Chris Moneymaker has got a pretty good record in big-field events — like the WSOP Main Event. He won it in 2003, single-handedly kick-starting the poker boom, and cashed in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
He didn't cash in 2024 but made up for it with a 10th-place finish in the Super Main Event at Paradise in The Bahamas in December for $500,000.
That brings us to 2025. Unfortunately, things didn't go too well for Moneymaker and he busted very early on Day 1. We bumped into him in the hallway as he was exiting the tournament area, and he shared the story, telling us it was a one-outer and that he “wasn’t good enough to fold.”
Moneymaker called a preflop raise with Q-J and hit trips on the J-J-6 flop. He called a small bet and the action checked through the turn to see a queen drop on the river. Both players got the rest of their stacks in the middle and Moneymaker's opponent had pocket queens. Ouch.
We caught up with Moneymaker post-WSOP to talk about his early Main Event exit. He also shared his thoughts on the upcoming mystery bounty Venom tournaments (NLHE and PLO) starting on ACR Poker on August 10 with a combined $10 million in guarantees.
Chris Moneymaker playing (for a brief time) at the 2025 WSOP.Looking back at your WSOP Main Event run this year, what’s your biggest takeaway?
Well, it was very brief, so unfortunately there wasn't really a lesson to learn — other than that they always have it.
Do you really think you could have gotten away from it?
Honestly, it was a tough spot and in any other event I wouldn't give my bust-out a second thought. However, in the WSOP Main Event, I do think I could have found a fold to the river jam.
Your 2003 Main Event win was the ultimate inspiration for a lot of poker players. Did you see anything this year that was an inspiration?
You just have to look at the runner-up in the WSOP Main Event and who he was. John Wasnock is a very recreational player who made it all the way to the end and won $6 million. It proves that anyone has a shot in poker.
What's your strategy going to be for the two upcoming Venom mystery bounty events?
Some Venoms are about surviving and moving up the ladder. These mystery bounty events are about accumulation. They're also unique in that you can play multiple Day 1s and combine your stacks for Day 2. Big stacks are critical in bounties so I generally will pick the PLO or the NLHE after Day 1A and focus on that. Whichever one I bag a stack in, I’ll focus on increasing my odds of winning. I get a whole month of trying to build a real tower for day 2.
Aside from accumulation, what’s one key tip you’d give players to succeed?
While big stacks are important, these events are unique online in that you get tons of play. The structure is slow so there is a delicate balance between accumulation and survival. You will see some players going nuts early on trying to get chips, while others are in survival mode. Pick up on which players are doing what and adjust your game against them accordingly.
What are you doing to prepare for the Venoms?
It’s more about sleep than study for me. I have studied and prepared long before the Venoms start. It’s now just about getting adequate rest each night before the long grind.
The NLHE and PLO Venom mystery bounty events start on ACR Poker on August 10. Make Day 2 and you'll be in the money. Each mystery bounty pulled on Day 2 is worth at least $5,000, with top bounties of $500,000 and $200,000 in the NLHE and PLO events, respectively. ACR Poker is streaming Day 1A action on its Twitch channel with ambassadors Moneymaker, Rob Kuhn and Jon Pardy.
