So… 2003 started off as reaffirmation of the status quo.  Barely any new poker players broke through and guys like Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth and even Doyle Brunson just added to their poker trophy case.  Live poker players were relishing in their burgeoning growing tournament but they really had no idea what was to come.  None had yet to play in the ensuing Main Event, that would change everything, and none had seen a guy, with the better than fiction name, Chris Moneymaker run over the world’s best pros on his way to a quantum shift changing Main Event title.  He would also welcome in the new age of the online poker player and a Main Event field never came in under 1000 players again.

Moneymaker, in his Tennessee home took his love of sports gambling and his appreciation of cards to branch out into a new hobby.  He decided to play poker online and it became a past-time for the young accountant.  In a life-changing event Moneymaker one day when sat to down to play online poker he turned a $50 online poker satellite tournament into a Main Event title.

It just so happened ESPN was there to chronicle it all.  Moneymaker had the good fortune of being placed at the featured table even if it didn’t feel like good fortune at the time.  The featured poker tables were selected for recording because of the high profile players there and Moneymaker early on realized to advance he was going to have to lock horns with the likes of Johnny Chan.  After knocking out the iconic orange sniffing champion Moneymaker found his confidence and the strength to make it deeper into the event.

With two tables left it was a murderer’s row of players.  Phil Ivey, newcomer Dutch Boyd, Freddy Deeb, Marcel Luske, Bruno Fitoussi, Scotty Nguyen all shuffled chips with steely eyes on the prize.  Shockingly, none of them made the final table and it was Moneymaker, who to a lot of observers, was clearly over his head did much of the eliminated.   In one memorable clip earlier in the tournament he had to be reminded action was on him.  Sure some of the pros salivated at the sight of his growing chip stack but most found when they tangled with the kid he had the goods.  Wonder if they knew that Lou Diamond, a Vegas odds maker, tabbed Moneymaker on day one as his long shot to win it all.

Men Nguyen who dominated the 2003 world series cashed in 25th place, with Phil Hellmuth Jr in 27thplace (both pocketed 45k), and Victor Ramdin in 29th (35k).  Along with all the other stars that busted out before,  the youngster from Tennessee could hardly believe his good fortune as he watched one poker legend after another report to the rail.  After a few days in the cramped confines of Binions, Moneymaker started to believe his poker dream might soon be a reality.

Even back in 2003, Phil Ivey was being lauded as one of the best poker players in the world.  Maybe even the best.  That might have been the first year Norman Chad did his annual selection of Phil Ivey as the winner of the tournament.  Then Phil Ivey in one of the most famous hands in poker got rivered by the Tennessee Assassin.  Ivey and Moneymaker locked horns when Chris flopped a set of queens and Ivey called his small flop bet with pocket 9s.  A 9 on the turn gave Ivey a full house, when he shipped it and Moneymaker insta-called it looked like the Cinderella run was going to hit Midnight as the pot would cripple moneymaker.  An 83% percent favorite is only a favorite and Moneymaker hit an Ace on the River.  Watch video of the hand here.

With the final table upon him and the best player in the world nursing a bad beat from the sidelines, Moneymaker tangled with pros David Grey, Amir Vahedi, Jason Lester, Sammy Farha, Dan Harrington, and newcomer of sorts David Grey.  When it got to heads up Moneymaker bluffed Farha in a big pot that would also become one of poker’s most well remembered hands “The bluff of the century.”  Watch that video here. 

On the heels of winning  that hand, one where Sammy prophetically quoted “You said it’s going to be over soon,”  it was over a few hands later.  Crippled by Moneymaker’s bluff Farha folded and Moneymaker won the title.   Poker was never the same.