Back in the Money(maker) Again

The man who set it all in motion, Chris Moneymaker, the man many people claim is at least partially responsible for poker's boom over the last six years, is in the money again. On July 27, the affable Tennessean won Event No. 9 at the World Poker Open, a $500 + $50 buy-in pot-limit Omaha tournament at the Gold Strike Casino Resort in Robinsonville, MS.

It's no secret that Moneymaker has struggled since turning the poker world on its ear by coming out of nowhere to win the 2003 World Series of Poker's main event and take down the then other-worldly sum of $2,500,000. After all, he won his way into the main event through a $40 online satellite and had never played in a brick-and-mortar casino tournament prior to his WSOP victory. But cashes in subsequent years were tough to come by, and while Moneymaker's feel-good story, his everyman appearance, and friendly demeanor have been celebrated by poker players and fans alike, there were always the whispers.

He may have inspired millions to take up the game, but among his peers-among other pros and the kind of folks you find in the poker rooms day after day-Moneymaker was increasingly seen as an amateur who got lucky, who found lightning in a bottle and rode it to a championship some six years ago. He had his big payday and his name recognition and likeability was enough to secure him a good living representing online site PokerStars, so money wasn't the issue. The issue was the respect of his peers, and the respect of poker's myriad fans the world over.

Although Moneymaker was not able to add another bracelet to his collection at the recently concluded 2009 World Series of Poker, and while first place in Robinsonville, MS is not the same as winning the big Kahuna in Las Vegas, the World Poker Open is a major event on poker's tournament trail, and it's nice, fulfilling, and a continuation of a six-year long feel good story to see Chris Moneymaker make the money once again.