You might have heard about how Chris Moneymaker was among the 10 nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame this year. That explains this #Moneymaker4HoF hashtag you might have seen going around.
What you might not know about is how the longtime PokerStars Ambassador has already won some awards in Las Vegas this summer — namely this past weekend where Moneymaker was the most decorated of all the invitees at a special First Fifty Honors night hosted by the WSOP.
From May 15 through June 15, WSOP invited website visitors to vote online in seven different categories, and on Saturday night the winners were revealed.
Three trophies for Moneymaker
For the “Most Memorable TV Hand,” Moneymaker shared the honor with Sammy Farha for the famous heads-up hand between the pair in which Moneymaker successfully pulled off the “Bluff of the Century” when he shoved all in with king-high and getting Farha to fold his top pair of nines.
That pot led to Moneymaker eventually claiming the 2003 WSOP Main Event title. For that feat he was recognized as well for “Most Impressive WSOP Main Event Win.”
Finally, Moneymaker was additionally recognized by voters as one of the “Four Most Important Players in WSOP History.” Indeed, given the way his win in 2003 opened the door to so many others getting involved in the game, it’s hard to argue with that one, either.
More awards won
Daniel Negreanu was also a three-time winner on Saturday night, winning “Best Overall WSOP Performance” in a single year for his two bracelets and four final tables in 2013, another award for being the “Fan Favorite,” and likewise being included among the “Four Most Important Players in WSOP History.”
Moneymaker and Negreanu joined Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth as that WSOP fearsome foursome. Hellmuth won as well for being the “WSOP’s Favorite Bad Boy,” while Justin Bonomo won an award for being the player “Most Likely to Succeed” going forward (i.e., to win the most bracelets from 2020-2070).
Another win for Moneymaker
As if those three award didn’t already make it a winning weekend for Moneymaker, yesterday he earned another in one of the $80 “All-In Satellite” events over on WSOP.com to win a $10,000 entry into this year’s WSOP Main Event.
In those events 128 players register, and the tournament plays out automatically with everyone going all in on every hand in heads-up matches until a single winner remains. Another one ran on Sunday night, and this time Moneymaker managed to be the lucky one.
Kind of recalls another instance when Moneymaker spent approximately the same amount in a satellite and ended up winning a seat in the Main, doesn’t it?
WSOP photography by pokerphotoarchive.com.