If you had to name the most recognizable poker player, a good candidate would be Chris “Jesus” Ferguson. Ferguson stands out in a crowd with his long brown hair, beard and black cowboy hat. According to Ferguson, his unusual appearance was designed to keep his opponents from knowing he was an academic when he first started playing poker.
Ferguson’s ruse must have paid off because looking at him you probably wouldn’t know he holds a PhD in Computer Science from UCLA. Ferguson’s typical garb also makes it a surprise to learn that he was the president of UCLA’s swing dancing club and he’s also an accomplished ballroom dancer. Could we possibly see “Jesus” parading around in his cowboy hat on Dancing with the Stars in the future?
What most poker fans do know about “Jesus” is that he won the World Series of Poker main event in 2005 and has four other WSOP bracelets in his collection. Anyone who’s seen Ferguson on ESPN’s WSOP televised events also knows how dangerous he is with a pack of playing cards. Not only can Ferguson use those cards to take your money at the poker tables, but he can also heave them with enough force to slice through a banana, carrot or even a melon.
Ferguson first began playing poker when he was only 10 years old, for nickels and dimes. His nickel-and-dime poker games continued through high school where he was a constant winner at the small stakes. He made his first-ever trip to Vegas not long after and found success there as well, losing money only twice in 22 trips to Sin City.
Ferguson found other interests away from the world of poker to occupy his time until he stumbled upon the IRC Poker Network. For the next two or three years Ferguson would dominate the play-money poker network, where he would reign at the top or at least in second place on the tournament leaderboard. After reenergizing his desire to be a winning poker player in IRC, Ferguson focused heavily on game theory and the mathematics of poker, and took his new skills to the WSOP. Five WSOP bracelets and more than a dozen cashes later, Ferguson is one the most well-known and feared poker players in the world.
