The Moneymaker Tour is a new addition to the ever growing poker world and has immediately made its mark on a crowded landscape. The tour made its debut in 2023 at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida and continued to branch out into Daytona Beach before spreading its wings outside of the Sunshine State to Cincinnati in late 2023. Now the tour has once again touched down in a new location in the Lone Star State in Houston at the Texas Card House.
As we sit in the year 2024, tournament poker is currently in a fantastic spot nationwide, with many great events happening weekly across the country, hosted by several respectable and well-run brands. There are several reasons for this, but of course one that can easily be pointed to immediately is the one that created the nationwide thirst for tournament poker in the first place which is Chris Moneymaker himself.
We all know the story of Moneymaker's legendary 2003 WSOP Main Event victory off of an $86 satellite and how his name became synonymous with poker to create the "poker boom". The pure excitement that came with his win for so many across the country and the world turned tournament poker into a phenomenon.
As three-time WSOP bracelet winner Brad Ruben put it, "We all owe him. We would not be here if not for him." as he is one of the players who have made their way to play in the Main Event here in Houston this weekend. Ruben would actually go on to bag in Day 1A to advance on to Day 2.
Ideals of the Tour
The idea behind the Moneymaker Tour is to keep these ideals at the forefront in an ever growing poker industry. It is possible to become jaded after seeing tournament after tournament hit big numbers and it can almost be taken for granted in some cases. But the Moneymaker Tour looks to keep the spirit of the poker boom intact with easy to access tournaments, some of which have the iconic $86 price point. From affordable buy-ins to some more robust ones, the Moneymaker Tour looks to cater to poker players of all types.
This can be seen with a look through the results from the current stop here at the Texas Card House in Houston. Many of the winners and top earners in the events so far have had very little, if any, registered poker winnings before which shows that there is still an avenue to poker glory and winnings for anyone in 2024 just as there was in 2003 for Moneymaker himself.
Tour Atmosphere
One thing that is apparent from just a couple of days here at the Moneymaker Tour is that the atmosphere is a fun one. You walk in to see lots of Moneymaker Tour branded apparel, from hats to hoodies and shirts. A lot of the poker staff are more laid back in appearance, choosing tour branded shirts in lieu of the typical suit and tie look that is seen at most events.
And then of course there is Moneymaker himself, who spends a lot of his time at the event each day which is a highlight for many of the players who are excited just to be play at the same table with their poker idol. Moneymaker is more than happy to take pictures with fellow players... even if they eliminate him, which happened on Wednesday night.
"I was going to ask for your picture but..." the player who eliminated him said a bit sheepishly but he did get his picture regardless as Chris got up from the table. Who was then promptly asked by two others in the room to grab a picture before he departed for the night.
Players will have another more chances to knockout Chris himself this weekend as he intends to play the Main Event here in Houston
