Chris Moneymaker

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Lore & Background

Chris Moneymaker is an American poker player, born in Atlanta, Georgia, who attended high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. Before his poker career, he worked as a comptroller and also held a part-time job at a local restaurant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. His surname, which he has stated is a modification of the German name “Nurmacher” made by his ancestors upon moving to England, is of English origin. Moneymaker won the Main Event of the 2003 World Series of Poker after qualifying through an $86 satellite tournament on the online poker site PokerStars. This victory, his first live poker tournament, made him the first world champion to qualify online, an achievement widely credited with revolutionizing poker and known as the “Moneymaker effect.” During the tournament, he caught the attention of sports handicapper Lou Diamond, who called him a dark horse. He knocked out Phil Ivey, who finished 10th, and later eliminated Tomer Benvenisti and former champion Dan Harrington at the final table. The defining hand came heads-up against Sam Farha: Moneymaker bluffed all-in on the river with king-high, causing Farha to fold a pair of nines, shifting momentum. Moneymaker eventually won when his 5♦ 4♠ beat Farha’s J♥ 10♦ on a board of J♠ 5♠ 4♣ 8♦ 5♥, giving him a full house. After winning the $2.5 million prize, he quit his accounting job to become a celebrity spokesman for Harrah’s Entertainment and PokerStars, and founded Moneymaker Gaming. He has finished second in the 2004 World Poker Tour Shooting Stars event, placed second in the 2011 National Heads-Up Poker Championship against Erik Seidel, and earned over $8.2 million in live tournament winnings as of June 2025. In 2019, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Moneymaker has been married twice; his first marriage ended in 2004, partly due to his desire to become a traveling poker pro, and he has a daughter from that marriage. He remarried in 2005 and lives near Memphis, Tennessee.

Reader's Guide

The "Moneymaker effect" refers to the seismic shift in poker's popularity and accessibility following his 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event victory. Moneymaker, then an accountant and part-time restaurant worker, had qualified for the tournament by winning an $86 satellite tournament on the online poker site PokerStars. This was his first live poker tournament, and he was largely unknown. His deep run caught the attention of handicapper Lou Diamond, who called him a dark horse. At the final table, Moneymaker eliminated Phil Ivey in 10th place and later knocked out former champion Dan Harrington. The defining moment came heads-up against Sam Farha, when Moneymaker bluffed all-in with only king-high on the river; Farha folded a pair of nines, shifting momentum. Moneymaker won the title with a full house against Farha’s two pairs, taking $2.5 million. His win proved that an amateur, using an online satellite, could defeat seasoned professionals. This sparked a massive surge in online poker play and record WSOP attendance in following years. Moneymaker quit his accounting job to become a celebrity spokesman for Harrah’s and PokerStars, and founded Moneymaker Gaming. His autobiography, *Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker*, misstates the satellite buy-in as $40 instead of $86. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019. His total live tournament winnings exceed $8.2 million, with over $3.1 million from the WSOP.

Did You Know?

• The title of his autobiography incorrectly states he won a $40 satellite; the actual buy-in was $86.

From Gumbasia to the Small Screen

That early work showcased abstract clay shapes contorting and twisting through kaleidoscopic patterns, demonstrating the stop-motion technique without any narrative structure. When producer Sam Engel viewed the film, he recognized the medium's storytelling potential and encouraged Clokey to apply the technique to children's tales. With Engel providing the necessary financial backing, Clokey produced a second pilot, 'Gumby on the Moon,' which became the character's true television debut. The pilot was presented on the popular children's program Howdy Doody and generated enough enthusiasm to secure a full greenlight for a dedicated series, setting the stage for decades of Gumby adventures.

A Long Broadcast Life

One notable production detail involves the 1950s episodes, which were originally crafted as eleven-minute stories. When these were later syndicated alongside 1960s material, many were split into shorter segments. Some of these abbreviated versions simply reused footage from the longer originals, while others incorporated newly filmed material, detectable through subtle shifts in the characters' appearance. Title sequences were also mixed, with half the shortened episodes receiving fresh introductions and the other half retaining the original.

Finding Gumby on Home Video

The journey of The Gumby Show onto home video has been long and varied. Only three episodes—'This Little Piggy,' 'Tricky Train,' and 'Foxy Box'—were never included. In 2002, Kid Rhino Home Video released a seven-disc DVD set containing one hundred and ten episodes, but it drew significant criticism because it used the 1980s reissued elements with redubbed voices rather than the original recordings.

The Cast and the Bumpers

Beyond Gumby himself, the show built a colorful ensemble of clay characters who appeared in the short bumper clips that punctuated broadcasts. Pokey, a small yellow creature, was a constant companion, featured in scenes where he fired Gumby from a cannon, rolled a massive green clay ball off a cliff that transformed into nine mini Gumbys, or accompanied an inflated, fatter version of his friend. Other characters had their own signature bumper lines: Prickle would tell viewers to hang on, Goo promised more fun with Gumby and pals (a bumper that notably crossed over into a Freddy's Nightmares episode), and Professor Kapp assured audiences more adventures were coming. Gumbo and Gumba, presumably Gumby's parents, expressed pride in their son, while Minga reminded viewers that her brother would return after the messages. These brief interludes, alongside physical gags like aerial combat leaving Gumby-shaped ammo holes or a rocket blast forming a Gumby-shaped cloud, gave the show a playful, kinetic identity that extended well beyond the main episodes.