Name: Chris Ferguson
Nickname: Jesus
Full Tilt Id: Chris Ferguson
Birth Date: April 11, 1963
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Current Residence: Pacific Palisades, California
Total WSOP Bracelets: 5
Total WPT Wins: 0
Best Game: No Limit Hold’em
First Big Win: May 10th 1996 WSOP $2,500 No Limit Hold’em for $30,038
First WSOP Bracelet: April 29th 1995 $1,500 Seven-Card Razz 26th WSOP for $10,350
Biggest WSOP Cash: May 15th 2000 WSOP $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Hold’em 31st WSOP for $1,500,000
Biggest Cash: May 15th 2000 WSOP $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Hold’em 31st WSOP for $1,500,000
All time money list: 17th
Hobbies: Swing dancing, day trading
Chris Ferguson was born into a smart family of mathematicians who would influence his poker playing style at an early age. Chris began playing poker before he was ten years old and by college Chris was playing poker on IRC in chat rooms. Chris quickly became the highest ranked player on the IRC.
Chris’s parents both had degrees in mathematics and his father, Thomas teaches game theory and theoretical probability at UCLA, so it was only natural for Chris to attend the college. Chris earned a PhD in computer science which focused on virtual network algorithms in 1999 after five years as an undergraduate and 13 years as a graduate student.
It was during this time that Chris realized that his mathematical skills could help him in the game of poker. In 1994, Chris began participating in small poker tournaments around Los Angeles and by 1995 Chris had entered his first WSOP event.
In the first five years of his career, Chris made seven final tables and had twelve money finishes in the WSOP. By 2000 Chris would win the WSOP Main Event defeating TJ Cloutier and begin his strong professional career.
Chris won another WSOP bracelet in 2001 playing in an Omaha Hi/Lo Split event and two more bracelets were won in 2003. Chris has been extremely successful in the WSOP winning five bracelets, making twenty five final tables and cashing forty two times, which is more than any other player.
In 2008 Chris performed very well on the poker circuit. Chris competed in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and outlasted the sixty four player field to take the win. Chris had made the final table in previous years and wanted to win the event. Chris also did well in the World Series of Poker this year finishing third in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event and placing second in the $5,000 World Championship 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo event.
Chris has stated that his favorite place to play is the final table and lately spends most of his time playing in big tournaments. Chris also admits to using his downtime to analyzing poker hands and scenarios to improve his poker skills.
In his career Chris has earned a reputation as a very well respected player earning over $7 million along the way. But he does have other claims to his credit. Chris used his knowledge of virtual algorithms to help create a team of players and programmers to design the software that we all know as Full Tilt Poker and plays online as a part of Team Full Tilt.
Other unknown talents of Chris includes the ability to cut vegetables in half using playing cards as well as enjoying swing dancing and used to be a ballroom dancing instructor. Chris’s appearance also earned the nickname Jesus with his long hair and full beard.
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