Chris Ferguson Poker
Just as online poker in the U.S. is finally gaining real traction seven years after the industry’s “Black Friday” federal crackdown, Chris Ferguson has decided to come clean about his involvement—well sort of.
There’s now real opportunity for regulated online poker in America, and even the likes of billionaire investor Mark Cuban seem bullish on the business now that the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed state gambling rights. Ferguson, who was one of the principals in Full Tilt Poker when the federal government accused it of operating as a “Ponzi scheme,” resumed playing at the high-profile World Series of Poker festival in 2016. He didn’t play from 2011 to 2015. Despite the inactivity, the 55-year-old immediately re-established himself as a world-class player.
In a 42-second video posted Wednesday, just days before the start of the 2018 WSOP, Ferguson issued a cryptic apology, alluding to some sort of forthcoming exposé on the tainted site, which went defunct and took about $160 million in U.S. player bankrolls down with it. Players were repaid thanks to rival site PokerStars acquiring Full Tilt and its assets in its own settlement with the feds.
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. Chris Ferguson is a popular professional online poker player, which is part of the Full Tilt Team. One of his major achievements was to turn $0 into $10,000 with his “from 0 to Hero online poker challenge” by playing poker at Full Tilt Poker.
Here’s Ferguson’s statement:
“I’d like to take this brief opportunity to address the poker community, which I love, and have been part of for a long time. I deeply regret not being able to prevent Black Friday from happening. After Black Friday, I worked relentlessly to ensure that all players got paid back. And, I sincerely apologize that it took as long as it did. I also realize that it has taken me a long time to make any sort of public statement, and I appreciate my fans and the poker community as a whole for their patience and support. One day the Full Tilt Poker story will be told and like many of you, I look forward to that day. I hope to see you all at the World Series of Poker this summer. Thank you and good luck.”
Ferguson settled his civil case in 2013 for an undisclosed sum (at least $2.35 million) and didn’t admit to any wrongdoing. According to court papers, he was “unaware of any wrongful activity” or that “the company had become unable to satisfy its player account liabilities.” The government said that Ferguson owned 19 percent of Full Tilt and was the chairman of its board of directors. The government said he was allocated $85.1 million in distributions for his work at Full Tilt.
In the settlement, Ferguson said that he “forgave approximately $14 million in dividends owed to him by Full Tilt” which was “done with his expectation” that the money would go to victims.
Could Ferguson one day work within a regulated U.S. online poker industry? The answer is yes. According to the settlement, Ferguson is permitted to work for or “derive money from” a business in the online poker sector as long as it has obtained “appropriate authorization, as necessary, from all relevant governmental regulatory authorities in United States.”
Chris Ferguson Net Worth: Few poker players have genuinely experienced the instability a gambling career can cause and have made it through to the other side. Chris Ferguson, nicknamed ‘Jesus’, is one such player. Chris Ferguson
If you’re passionate about the game of poker and it’s players, then Chris’s story is one to learn from. So just what are Chris Ferguson’s failures and successes? What is it that makes him such a notable poker player? What’s Chris Ferguson’s net worth? Let’s find out.
Chris Ferguson Early Career
Chris Ferguson was born in Los Angeles, California, on 11th April 1963. The man from LA has been playing poker since he was ten years old. Chris developed his poker skills by playing online and in chat rooms while he was attending college. His first few tournaments were in California in 1994, and he signed up for his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 1995.
Ferguson studied and obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on viral network algorithms at UCLA. He’s a self-acclaimed computer guru, which is understandable due to the eighteen years of study it took him to pass his degree. His talent with computer systems and mathematics has allowed him to advance his career as a poker player to an extremely high level.
Chris was able to use his knowledge of mathematics to devise his own poker playing style. This gives him a quiet, collected approach when at the table playing a hand. He’s one of the most famous players in the industry and was especially prominent during the poker boom in the late 2000s.
