Player Biography – Chris Ferguson
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson earned that nickname legitimately – by wearing his long locks in a dated fashion statement and a blonde beard that has only worked to build up his image along with his trademark cowboy that draws attention to his sharp facial features…features that are hard to read and therefore defend, against an unstoppable force like Chris’s table attitude.
Chris, or rather Poker Harry as he known among his friends, is one of the most prominent faces in the world of professional poker today and both fans and friends acknowledge that he is a force to reckon with in the tournament gaming arena. However, Chris’s rise to fame has none of the typical struggle associated with other big players as his was an easy path.
This WSOP champ was born on April 11, 1963 in Los Angeles and was interested in playing poker from his boyhood days. However, it was only as late as 1994 that Chris Ferguson decided to seriously participate in tournaments and competition events to see where he stood amongst regulars. Things started looked up for him from day one and Chris’s educational background (he has a UCLA degree in computer science and a strong love for math) helped him in understanding and exploring various theoretical ideas about game strategies and calculating pot odds besides observing other players keenly.
These inherent interests and skills helped Chris develop into an excellent player because poker is a game of skills as much as it is about sharp observation, good memory and loads of right attitude. Chris displayed all these necessary factors from the beginning of his poker career by taking in information about other players early into the game so he could strategically work his way into extracting money from them and build a solid bankroll easily enough.
However, there have been many twists and turns in Chris’s poker though he never got bogged down by the lows, which only goes to prove that sticking it out in changing dynamics of pro poker can really tip the odds in one’s favor, provided one approaches it with the determination and courage to hide his true emotions behind a somber façade. This is his strength in defeating many poker players with varying skills at different levels of the game.
Chris won his first WSOP contest in 1995 but it was in 2000 that he got lucky big time and raked in more than one million dollars in tournament prize money when he beat Thomas Cloutier in his next WSOP win. His defeat of Andy Block in the 2008 WSOP has helped set standards for poker games everywhere and Chris acknowledges that playing to win is the only approach that works for him. With 5 WSOP bracelets, one wouldn’t question that outlook anyway!
Till date, his financial portfolio has in excess seven million dollars in poker tournament prize money – a figure that is pretty commendable for a young pro poker player like Chris. Chris has also contributed to the launch of many online poker sites and helped popularize poker to millions of people around the world, though his most noteworthy contribution to online poker rooms is undoubtedly Full Tilt Poker, the big daddy of all virtual poker sites today!
Chris also makes frequent television appearances and is a regular at large gaming events where thousands of fan flock to him in the hope that some of his magic at the poker tables will rub onto them.