Chris Moneymaker

Lore & Background

Moneymaker was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later earned a master's degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. After receiving his master's degree, Moneymaker worked as a comptroller. He was also a part-time employee at a local restaurant, in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Moneymaker said that his ancestors made silver and gold coins and that, upon moving to England, they chose the name 'Moneymaker' as a modification of their German last name, 'Nurmacher'. He was working as an accountant when he won a seat in the Main Event of the 2003 WSOP through an $86 satellite tournament at PokerStars. On day one, his skills caught the attention of professional sports handicapper Lou Diamond, who called Moneymaker his 'dark horse to win the whole tournament.' Moneymaker went on to win the first prize of $2.5 million.

The 2003 WSOP Main Event was his first live poker tournament, and he made the final table by knocking out Phil Ivey who finished 10th. On the final table, Moneymaker knocked out several players, including Tomer Benvenisti and former Main Event champion Dan Harrington. One of his most memorable hands was heads-up against Sam Farha, when on the river he bluffed 'all in' with King high. Farha folded a pair of nines.

Moneymaker eventually won the tournament when his J♠10♠ beat Farha's Q♣8♣ on a board of J♦10♣8♠J♥3♣, giving Moneymaker a full house (J♦J♥J♠10♣10♠) to Farha's two pairs (Q♣Q♦8♠8♣J♦). After winning, he quit his job to serve as a celebrity spokesman for Harrah's Entertainment and PokerStars, and started his own company, Moneymaker Gaming. His autobiography, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker, was published in March 2005.

As part of Moneymaker's success, it appears that Moneymaker misremembered the buy-in to the satellite that he won on PokerStars, leading to the error in the title of his autobiography, which refers to winning a $40 satellite, rather than the correct figure of $86. On the World Poker Tour, Moneymaker finished second at the 2004 Shooting Stars event and won $200,000. During Event 5 of the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker, a $10,300 buy-in No Limit Hold'em, he finished sixth, taking home over $139,000. He also finished fifth in Event 16, the $215 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys, earning over $28,000.

Reader's Guide

Moneymaker's 2003 WSOP Main Event win is a landmark in poker history, often credited with sparking the poker boom due to his online qualification. His story illustrates how a relatively unknown amateur can triumph at the highest level. Key facts: born in Atlanta, Georgia; attended Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee; earned a master's in accounting from the University of Tennessee; worked as a comptroller and part-time restaurant employee; won his WSOP seat via an $86 satellite on PokerStars (not $40 as his autobiography title states); eliminated Phil Ivey (10th place) and later Tomer Benvenisti and Dan Harrington at the final table; his heads-up bluff against Sam Farha with King-high was pivotal; his total live tournament winnings exceed $8.2 million as of 2025; inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019.