Chris Moneymaker: the name says it all

Chris Moneymaker's career was from zero to millions. A true story of rags-to-riches, that started from a $ 40 bet at an online poker tournament. Moneymaker is indeed a money-maker and was a small time accountant before he became one of the poker pros.

Moneymaker's first million dollar win was at the PokerStars online tournament where he bet $ 40, just trying his luck. At the end of the tournament, he won $ 2.5 million which then gave him the privilege to enter the 2003 World Series of Poker.

Moneymaker almost didn't make it to the 2003 World Series of Poker event due to budget constraints. So his dad and his friend, David Gamble, helped him get the money he needed in order to make the trip to Las Vegas and pay for the accommodations. As a deal, Moneymaker was asked to share some of his prize in case he wins at the tournament; and so he did. Moneymaker had quite a number of unforgettable moves during the event which include his tense battle with Sam Farha. Moneymaker bluffed an all-in on the river with King-high, while Farha folded a pair of 9's. At the end of the final play, Moneymaker got a full house that beat Farha's pair.

There are some who believed that Moneymaker just relies on his luck, but luck isn't the only thing that makes him a winner. Moneymaker won 2nd place at the World Poker Tour and took home $ 200,000. He is one of the many players who have an aggressive playing style. Nowadays he still plays at the PokerStars online poker site and uses the screen name Money800.

Chris Moneymaker is his real name and his friends call him Money and usually cheer him by shouting "Go Money" whenever he is at a poker table. He decided to play poker seriously after watching Rounders, a movie that starred Edward Norton, Matt Damon and poker pro Johnny Chan. Chris Moneymaker is a native of Spring Hills, Tennessee but currently he resides in Nashville with his family. Moneymaker already quit his job as an accountant and joined Harrah's Entertainment and PokerStars as the companies' celebrity spokesman.

Becoming famous overnight did not faze Moneymaker's feet off the ground, even though it's quite overwhelming even for him. As devoted family man, and a loving husband and father, Moneymaker always wants to provide the best for his family. He has plans of sending his daughter to college with his tournament winnings. He has donated to charity particularly to cancer research worth $ 25,000. He also has an autobiography which carries his last name as the title and it was published March of last year.