Chris Ferguson
{{About|the poker player|the pastor and theologian|Chris Ferguson (pastor)|the Scottish footballer|Chris Ferguson (footballer)|the astronaut|Christopher Ferguson}}
{{Short description|American poker player (born 1963)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox poker player
| name = Chris Ferguson
| nickname = Jesus
| image = Chris Ferguson 2.jpg
| caption = Ferguson at the 2007 World Series of Poker
| residence = Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
| birth_name = Christopher Philip Ferguson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|04|11}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| wsop bracelet count = 6
| wsop money finishes = 168{{Cite web |title=Chris Ferguson |url=https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerID=201 |access-date=April 2, 2024 |website=WSOP.com}}
| wsop main event best finish rank = Winner
| wsop main event best finish year = 2000
| wpt titles = None
| wpt final tables = 2
| wpt money finishes = 11{{Cite web |title=Chris Ferguson |url=https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/chris-ferguson/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=World Poker Tour |language=en-US}}
| ept titles =
| ept final tables =
| ept money finishes = 1
| updated = November 7, 2022
}}
Christopher Philip Ferguson (born April 11, 1963) is an American professional poker player. He has won six World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.bluffmagazine.com/tournaments/event/2008-NBC-National-Heads-Up-Poker-Championship-February-28-2008-Heads-Up-No-Limit-Hold%27em-413-5267.html |title=2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship |magazine=Bluff Magazine |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213091839/http://www.bluffmagazine.com/Tournaments/event/2008-NBC-National-Heads-Up-Poker-Championship-February-28-2008-Heads-Up-No-Limit-Hold'em-413-5267.html |archive-date=December 13, 2009 |url-status=dead }} Ferguson is a computer scientist by training and education.
On September 20, 2011, the U.S. Justice Department filed a motion to amend a civil complaint, with the belief that Ferguson and three other directors for the popular poker client Full Tilt Poker were running a Ponzi scheme that paid out $444 million of customer money to themselves and the firm's owners.{{Cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra |date=September 21, 2011 |title=U.S. Alleges Full Tilt Poker Was Ponzi Scheme |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904106704576582741398633386 |access-date=September 20, 2011 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}
Early life and education
Ferguson was born in Los Angeles, California. Both Ferguson's parents have doctoral degrees in mathematics and his father, Thomas S. Ferguson, teaches game theory and theoretical probability at UCLA.[https://www.math.ucla.edu/people/ladder/tom UCLA Department of Mathematics: Thomas Ferguson]
Ferguson attended UCLA, where he earned a Ph.D. in computer science (focusing on virtual network algorithms) in 1999 after five years as an undergraduate and 13 years as a graduate student.{{cite journal |last=Brooks |first=Michael |date=May 2007 |title=Time enough for countin' |journal=New Scientist |volume=194 |issue=2604 |pages=52–53|doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(07)61258-5 }} His Ph.D. advisor was Leonard Kleinrock.{{cite web |url=http://www.lk.cs.ucla.edu/LK_students.html |title=PhD students supervised |publisher=Leonard Kleinrock |access-date=July 24, 2009}} While at UCLA Ferguson appeared on the Ricky Jay Television Special "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women" as an assistant.{{Citation|last=770pratik|title=Ricky Jay-Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women|date=August 16, 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdYto9Ehrj0|access-date=April 11, 2018}}
Poker career
Ferguson began playing poker at the age of 10. In college, he honed his skill on IRC poker playing online for play money in chat rooms. In 1994, he began playing in tournaments in California and in 1995, he entered his first World Series of Poker. He is a relatively quiet player who often adopts a characteristic motionless pose to avoid providing information to his opponents. He adopted his trademark wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses consciously, to point towards a table image that does not display outright the fact that he was a college student.{{cite web |url=http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=1369 |title=Chris Ferguson interview|date=May 16, 2024 }} Ferguson is nicknamed "Jesus" because of his trademark long brown hair and beard.{{cite web |url=http://poker.about.com/od/playerprofiles/p/chrisferguson.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120122529/http://poker.about.com/od/playerprofiles/p/chrisferguson.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 20, 2015|title="Jesus" origin|date=November 20, 2015|access-date=October 15, 2018}} His style is highly mathematical, using a strong knowledge of game theory and developing computer simulations to improve his understanding of the game.
