ROHAN ARORA, Editor-in-Chief—
Chris Moneymaker is sitting across from Sammy Farha, widely considered at the time to be one of the most dynamic pros in all of poker.
It is 2003. Moneymaker, despite his last name, is far from a pro. He was working as an accountant, who played poker online in his free time. On what pundits considered a ‘fluke’, he had qualified for his spot in the World Series of Poker main event online, through a $86 satellite tournament.
Money maker is dealt the Four Of spades and the five of diamonds. A decent hand on its own, but a 2 to 1 underdog to Farha’s Jack-ten off suit. After some pre-flop betting, the first three cards come down.
Moneymaker makes a two-pair as a four and a five come down, Farha makes the top pair, as the third card is a jack. Moneymaker is now a three to one favorite to win. After some betting, Farha goes all in. He doesn’t buy Moneymaker’s story; just a few hands before moneymaker had bluffed Farha out of a large pot to take the chip lead. Not this time though; Moneymaker calls immediately.
The river is a five. Farha looks disgusted.
Moneymaker has won the World Series of Poker. The first ever to qualify online to achieve such a feat.
What would ensue would be dubbed by poker scholars,aptly, as the ‘moneymaker effect’ in part to pay homage to chris moneymaker, responsible for the influx of amateurs trying their hand at high stakes tournaments. The sheer amount of commitment it requires to continuously excel at a game like no limit texas hold em seems to escape many who are not familiar with the game.
Even though Moneymaker and Farha did not move from the table(until after moneymaker own, at least) their commitment and training rivals, and sometimes often exceeds that of pro athletes.
Poker is a game of numbers, and especially in poker knowing what numbers matter at what points can actually greatly inform strategies that can prove to be advantageous. Many professionals will spend weeks or months before a big tournament memorizing opponent’s play styles, using poker solvers, and studying and memorizing range charts, in hopes to most adequately prepare for their opponents.
This is no different than watching game films, or reading a playbook. The mental dexterity required by these players to not only memorize, but also to know when to employ such strategies, requires years of training and experience.
Like athletes, many professional poker players are engrossed in the ‘lifestyle’, constantly committed to improving their craft and always searching for a competitive edge.
One can easily draw parallels between the competitive fire Kobe Bryant had on the basketball court to the brahs and Holier than thou attitude of Phil hellmuth on the table. The sports comparisons do not stop there, at the height of their respective careers in the early 2000’s, many referred to professional Phil Ivey as “the tiger woods of poker”
More so than other sports, Poker is mental.
Not only in the statistical nature of the game, but also in the interactions between players. It is possible for players to bluff, and often pros will spend much time at the beginning of tournaments carefully observing opponents at the table, picking up subtle signs or expressions that might give them “tells’ ‘ or information which informs them of their opponents hand strength.
With the main event of the 2021 World series of poker having just recently kicked off at the time this is being written, it felt important to acknowledge the commitment and sacrifice these pros have made, because even though Phil Helmuth isn’t out there every sunday catching passes and getting tackled, he’s out there competing too, and there is something to be said about the commitment and competitive spirit these athletes, yes athletes, embody on and off the ‘felt.’