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Chris Ferguson style
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Chris Ferguson, often called Jesus because of his eccentric style, is a poker player who loves to flaunt his fashion and style. You will know that he is on the table because of his signature cowboy hat, dark sunglasses, Western-inspired outfit, long brown hair and beard. However, do not underestimate this guy because he is one of the top poker players in this decade. Having won seven first place finishes from various professional poker tournaments in his career, this suave poker champ has no plans of turning his back on the green felt anytime soon.
Since great analytical skills are needed to become a great poker player, it really seems that computer and math experts are drawn to the game and Chris Ferguson is no exception. With a doctoral degree in computer science from the University of California, he believes that poker is a game of strategy. Obviously, he believes that ability and intelligence are two important components in making a poker virtuoso. Although Chris started to consider becoming a professional poker in 1994, he decided to become a full-time player only in 1999.
Born on April 11, 1963 in Los Angeles California, Chris Ferguson was already an Internet poker champ before he started to dip his hands in mainstream poker tournaments. One of his most popular wins was against TJ Coultier in the championship round of the No-Limit Hold’em event in the World Series of Poker 2000. With a final hand of A9 compared to the AQ of TJ, people really thought that the pot would be divided if the board had paired. However, Chris was lucky when a 9 came and so he ended up first in the World Championship in 2000. Since then, Chris was not a stranger to major poker tournaments anymore. In fact, he is one of the few who have earned multiple World Series of Poker Championship titles.
Although poker is the bread and butter for Chris Ferguson, this guy also has other hobbies and businesses. Apart from being a great ballroom dancer, he also owns a start-up software development group. Chris Ferguson loves to have fun. In fact, aside from dancing the swing, he is also known as the person who can hack a carrot in half simply by flicking a playing card. Although this famous player is very talented and skillful, he never stops to improve his abilities in the game. With total winnings of almost USD 4M and five WSOP bracelets, Chris also uses computer programs to study the game.
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Chris Ferguson and mathematics
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Lots of professional poker players credit luck with their success and name it as a large part of their strategy, Chris Ferguson given his background in mathematics prefers to level the luck playing field through constant analyzing and theorizing game play. There must be something to it since Chris Ferguson has won five World Series of Poker bracelets and has had 57 money finishes. He also has seven money finishes to his credit with the World Tour of Poker. Chris Ferguson also won the 2008 NBC National Heads Up Poker event and has earned winnings totaling over $7,000,000. No wonder his nickname in poker is Jesus!
Actually, Chris Ferguson’s Jesus nickname comes from his chosen poker persona. When he entered professional poker he adopted a style of wearing a wide brimmed hat, grew his hair long and beard out so people wouldn’t think he was the young college student that he was. His calm demeanor and quietness is a conscious attempt not to be able to be read while playing his hands. Ironically, even though Jesus is based on Christianity, Ferguson is a self professed atheist lending even more mystery to his alluring poker appearance. In 2004, Ferguson used his position as a professional poker player to help launch an online poker site called Full Tilt Poker.
Chris Ferguson was playing poker before he was 10 years old. His mathematical background comes from his parents who both hold doctoral degrees in mathematics with his father teaching game theory and probability at UCLA. Ferguson himself earned a doctoral degree in computer science from UCLA in 1999, after five years as an undergraduate and 13 years as a graduate student. Persistence pays! While in college, Chris Ferguson began playing online the old school way through IRC chat rooms and using play money. He honed his skills and used computer models to figure out how to increase his odds of winning while playing the game.
Chris Ferguson still employs computer models and mathematics to try and gain an edge in his profession. He currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California and is followed around by some interesting trivia. Craig Ferguson is a former president of a swing dance club at UCLA and is known to be able to throw playing cards in such a manner as to slice through fruits and vegetables, even a watermelon! Chris Ferguson is still a professional poker player today.