In the 2000 WSOP Ferguson won his first bracelet in the $2,500 Seven-Card Stud event for $151,000.{{Cite web |title=31st World Series of Poker - WSOP 2000, 7 Card Stud |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1980 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} He followed this up by defeating T. J. Cloutier heads-up at the Main Event to win the $1.5 million prize.{{Cite web |title=31st World Series of Poker - WSOP 2000, World Championship No Limit Texas Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=2010 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} In 2004, he earned $120,000 in the Main Event for his 26th-place finish (out of 2,576 players).{{Cite web |title=35th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2004, World Championship Event |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=6628 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}
Ferguson finished runner-up to Phil Hellmuth in the 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.{{Cite web |title=2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Heads-Up No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=12405 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} He made the finals again in 2006, but again finished second, this time to Ted Forrest.{{Cite web |title=2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Heads Up No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=17358 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} In 2008, he made the finals for the third time, this time defeating Andy Bloch and winning the title.{{Cite web |title=NBC National Heads-Up Championship 2008, Finals |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=30340 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}
At the 2017 WSOP, Ferguson set a record with 23 cashes. He also won his sixth bracelet, and first in 14 years, at the WSOP Europe in the €1,650 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event. With these results Ferguson won the WSOP Player of the Year award.{{cite web|last=Fast|first=Erik|title=Chris Ferguson Wins 2017 World Series of Poker Europe €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better Event|url=http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/22188-chris-ferguson-wins-2017-world-series-of-poker-europe-1-650-pot-limit-omaha-eight-or-better-event|publisher=CardPlayer.com|date=November 1, 2017|access-date=November 6, 2017}}
As of September 2020, his total live tournament winnings exceed $9,500,000.{{Cite web |title=Chris Ferguson's profile on The Hendon Mob |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=82 |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} His 168 WSOP cashes account for over $6,800,000 of those winnings.
= World Series of Poker bracelets =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Tournament ! Prize ($) |
|---|
| 2000
| $2,500 Seven-Card Stud |
| 2000
| $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold 'em World Championship |
| 2001
| $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better |
| 2003
| $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better |
| 2003
| $2,000 1/2 Limit Hold'em – 1/2 Seven Card Stud |
| 2017E
| €1,650 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | €39,289 |
An "E" following a year denotes bracelet(s) won at the World Series of Poker Europe
In addition to his six bracelets, Ferguson was the first player to have won three World Series of Poker Circuit rings.{{cite web | last=Katz | first=Dan | title=Maurice Hawkins Wins Third WSOP Circuit Main Event Title of 2016 | website=Flushdraw.net | date=2016-11-24 | url=https://www.flushdraw.net/news/maurice-hawkins-wins-third-wsop-circuit-event-title-2016/ | access-date=2024-12-11}}
Full Tilt Poker scandal
{{main|U. S. v. Scheinberg et al. (10 Cr. 336)}}
In 2004, Ferguson co-founded the online poker site Full Tilt Poker.[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/30/090330fa_fact_wilkinson What Would Jesus Bet?] Alec Wilkinson, The Sporting Scene, The New Yorker, March 30, 2009 On September 20, 2011, the United States Department of Justice amended an existing civil complaint against Full Tilt Poker, alleging that directors Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Rafe Furst "lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited."{{citation |url=https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/FullTiltAmendSuit_Sept20_2011.pdf |title=VERIFIED FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT 11 Civ. 2564 |author=United States of America |publisher=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTSOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK |date=September 20, 2011 |access-date=September 26, 2011}} A lawyer for Ferguson denied the allegations, suggesting that the issues may have been the result of mismanagement not malice.{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=Greg |date=September 22, 2011 |title=Full Tilt Poker Denies it's a Ponzi Scheme |url=http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/09/20/full_tilt_poker_ponzi_scheme_jesus_ferguson_howard_lederer_among.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923191141/http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/09/20/full_tilt_poker_ponzi_scheme_jesus_ferguson_howard_lederer_among.html |archive-date=September 23, 2011 |access-date=September 26, 2011 |website=The Slatest}}{{cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra |title=Poker Site Fires Back at U.S. |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=September 22, 2011 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903791504576585390448785426 |access-date=September 26, 2011}} While the legality of online poker remains controversial, Ferguson's case was dismissed on February 19, 2013.{{Cite web |last=Stutz |first=Howard |date=February 23, 2013 |title=Former poker champ Ferguson settles with federal prosecutors |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/former-poker-champ-ferguson-settles-with-federal-prosecutors/ |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Ferguson's interests include being president of a swing dancing club at UCLA, as well as his ability to throw playing cards fast enough to cut through bananas, carrots and even melons.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMoc7tHMQOg|title=- YouTube|website=YouTube}} His card throwing ability was showcased on a side segment called ‘The Nuts’ on the ESPN broadcast of the World Series of Poker.
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/753-chris-ferguson Card Player profile]
- [https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=82 Hendon Mob profile]
- [https://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/chris-ferguson/ PokerNews profile]
- [https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=201 WSOP profile]
- [https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/chris-ferguson/ WPT profile]
{{WSOP Main Event champions}}
{{National Heads-Up Poker Championship Winners}}
{{Team Full Tilt}}
{{World Series of Poker Player of the Year Award Winners}}
{{2000s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{2010s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Chris}}
Category:American poker players
Category:World Series of Poker Main Event winners
Category:World Series of Poker bracelet winners
Category:WSOP Player of the Year Award winners
Category:World Series of Poker Circuit event winners
Category:National Heads-Up Poker Championship winners
Category:Poker After Dark tournament winners
Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni