Chris Ferguson, also known as “Jesus” at the poker tables due to his long brown hair and complete goatee, has a very intriguing poker career.
In the early 2000s, he excelled, particularly in his performance at the WSOP. Then, due to a scandal involving Full Tilt Poker, he disappeared from the live tournament scene for nearly five years. Now, he is back in full force and prepared to compete with any opponent who stands in his way.
If you wish to learn more about Chris Ferguson’s professional poker career and his involvement in the Full Tilt Poker scandal, feel free to peruse this extensive biography.
Initial Years
Chris Ferguson was born in Los Angeles, California on April 11, 1963. The significance of a decent education was instilled in him at a young age. Even
During elementary school, he spent most of his free time studying or reading. Occasionally, he would be able to take a vacation and play poker with his father. His father, who at the time taught game theory at UCLA, assisted Ferguson in developing his own winning strategies. Ferguson’s abilities rapidly surpassed those of his father, however, and he soon became the instructor.
Ferguson was assured admission to any college he desired due to his outstanding high school performance. Given that both of Ferguson’s parents had earned doctorates in mathematics from UCLA, it was anticipated that Ferguson would follow suit. He chose to pursue a doctorate in computer science at UCLA, however, rather than at Stanford. Given the close relationship to mathematics, his parents supported his decision.
While attending UCLA, Ferguson’s passion for poker developed. He was able to hone his abilities by staying up late playing Texas hold’em online for play money in various conversation rooms. Ferguson and his companions frequently traveled to Las Vegas to participate in low-limit stud and hold’em games. This is when he began donning his signature sunglasses and wide-brimmed headwear. It was done to make him appear elder than he was at the inception.
Now, he believes it brings him good fortune.
Poker Accomplishments
In 1993, Ferguson participated in his first official poker tournament, finishing fourth and winning $1600. After that, he frequently entered tournaments, with the Masters of Poker Championships and the LA Poker Open being his favorites. His self-assurance continued to develop, and in 1995 he was prepared to enter one of Las Vegas’s most intense poker tournaments.
The World Series of Poker is held in Las Vegas. After reaching the final table of the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz tournament that year, Ferguson decided to pursue poker as a career.
In the year 2000, Ferguson claimed his first gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker in the $2500 Seven-Card Stud event. As if that weren’t enough, Ferguson went on to win the $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold’em World Championship with a grand prize of $1.5 million that same year. To triumph, he had to defeat the legendary T.J. Cloutier, which was no simple task. It was such a memorable contest that the award-winning author Jim McManus wrote about it in his book Positively 5th Street.
Ferguson has won a total of six gold bracelets at the WSOP, with his most recent victory coming in 2017. For additional information on each of his victories, please refer to the table below.