2007-07-26 22:53:53
Chris Moneymaker Should Be Applauded, Not Hated
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Chris Moneymaker takes a lot of flak from people, and I never understood why.
First off, people can't stand Chris Moneymaker because they feel like he got lucky to win the 2003 World Series of Poker. Two hands in particular come to mind; the hand where he got all-in against aces preflop and won, and the hand against Phil Ivey where Moneymaker rivered a better full house. I got news for everyone out there; if you win a major tournament, chances are that you got really lucky at least a handful of times during the tournament. You win the World Series of Poker, it is because you sucked out at least a couple of times.
The fact is, Chris Moneymaker is a really nice guy. He spends time doing charity work and occasionally plays poker. I have a lot of respect for someone who has had a big tournament score and doesn't totally get caught up in the poker lifestyle. He will play a major tournament here and there and play on Pokerstars from time to time, but his life isn't totally consumed by poker. He has gotten himself into shape recently, and clearly enjoys his life outside of poker.
Further, Chris Moneymaker is the reason that many of us play poker online now. If he hadn't won in 2003, there is a good chance that poker wouldn't have boomed like it did. It was because of the fact that he qualified online and ended up winning the main event that so much attention was brought to online poker.
And lastly, of all of the reason main event champions, Moneymaker is the nicest guy and by far the most humble of them all. Let's look at the list:
Chris Moneymaker - humble guy, chats at the online tables, seems to have his head squarely on his shoulders
Greg Raymer - has in recent times become more and more unapproachable at big events
Joe Hachem - has turned into quite a whiner and comes across as being quite arrogant now
Jamie Gold - need I say anything
Jerry Yang - too early to tell
Chris Moneymaker strikes me as being a great guy who adds a lot of positives to poker, and few negatives. He should be applauded and not hated on.
Filed Under: World Series of Poker | Miscellaneous Poker Articles
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