Chris Moneymaker, the subject of this month’s episode of The Interview with Craig Tapscott, is one of the most iconic and famous poker players of all time.
If Doyle Brunson was the godfather of poker, and Stu Ungar its wayward son, Chris Moneymaker just might be its favorite fun uncle. Moneymaker’s success at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) kick-started a meteoric surge in the game’s popularity, with widespread internet adoption and the rise of online poker adding fuel to the fire.
And ever since that groundbreaking moment, Moneymaker has been visible, present and vocal. He may have snuck his way into poker history, courtesy of a $86 satellite win, but once up on the stage he wasn’t about to sneak off again.
More than two decades on, he’s still out there giving players a chance to knock out the champ; often with a smile, a flash of his quick wit and an A-game that can still mix it with the best of them.
Watch the video above for the full, in-depth interview, or read on for a taste.
‘People think that I bluff all the time’
“I wouldn’t call it a burden, it’s more of a blessing,” says Moneymaker of the target he’s carried on his back since 2003. “The biggest hurdle that I had over the last 20 years was getting used to people playing me differently, calling me down a lot lighter, trying to bluff me more. For 10 years I had to play a little bit different than everybody else to adjust for it, and I probably adjusted too much.”
Some big scores added to his resume over the past year will attest to the fact that Moneymaker has course-corrected successfully. 2024 saw him land a $900K+ tournament win at Triton Montenegro, a final table run in the ACR Venom worth over $382K, and a $179K victory in Uruguay. And that’s before he saw the year out in style, finishing on the final table bubble of the WSOP Super Main Event for a cool half million.
So, who’s changed? Him, or everyone else?
“I started studying ranges and different strategies, talking with different pros, getting feedback. I've had several different coaches throughout my career and I’d pick their brain about what's going on in the current ecosystem of poker, whatever that is.”
The ever-changing nature of that ecosystem means Moneymaker is less of a prime target than he might have been in the past.
“10 years ago there were five, six, seven pros that you could really feasibly get in a game with and have a story,” says Moneymaker. “Now you have players that are coming up through YouTube like Rampage and Brad Owen… so there's more and more people that are being able to play against ‘known’ players, and that just makes it to where people aren't taking as many shots at me, people aren't playing as polarized against me.
“Me and [Phil] Hellmuth have talked about it in the past, how people generally play us a little bit differently, and I think that's always going to be the case a little bit.
“People think that I bluff all the time. I don't want to let it out there too much, but I don't bluff that much because people generally call me. I'm very active on the table but, when the money goes in, I generally have it.
“Don't tell anybody.”
Chris almighty
If you’ve been following PokerOrg over the past week you might have seen a few sneak peeks from our exclusive interview, such as Moneymaker’s response to his online trolls, or his initial reaction to the controversy around fellow ACR pros Ebony Kenney and Nacho Barbero.
Now, with the release of the full-length interview - available on video above and as a podcast in all the usual places - you can get the inside scoop on much more, such as…
- Whether he thinks Phil Hellmuth will show up to play the WSOP Main Event (“I would bet he plays… He’ll pay $10K just to have his entrance”)
- The story of why he left PokerStars after 17 years, and why he joined ACR Poker
- Does he agree with Hellmuth that older players face a disadvantage in the WSOP Main Event?
- Why he thinks ‘wild card’ players do well in Triton events
- The ‘Bot Challenge’ he issued last year on behalf of ACR (“Pretty much all my doing… worst idea ever”)
Ready to spend a few fun hours with Uncle Chris? Hit play now on the video above.
You can also check out last month’s episode with Liv Boeree, and find more episodes below.
Listen Now! You can now experience The Interview on your Apple and Spotify podcast channels.
