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There’s little doubt the 2003 World Series of Poker was a turning point in poker’s history, but that may be understating the facts. This was the single most important event in poker history with regards to getting the game to where it is today.
In the wake of amateur Robert Varkyoni’s victory a year earlier the Series had reached proportions it had never seen before. A whopping thirty-four preliminary events produced a remarkable roster of champions, including Chris Ferguson (twice), Prahlad Friedman, Erik Seidel, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth (twice), Johnny Chan (twice), Huck Seed, Layne Flack, Mickey Appelman, John Juanda (twice), Daniel Negreanu, Men Nguyen (twice) and Carlos Mortensen. This was the gateway to the new Series and simultaneously the last of the old.
Of course, in that amazing array of names, one new one stood out in the aftermath. It was to poker’s great fortune that Chris Moneymaker had seen Rounders five years earlier. It inspired the accountant, an avid gambler, to take the game more seriously, and Varkyoni’s ’02 victory combined with an online satellite win inspired Chris to make the trip this time around. The rest, of course, is poker history.
Moneymaker came to producers’ attention when he took out Johnny Chan. It was the first of many high-profile eliminations that would highlight his run to the top, with Humberto Brenes and Phil Ivey amongst his additional victims. Once at the final table, he took out Dan Harrington to reduce the field to two: He and classic gambler Sam Farha.
In a classic amateur vs. pro matchup, Moneymaker offered a straight split of the cash despite an almost 2:1 advantage in chips. Farha, feeling like the twenty-eight year old was feeling the pressure, flatly refused. It was a decision he’d come to regret. For all of the accomplishments of his illustrious career, Farha is best-remembered as the man who lost to Moneymaker.
With Farha on steam after Moneymaker’s classic bluff, Chris knew Sammy was playing with anything and called a pre-flop praise with 5d-4s. The board came a perfect Js-5s-4h, giving Chris bottom two to Sammy’s top pair. Moneymaker checked, Farha made a small bet, and when Chris came over the top for T275, Farha shoved his stack in. Moneymaker made the call and history, with his hand holding up through the turn, then improving to a full house on the river.
Moneymaker received $2.5 million for his victory. A lot of other people have been making money off his victory ever since. Thanks Chris,
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
