In 2003, Chris Moneymaker stunned the poker world when he became the world champion from an $86 WSOP online satellite qualifier. In 2024, GGPoker will be sending over 1,000 players to the World Series via online events, but 21 years ago, the opportunity was rare. That was until Moneymaker kicked the door open for online players and changed poker forever, creating the industry’s first real ‘poker boom’.
In Part One of our 2003 WSOP Main Event story, Chris Moneymaker had just eliminated Phil Ivey to lead the final table of nine into the history books. What happened next would never be forgotten.
The Newbie in Control
Having never played a live tournament before the 2003 Main Event, Moneymaker was, in some ways, wildly out of his comfort zone. With the final table of nine players set, Chris Moneymaker was the name on everybody’s lips. Moneymaker had 27.9% (2,344,000) of the chips in play. He was followed by Amir Vahedi with 1,407,000, and Sam Farha third, holding 999,000. After David Singer (9th for $120,000) lost out, David Grey (8th for $160,000) and Young Pak (7th for $200,000), the field was down to just a half dozen, and Chris Moneymaker was feeling great.
“Words can’t really describe how good I’m feeling,” he said. “I’m not there yet; I want to win the whole thing. When they bring the money out onto the table, I hope I’m still there. I’ve got friends back home rooting for me, my wife and family are sitting there on webcast. It makes me feel confident to have that support.”
In the crowd was Chris’s father, Mike, who turned to his friend and said, “I knew he could play, but I didn’t know he could play this good.”
Amir Vahedi took a stab at a huge pot when he moved with ten-eight on the 9-6-4-6 board against Farha’s full house with pocket nines. Laying down a ten-nine, Moneymaker quipped: “You boys have fun.” A three on the river completed the board and Sammy Farha bet 300,000.
“At this point it a posturing manoeuvre by Vahedi. He’s not possibly going to call this,” said Chad, and he was right. Moneymaker was widening his range and raised with pocket fours. Vahedi shoved with ace-queen and got it through Moneymaker. A bit later, he shoved again, but with four-six on a board showing A-Q-9. Farha called with ace-five and saw it through the bluff to send Vahedi home in sixth for $250,000. Tomer Benvenisti (5th for $320,000) and Jason Lester (4th for $440,000) bid farewell soon afterward, and the field was reduced to just three players, two of them professionals.
Action Heads Home
Down to three-handed, it was two well know legends of the felt against the unknown Chris Moneymaker. Former Main Event champion Dan Harrington was a huge presence at the table, and high stakes grinder Sammy Farha looked so comfortable that the others looked awkward.
“This is brutal. It could go on ‘til 2am,” said Harrington to his friends on the rail. “I’ve hit the wall.”
‘Action’ Dan Harrington was a real threat and got there with king-ten against Moneymaker’s ace-high to double-up, but eventually, Harrington lost with king-six to Moneymaker’s ten-nine on a flop of T-6-2 with three diamonds. It was virtually a flip with Harrignton’s king being in diamonds, but the ace of hearts on the turn was followed by the ace of spades on the river, and Moneymaker had another victim – the 1995 Hold’em champion Dan Harrington, who took home $650,000 for his finish.
“I would say that Sammy [Farha] has the edge,” said Harrington moments after busting. “He’s a high-action, experienced player, been under enormous pressure before and this kid [Moneymaker] is playing for a big prize for the first time in his life. In sports, when you get to your first championship game you usually don’t win because you’re just happy to be there.”
The Moneymaker Effect
Moneymaker, however, was anything but a bystander. Constantly applying pressure, he bullied his lead into a final showdown on a flop of J-5-4. Raising Farha’s bet, Moneymaker had five-four for a flopped two-pair. Farha had jack-ten and went all-in. Moneymaker made the call and was a 76% favorite to become the first amateur world champion ever to win the Main Event from an online satellite costing him just $86.
The turn card was an eight of diamonds and Farha could only draw a jack, ten or eight to survive. The river was an inconsequential five. Moneymaker had done it, hitting a full house and earning $2.5 million.
“The 27-year-old has stepped out of a virtual poker room and in a very swift and unlikely manner is atop the poker world.” Said Lon McEachern.
“This is beyond fairytale; it’s inconceivable,” agreed Norman Chad.
“It doesn’t seem real,” said Moneymaker himself as he spoke with Chad after the final battle.
“Tomorrow, I’ll probably dance, I don’t know what I’ll do!”
Before the action at the final table, Chris Moneymaker declared, “I’m not going to quit work and become a poker player. I’ll continue to live a normal life.”
That normal life evaporated the instant he made a full house against Sammy Farha. An overnight poker celebrity, Moneymaker was signed to PokerStars as part of their roster of former champions and became an ambassador, leaving behind accountancy.
Two decades on, Chris Moneymaker’s victory, which kickstarted the poker boom, has led to the growth of the game more than perhaps any other single event in history. Maybe the best ambassador that poker has ever had, Chris Moneymaker has brought countless millions of normal regular people into the greatest card game on Earth and turned it into a mega-popular pastime. His legacy may be more than the 2003 WSOP Main Event by the time he retires, but his unforgettable victory of that year will live on in the memories of poker players as long as we play the game.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chris Moneymaker | United States | $2,500,000 |
| 2nd | Sammy Farha | United States | $1,300,000 |
| 3rd | Dan Harringtion | United States | $650,000 |
| 4th | Jason Lester | United States | $440,000 |
| 5th | Tomer Benvenisti | United States | $320,000 |
| 6th | Amir Vahedi | Iran | $250,000 |
| 7th | Young Pak | United States | $200,000 |
| 8th | David Grey | United States | $160,000 |
| 9th | David Singer | United States | $120,000 |
2003 WSOP Main Event – Part 1 2004 WSOP Main Event – Part 1
About the Author: Paul Seaton has written about poker for over 10 years, interviewing some of the best players ever to play the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth. Over the years, Paul has reported live from tournaments such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the European Poker Tour. He has also written for other poker brands where he was Head of Media, as well as BLUFF magazine, where he was Editor.