Chris Moneymaker Leaves PokerStars After 17 Years as an Ambassador

Some poker ambassadors are of their time and remind you of a different era of poker. Think of Joe Hachem and you might wistfully recall an era of massive Main Event top prizes and PokerStars patches on the apparel of virtually every player in Las Vegas. Conjure an image of Johnny Chan and you’ll be right back in the 1980’s, with all the shoulder pads and mullets.

Consider the best poker players in history and Chris Moneymaker might not make the top ten, yet as an ambassador, there is possibly no single person who has done more to grow the game of poker. Moneymaker lives up to his name in poker in so many ways.

The Beginning of a Legend

The story of how Chris Moneymaker shot to fame is a familiar one, but if you are new to poker and wonder how he made it, it’s truly the stuff of legend. The trained accountant qualified for the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event for less than $100 and once he was in Las Vegas, Moneymaker was a wrecking ball to the hopes and dreams of the great and good.

Knocking out Phil Ivey in 10th place was the start of a golden period for Moneymaker as he reached the final table among poker greats such as Sammy Farha, Dan Harrington and Amir Vahedi. The drama of the WSOP Main Event of 2003 was played out in many magical hands, five of the best of which are right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX9WgCO0Em0

Moneymaker would eventually end the tournament heads-up against Farha, and upon winning the clash and cementing his place in history, the former accountant gave up his old career to become the latest ambassador and Team Pro for PokerStars. He was part of their legendary roster of champions, including others such as Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem.

Building a Dynasty of Recreational Growth

It’s worth mentioning at this point that Moneymaker wasn’t simply experiencing a huge reward for his World Series Main Event win by signing to PokerStars. Back in 2003, ‘Stars were lagging behind Paradise Poker and PartyPoker in terms of popularity, especially with recreational players. Moneymaker signing to the Red Spade arguably did as much for the brand as it did for him — not something virtually every other ambassadorship could claim.

It was box-office gold for anyone tuning to PokerStars. The message was clear — play on PokerStars and no matter what your level of experience is, you could win big, just like Moneymaker. The surge in recreational players joining the game in the period immediately following Moneymaker’s WSOP win was so big that the phrase ‘The Moneymaker Effect’ was coined. Never had a player’s surname been more appropriate, it seemed.

Moneymaker was the ultimate pull on the live circuit. Famous overnight, he remained humble and while he was a superb player, he hid that ability well behind a mask of modesty that both helped his rep at the table and kept his profile low. Moneymaker wasn’t a superhero — he was the regular Joe who everyone could, in theory become.

Moneymaker was, in reality, incredibly special. As his victory and subsequent hero worship continued to propel him towards the top table in poker, he wasn’t out of depth… He was in his element.

The Rise Without a Fall

Moneymaker’s innate ability to sit with any player and hold his own coupled with his approachable nature and ability to connect with the recreational player created the perfect ambassador for the biggest poker brand in the world.

As Moneymaker was a man of the people, PokerStars pitched themselves as the poker company who truly represented the average player. That was borne out in 2011, when they paid off players who had lost money to Full Tilt, who had been the other big name in online poker at the time. Black Friday was a dark day for the industry overall, but the transition from players who loved the ‘high roller’ element that FTP offered to the more family friendly PokerStars brand was marked.

Moneymaker was at the heart of the attraction to PokerStars. While other Team Pros such as Jason Mercier, Liv Boeree and Daniel Negreanu made the game an aspirational one to different player types for different reasons, Moneymaker could encapsulate a number of ways to attract players. He was the man for all marketing seasons and transcended the time he won within — not an easy achievement when he had done so much to define that particular period.

A Lasting Legacy and Fond Farewell

Chris Moneymaker, having won almost $4 million in live tournaments alone, will always be remembered for his record win — that $2.5 million WSOP Main Event victory in 2003. But since then, while his results haven’t been at stratospheric levels, they’ve remained very high. Moneymaker was the go-to guy for festivals with lower buy-in events specifically to attract those recreational players who aspired to be him. Despite this restriction on his earnings, Moneymaker consistently won over $80,000 on average per year.

It was in 2019 that Moneymaker arguably won his greatest prize, that being an induction into the Poker Hall of Fame, the Tennessee man being rightly recognised for his incredible contribution to the game. The impact Moneymaker had enjoyed having on the game with his success and fame was hugely felt by the industry his WSOP win created.

It could be argued that while poker had grown in the 33 years between 1970 and 2003, it never truly became the game it is today until Chris Moneymaker kicked it into a gear it has never had to drop down from. Moneymaker’s success allowed so many other players to play the game and is still the basis for much of the poker industry as we know it today.

With his Road to the PSPC tour generating new interest in the game from a new generation of players over the last few years, Chris Moneymaker proved that he was still just as powerful an ambassador at the end of his 17 years representing PokerStars as he was when he first shot to fame.

As he left PokerStars, Moneymaker put out a video explaining how it happened and how he was looking forward to a new future.

Where Will Moneymaker Go Next?

It’s impossible to say what the best option for Chris Moneymaker would be if he decides to remain in the poker industry. The popular pro wants to spend more time with his family and his millions of fans will respect that decision. He certainly appeals to other brands as an ambassador, however.

With Daniel Negreanu heading to GGPoker, there’s every chance the Canadian will renew his ambassadorial partnership with the other longest-serving member of the legendary roster of PokerStars Team Pros that heralded the game’s most successful period in history.

Will Chris Moneymaker be back? It’s impossible to imagine the game of poker without him. But maybe he’ll try blackjack online next?