Chris Ferguson Professional Poker Career
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, ‘Jesus’), sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat. This, alongside the characterized pose he assumes to prevent his opponents from getting any information from his stance, are the traits of the Chris Ferguson ‘brand’.
Chris Ferguson Poker Twitter
Ferguson is a genius with his insights into computer simulations and game theory. His mathematical approach to the game has given him the skill to win six World Series of Poker events. These include titles such as the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2008 and the 2000 WSOP Main Event.
It was at the 2000 WSOP event where Chris won his first bracelet in the $2,500 Seven Card Stud event. It was at this same event that he earned the winning prize of $151,000. He went on from this to beat T.J. Cloutier, a poker pro, in the Heads-Up of the Main Event. This defeat contributed significantly to his net worth, earning him $1.5 million.
After this impressive initial success, Ferguson went on to compete in several more WSOP events. In the 2004 Main Event, he finished 26th out of 2,576 professional poker players. He was the runner up at the 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, being beaten to the win by Phil Hellmuth. He achieved the same position at the 2006 event, this time losing to Ted Forrest. He finally won the tournament in 2008, by defeating poker pro Andy Bloch.
In the 2017 WSOP, Ferguson set a new record by achieving a total of 23 cashes. The sum of Chris Ferguson’s 90 WSOP cashes comes to over $6,000,000. Chris Ferguson net worth is considered in the top 5 among the worlds richest poker players.
Chris Ferguson Achievements at a glance
World Series of Poker Bracelets
World Poker Tour Titles
Chris Ferguson Biggest Cashes
Chris Ferguson Poker Player
Chris Ferguson Recent Earnings
Chris Ferguson Net Worth
Something that cannot go unmentioned in a page dedicated to Chris Ferguson is the Full Tilt scandal. Due to his skill as both a computer guru and a poker player, Ferguson is extremely gifted at developing gaming software. He helped to create the software for what became one of the largest online poker platforms.
After only a short time, the Full Tilt poker platform exploded in terms of its popularity and player base. However, when the United States Government shut down all poker sites on 15th April 2011, the Full Tilt site crashed almost as quickly as it had built up. A lot of things went wrong for the company after the shut-down for various reasons. The lawsuit that built up was because owners and professionals had claimed more than $300 million belonging to players from around the world.
On 19th February 2013, Ferguson made a settlement plan with the Department of Justice. He agreed to forfeit the contents of two accounts, and his lawsuit was dismissed. Later, Ferguson made an apology video online, saying that he regretted being able to prevent the incident but not doing so. However, this was posted in 2018, eight years after the players had suffered through the scandal.
Chris Ferguson’s current net worth is around $80 million. He did have to part with some of his wealth during the Full Tilt scandal. During this time, it also became apparent that there may be additional accounts that the general public does not know about. Potentially, this could mean that Chris Ferguson’s net worth is higher than the current estimate.
Personal Life
Ferguson has other interests outside of poker. One way he enjoys spending his free time is dancing. He was once president of a swing dance club at his university, and still goes out to clubs when he’s free. Ferguson has experience of dance, having taken classes in several different styles, including tango and foxtrot.
What Happened To Chris Ferguson
A more well-known hobby is his penchant for card throwing. He has a particular flair for cutting different fruits and vegetables in half with his throws. He has been known to do this with bananas, apples, and even melons. This is, according to Ferguson, his preferred method of making a fruit salad.
Chris has had girlfriends in the past, but never any long-term relationships. He describes himself as a lone wolf and says that he’s happy to live his life without any romantic attachments.
Chris Ferguson Poker Net Worth
Conclusion: Computer Genius Equals Poker Pro
Chris Ferguson’s early introduction to the game, as well as his in-depth knowledge of mathematics and algorithms, have allowed him to grow into a world-class poker player. During his career as a professional player, he has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and can boast a total of sixty-three money finishes.
Ferguson is the only player in the poker industry ever to win three World Series of Poker circuit events. While the scandal he was involved with may not make him the most likeable player, he’s definitely earned his place as a pro.