(Featured image: courtesy of LasVegasVegas)
Christopher Philip Ferguson, a computer science Ph.D. degree holder, is a professional poker player. His story is pretty exciting since he has been playing the game as early as he was 10 years old.
His academic background, which is as equally interesting as his career, probably helped him get to where he is right now. He has 6 bracelets in WSOP events and several other awards from different poker events as well.
He is not only famous for his skills on the felt, but also for his appearance. He even earned the nickname “Jesus” in reference to his physical looks – brown long hair plus the beard.
Right now, we rarely see him at public events and might very well be focusing on his personal life.
| Full Name: Christopher Philip Ferguson | |
| DOB: April 11, 1963 | |
| Birthplace: Los Angeles, California | |
| Profession: Professional poker player, film producer | |
| Wife: N/A | |
| WSOP Bracelets: 6 | |
| Net Worth & Career Earnings: $80+ Million |
Table of Contents
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson Bio
Chris was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents are both into Mathematics, even having doctorate degrees. His old man Thomas S. Ferguson is a teacher at UCLA handling subjects such as game theory and theoretical probability. Looks like Chris got that innate gaming skills in his genes, don’t you think?
Even at a very young age, he was already into academics. He often spent his free time studying and reading. Sometimes, he even plays card games with his father Thomas, who became his first teacher at poker.
Being someone with great intellect, Chris learned some winning strategies rather easily. In no time, he was able to beat his father at the game.
While both his parents pursued a degree in Mathematics, the young Ferguson had other plans for his future. Instead of following in their footsteps, he took a course in Computer Science at UCLA. Later on, he pursued a doctoral degree in this field as well.
Poker Career
It’s no secret that Chris started playing poker with his father at the age of 10. But it wasn’t until he was in college that he got serious about it. He got immersed in the game, even making money playing it on online platforms versus other players.
Through this experience, he was able to strengthen his winning strategies and gain a few more from his opponents.
He also went to Las Vegas with his friends to play on the felt. He used his signature hat to disguise himself as someone older back then, which was surprisingly effective since no one questioned what a college student was doing in a poker room. Today, he considers it as his personal good luck charm.
Ferguson got his first-ever WSOP bracelet in 2000, just a few years after he decided to become a professional poker player. During the same year, he also became a champion of another prestigious event – the $10,000 No-limit Texas Hold’em World Championship where he bagged $1.5 million.
He also appeared in the 2nd episode of Poker After Dark “WSOP Champion’s Week” alongside Doyle Brunson and Chris Moneymaker.
Personal Life
Chris doesn’t have a wife or a girlfriend at the moment. He said he enjoys being single and considers himself more like an individualist.
Aside from poker, you probably think he’d be busy with computers, but that’s not really all there is to it. You will be surprised to know that he often goes dancing at clubs whenever he’s free.
He was the ex-president of the UCLA swing dance club back then. You would see him do the tango, waltz, mambo, and even foxtrot with grace.
Full Tilt Poker Controversy
Because of this controversy, Ferguson had to exit the poker scene for 5 long years. This was to avoid further criticisms from people who learned that his Full Tilt Poker site was part of the Ponzi scheme.
Chris was one of the founders of Full Tilt together with Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Mike Matusow, and Andy Bloch. The company and Chris received legal repercussions after not allowing their players to withdraw their funds and winnings.
They took advantage of the players and made millions of dollars for themselves. They were able to reach a settlement with the US Department of Justice to return some of the money to the customers.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson Net Worth
To this date, Ferguson is valued at $80+ Million. But if you include his share from the $350 Million Full Tilt Poker controversy, then it’s clearly very well over than the officially declared $80+ Million.
Given a successful poker career before the controversy, it’s not surprising to know that he might very well have a net worth closer to a hundred million dollars.
Anyway, here are his top cashes so far:
- 1st place 31st WSOP 2000 World Championship No-limit Texas Hold’em – $1,500,000
- 1st place 2005 WSOP Circuit Event (Harrah’s Rincon) – $655,220
- 1st place 2008 NBC National Heads-up Championship – $500,000
Do you know any other interesting facts about Chris Ferguson? Share them in the comments section below!