else has Moneymaker achieved in the game since then?
Who is Chris Moneymaker?
Moneymaker was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1975 to parents who were of German origin. This German connection graced Chris with the surname ‘Moneymaker,’ a modification of ‘Nurmacher’—a relatively uncommon name in the region.
Although not necessarily a mathematics whizz, Moneymaker grew up with a sound grasp of numbers. This led him to study accounting in college, which he studied up to master’s degree level at the University of Tennessee.
Moneymaker’s early poker career
Although it is not known when he first started playing poker, we know that he was still working as an accountant when he earned his first seat at the Main Event of the 2003 WSOP
Moneymaker earned this seat through his performance at a satellite tournament at the PokerStars online poker card room.
Despite being almost completely unknown in the world of professional poker, Moneymaker quickly caught the attention of Lou Diamond, a professional sports commentator at the time.
Much to the surprise of the spectators and competitors alike, Moneymaker went on to win first prize in the tournament. This netted him a total prize pool of around $2.5 million and launched him into the upper echelons of professional poker.
After the 2003 win: what came next?
Following the event, Moneymaker quit his job as an accountant, and pursued several high-profile jobs as a celebrity spokesman. This also marked the beginning of Moneymaker’s professional poker-playing career. And following the 2003 WSOP, Moneymaker began travelling to play in more tournaments—particularly those with more significant buy-in amounts.
In the years following the tournament, Moneymaker also started working on an autobiography of his experience and rise to fame. This was published in March 2005 and was titled ‘Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker.’ Moneymaker was also profiled by the esteemed editor of ‘All in Magazine’—a popular poker periodical—which compiled an oral history of the tournament and included an interview with the growing star himself.
What made 2003 so special?
Although a $2.5 million win is a significant achievement, this does not necessarily explain why Moneymaker’s 2003 tournament victory proved so important in the game’s history.
Perhaps most immediately, Moneymaker’s victory at the WSOP tournament was significant as he technically started his route to tournament victory with just $86. Although the title of his autobiography referred to his “$40” journey to $2.5 million, this was an error. Moneymaker had paid $86 dollars to enter the qualifying tournament.
Moneymaker’s participation in the tournament occurred during a “dark period” for online poker, with poker rooms across the country shutting down as online poker and online casinos were beginning to take off.
For this reason, Moneymaker’s victory in the Main Event was described as having the “Moneymaker Effect.” This referred to the rapid expansion of online poker and the emergence of a new generation of professional poker players who had plied their trade online.
This had been relatively unusual in previous editions of the tournament, as whilst online poker players had undoubtedly been present, none of them had performed quite as well as the more traditionally trained players.
These days, this is not the case. Online poker players not only regularly perform at the highest levels of the game, but there are now hundreds if not thousands of online poker tournaments each year.
In this sense, Chris Moneymaker’s epic victory in 2003 reflected the mood of the time, with online poker becoming an increasingly powerful force.
After 2003: what came next for Moneymaker?
Having achieved such great heights, what came next for Chris Moneymaker?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, following his famous 2003 victory at the WSOP tournament, Moneymaker continued to play competitive poker.
He performed well on the World Poker Tour, finishing second at the 2004 Shooting Stars match. This netted him a cool $200,000. Moneymaker also put in solid performances in the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker, the World Poker Open Tournament in 2009, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in 2011, and the National Heads-up Poker Tournament.
Whilst the 2003 WSOP tournament was by far his biggest prize pot, Moneymaker has still managed to accrue a total of around $4 million in career earnings from live tournaments to date.
And in recognition of his contribution to the game, Moneymaker was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019.
Moneymaker continues to play professionally to this day and is still in search of an opportunity to recreate his epic, career-defining win at the 2003 WSOP tournament!
