Chris Ferguson Poker
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- Chris Ferguson: Professional Poker and Possible Con-Artist Chris Ferguson, known at the poker tables as “Jesus” because of his long brown hair and full beard, has a very interesting poker career under his belt. He shined in the early 2000s, especially when it came to his performance at the WSOP.
But I dream things that never were and I say: 'Why not?'
-- George Bernard Shaw
Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson is the 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion. Chris spent 18 years attending UCLA (5 years as an undergrad and 13 as a PhD candidate) before earning his doctoral degree in computer science. But while the majority of the poker community found Lederer's explanation unsatisfactory, there was more uproar about Chris Ferguson 's silence in the months after. The professional poker player. Chris Ferguson is a particularly recognizable figure in the poker industry. He’s well known for his signature ensemble of long hair and beard (hence his nickname.
When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the first bullet that hit him through the throat caused his body to pull up. If instead of going more erect, his physical impulse would have been to push his head forward toward the floor of the car, the fatal bullet that killed him would have missed... and Vietnam, Civil Rights, and even Beatlemania would likely have been very different.
This is the story of one of those moments in life where a single different choice could have drastically changed the (poker) world.
When I opened my first poker website in 2000, I asked Chris Ferguson, the reigning World Series of Poker main event champion, to pose for a photo for the main page of the site, the one shown above. I'd known Chris for at least six years by then. (We made final tables together three times in 1994, including one where I came in first and he in second when I had by far the best rush of my life headup.) We weren't close friends away from the casinos, but he was one of the nicest people I ever met while playing -- which makes his post-2015 actions puzzling and saddening to me. I haven't talked to Chris for over ten years, but all the brouhaha surrounding him these days takes me back to what might have been.In January 2001, I was approached at a Commerce Casino tournament by Daniel Negreanu. He asked me if a Canadian acquaintance of his could contact me with a business proposition. The acquaintance was Isai Scheinberg and the business became PokerStars.com. Thanks to Daniel turning Isai down, I got the chance to help create what ended up becoming the largest online poker room in the world. Thanks, Daniel! (As most anyone reading this knows, Daniel ended up joining the company several years later, and became the primary 'face' of the company.)
By early 2002, I had been working with PokerStars for over a year. We had been open for real money for several weeks. That meant we were now looking to hire experts/professionals, and personalize the site somewhat. One idea was to establish a player advisory board. The environment back in 2002 was completely different than today. No person on the street could name any poker player, except for possibly Amarillo Slim (because of Tonight Show appearances) or Johnny Chan (because of Rounders). Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, David Sklansky... nobody outside the poker world ever heard of these guys.
The player advisory board never went anywhere, but one thing that came of it was: Isai asked me to contact Chris Ferguson to see if we could work out a deal where he would become the face of the company. He was no longer the reigning WSOP champion, but he was well-liked and had a Ph.D. in computer science. On paper, he made sense.
So I talk to Chris. Chris talks to Isai. Isai talks to me. Isai and Chris talk several more times. At first I thought Chris joining up would be a good addition, but after our conversations and talking with Isai, it became clear to me that Chris and I had very different ideas on how to run an online cardroom. The short explanation of the difference is: I thought a very 'hands on' entrepreneurial approach was best (and I think Isai believed this even more so), while Chris offered a much more laissez-faire, 'hands off' philosophy. (I think this hands-off versus hands-on difference is the root of the difference in the business choices PokerStars made compared to Full Tilt years later. Check out the linked article for more on those major differences.)
After a few days, it became clear that no deal would be made because of different philosophies and compensation structure ideas. Chris Ferguson did not become the face of PokerStars -- but we were not all that far apart. Some bending or use of different words to describe ideas, and a deal could easily have happened... and Full Tilt Poker would never have been founded, no phantom deposits, no Ponzi scheme, and no destroyed reputation for somebody who at one time was universally liked.
Instead, Chris went away from these negotiations and decided to start his own online poker site...
From small things, big things one day come.
Coincidentally, the Ferguson/PokerStars negotiations occurred about the same time (February 2002) as negotiations for Phil Ivey to become a sponsored player with Paradise Poker. See The Saga of Paradise Poker for that story.
The footnote of the story is in the next couple weeks Steve Morrow was hired as the first cardroom manager and Dan Goldman was hired as the marketing head -- a job which a few months later lead to Dan having the horrifying experience of dealing with Amarillo Slim after he
Chris Ferguson Full Tilt Poker
was offered the opportunity to become the face of PokerStars.See also The Most Googled Poker Players During the Boom and Combining PokerStars & Full Tilt After Black Friday
Chris Ferguson was born on the 11th of April in the year 1963. He hails from Los Angeles, California. He is a professional poker player and one of the most eminent faces in the game. His parents were highly educated and he himself has a very high academic background. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from the UCLA and he specialized on virtual algorithms. It is a common observation that most successful poker players have had some mathematical background as it is very important in the game. He was introduced into the world of poker quite naturally as the game is quite popular in private clubs and even in weekend parties in the U.S. people generally unite over the weekend for a friendly game of poker but very few people have the necessary backing or the guts to take up the spot as a career.
Chris Ferguson came from a very supportive family and his family backed him to pursue his dreams. He started playing at the amateur level and then participated in inter club tournaments that are organized locally with small stakes. Later on he went to make it really big in the world stage. He has won a World Series which is an incredible feat and the amount of money involved in unfathomable. He has been an icon in the United States with his trademark Cowboy hat and his easy laidback style.
Chris Ferguson is a very popular figure and he is a very colorful personality but during a game he has learned to portray a stone face not letting out any expression of emotion. He has won many important tournaments in America and has also made some great finishes in many World Series ties.
He is famous for his control over the playing card and he is known to be an expert with the cards. He has practiced many tricks with the card and he can throw a playing card in such a way that is can split a banana into two at the blink of an eye. He has a great amount of showmanship behind his game and this makes him a very popular icon. Chris Ferguson has also been known to split a melon into two by using playing cards only.
Chris Jesus Ferguson
Chris Ferguson Poker Scandal
He was involved in an ugly scam with an online website that he co-owned. He had allegedly set up a ponzi scheme and misled many people into investing money on an online website.