Yes this is true we both love online poker, if you are reading this blog.

I have heard about online poker in 2003 but I waited a few years before opening an account. That year was memorable for online poker, as this is the year when Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP main event, bringing this online card game to the mainstream.

An unknown to professional poker circles, Chris appeared from nowhere to get the Gold bracelet. He joined this prestigious poker event by enrolling through a $37 satellite tournament after getting his PokerStars marketing code bonus. What an extraordinary return on investment.

Chris Moneymaker, a young 27 years old playing poker on the Internet, won a $10,000 entry fee to the WSOP main event, from a satellite tournament hosted by PokerStars (36 other PokerStars players have also won their entry from other satellite tournaments). The people at PokerStars have not stopped since to push WSOP satellite tournaments as they want a share of this poker cake. The rest is history.

On Saturday, May 24 at 10:30, Chris Moneymaker won the main event of the 2003 World Series Of Poker. He became the 34th world champion and pocketed $2.5 million for his effort. This was the first time (but not last) that a winner of the WSOP main event qualified by playing on the Internet. The old timers of poker could do nothing against him, including poker pro Sammy Farha who finished second.

Chris Moneymaker lives in Spring Hill (suburb of Nashville) in Tennessee, where he is alternately accountant by profession and server in a restaurant. With his wife Kelly they were the proud parents of a three months old girl at the time when he prevailed at the final table.

His passion for poker began after seeing the movie Rounders, and to be honest he is just one among thousands like that. This is a great movie, to say the least, one of the best poker movies.

Chris had been playing poker on the Internet for only three years: he told the press that the main event of the WSOP was the first live tournament in which he had participated. Chris only knew poker tournaments on the Internet. By the way, his name is not a pseudonym for an online poker player nickname, his real name is Moneymaker, as incredible as it may sound. This is truly destiny.

Chris explained that when he won his seat to the $10,000 WSOP no-limit Texas Holdem main event at pokerstars, he wanted to sell it for $8,000 to recover some money and pay bills. But as it was not possible to sell his pokerstars ticket, he determined to go to Vegas anyway and to try his luck. He was very well inspired indeed.

For the final hand, Chris with 54 called his opponent Sam Fahra who had JT. The flop came J54; Sam hit top pair while Chris got two pairs. The turn card was a blank, but the river card gave two pairs to Sam but a full house to Chris. That was the hand of victory for the new poker champion.

Chris Moneymaker said that his earnings would be used to pay for higher education for his little girl. In addition he donated $ 25,000 (1% of earnings) for research against cancer. Chris Moneymaker later became a poker pro sponsoring the poker room pokerstars, and this was a truly win-win situation. Chris got the money he wanted, pokerstars the notoriety it needed.