Moneymaker Looks Back on his WSOP Bluff that Sparked Poker Boom

Moneymaker Looks Back on his WSOP Bluff that Sparked Poker Boom
Pokerlistings Icon
PokerListings Team Editorial Team
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: January 26, 2026
  • Read time: 1 min

If there’s one person to thank for the poker boom it’s Chris Moneymaker and today he took us on a trip back to the epic bluff that started it all.

In the latest episode of Best Poker Moments Moneymaker explains how he was able to bluff one of the greatest gamblers of all time: Sammy Farha.

“It was the perfect hand and it probably ignited the poker boom more than any other hand or any other situation,” said Moneymaker. “You really couldn’t script a movie and do it any better than what we did in real life.”

Moneymaker Bluffs Farha

Moneymaker was the perfect amateur and Farha the perfect seasoned Las Vegas card shark.

That he was able to beat the pro not with luck but with a brazen all-in bluff sparked something special in the imaginations of aspiring poker players all over the world.

“Obviously I’m very fortunate and I got a great life because of it. Just that one moment in time and it changes your life. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Watch More Best Poker Moments: