The World series of poker is arguably the biggest Poker main event in the poker world, and there have been several winners of the WSOP main event final table over the years. So, where are they now? We take a look at some of the WSOP winners and what they are up to.
Christopher Ferguson (2000)
To say Chris Ferguson has been through the highs and lows of poker is an understatement. He began by honing his abilities on the earliest online poker sites using his expertise of mathematics and technology.
He finally turned those early lessons into a Main Event victory and, as a result, a career that would revolutionize the industry as a whole. Ferguson became a Full Tilt Poker founding member after winning the Main Event.
It earned him more money than his tournament winnings of $9.5 million. But, once Full Tilt went bankrupt, he gained a slew of adversaries. After a long absence, he reappears on occasion at large tournaments like the World Series Of Poker.
Carlos Mortensen (2001)
El Matador created a name for himself as the first South American to win the World Series of Poker Main Event. His aggressive style earned him two WSOP bracelets and a spot on shows like Poker After Dark.
At the time of writing, Mortensen had earned more than $12 million in his career. Along with World Series Of Poker triumphs, he has also won the Australian Millions, WPT, and Poker Superstars.
His most recent cash as of 2023 was from Deepstack Extravaganza IV in 2017. There have been claims that he lost his bankroll, but we cannot corroborate this. What we do know is that he is no longer a regular on the big tournament circuit.
Robert Varkonyi (2002)
When he defeated the much fancied Julian Gardner in the 2002 WSOP Main Event, Robert Varkonyi was a complete unknown in the poker world with no cash record. He has subsequently cashed a few times every year, both in the WSOP and elsewhere, and had a few deep runs.
The most recent were a few low-buy-in events in Las Vegas. In total, he has about $2.4 million in tournament earnings.
Varkonyi has been active away from the poker tables since 2002. He co-starred in an educational video titled “Wise Men on Texas Hold’em” alongside stars of HBO’s The Sopranos. He has also served as a consultant for an online gambling software business, as well as designed and sold his own casino games.
Chris Moneymaker, (2003)
Chris Moneymaker’s victory against not just Sam Farha, but also by far the greatest field in WSOP history at the time, fueled the poker boom. Partially because he’d won his way in via satellite, and partly because he was just an ordinary Joe.
Following his victory, the former accountant from Tennessee saw his face on ESPN more than SportsCenter, owing to the cable network’s frequent rotation of WSOP reruns.
He also appeared in a few advertisements for PokerStars, which made him the focal point of their marketing effort for the next year. And who has continued to sponsor him until December 2020, demonstrating his appeal to a broad range of poker aficionados.
Greg Raymer (2004)
Since becoming a WSOP champion in 2004, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer has been a real advocate for the game. After winning the bracelet, he has cashed in 48 WSOPs and has continually cashed in various events till 2021. He is presently worth more than $8 million in live earnings.
Raymer’s name has been mentioned in the headlines multiple times away from the table. He made news in 2005 when he was accosted and successfully fought off two armed guys outside his Bellagio suite during the Five Diamond World Poker Championship.
Under less dire circumstances, the champion spoke against the UIGEA before it was passed into law in 2006.
Joseph Hachem (2005)
Joe Hachem was the first Australian to win the WSOP Main Event, and while his star has waned, he remains a frequent winner. He was a member of Team PokerStars for several years after winning the Main Event, but he departed the firm in 2011.
Despite losing a big sponsor, Hachem has carefully spent his $7.5 million WSOP prize money. A string of deep runs and outright victories in WPT, EPT, and Australian Millions tournaments has resulted in almost $12.7 million in live tournament earnings.
Jamie Gold (2006)
To say the least, Jamie Gold’s 2006 victory was exciting. His verbal play so perplexed the players that he was able to win with a strong performance. Yet, conditions have deteriorated in recent years.
Gold was involved in a legal battle with TV producer Bruce Crispin Leyser. Gold allegedly agreed to pay Leyser a percentage of everything he won in the 2006 Main Event as part of a contract.
Things became heated when Gold attempted to keep all of his $12 million paycheck. The two later reconciled, although Gold went on to lose large sums of money in live games against poker’s best. He’s still playing, but he’s more interested in promoting companies than winning tournaments.
Mr. Jerry Yang (2007)
Jerry Yang is without a doubt the biggest one-hit wonder among previous WSOP Main Event champions. That’s hardly a knock on his 2007 winning streak or his poker abilities.
Yang exploited his stack to play an aggressive style of poker that his opponents couldn’t handle, in addition to a good dose of luck in the Main Event. Yet, he hasn’t been seen since earning $8.25 million. He occasionally appears at significant events. But, in comparison to prior victors, he is a minor blip on the tournament radar.
Eastgate, Peter (2008)
Peter Eastgate is renowned as the unintentional poker ambassador. His victory in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event led to a sponsorship contract with PokerStars and a slew of jobs he never really wanted. Because of his reluctance to accept the spotlight, Eastgate faded into obscurity in the years after his victory.
He failed to finish second at EPT London 2009, bringing his career earnings to $11.1 million. He hasn’t paid in a live event since 2013, and he doesn’t even bother to play live events anymore. In reality, he auctioned off his Main Event bracelet for charity in 2010 and raised $147,500.
Joe Cada (2009)
Cada is regarded as one of the first online stars to bridge the barrier and demonstrate his abilities on poker’s grandest stage. That’s significant because it shows he wasn’t a one-hit wonder.
His $8.5 million WSOP Main Event victory remains his career high, although he’s had some amazing performances since then. Cada’s resume currently includes four WSOP bracelets, a PCA championship, and final table appearances in several other majors. Cada is still competing in tournaments and proving that his 2009 victory was no fluke.
Jonathan Duhamel,(2010)
Duhamel, like Cada, was an internet phenomenon who made it huge on the live circuit. His pedigree indicates that he has withstood the test of time since winning the WSOP Main Event in 2010. In addition to two more WSOP bracelets, the Canadian pro has won EPT and WPT tournaments. In reality, he received a WSOP bracelet in 2015.
He now has over $18 million in winnings and continues to fight at the top level. Probably his most difficult struggle in recent years has been with the Canadian tax authorities. The $1.8 million lawsuit sparked heated controversy in 2020, but Duhamel maintains that he did not underpay taxes.
Heinz Pius (2011)
Pius Heinz rose to prominence in 2011, yet, like Peter Eastgate, he never enjoyed the life of a professional. He stated in a 2014 interview that he was playing full-time prior to his 2011 WSOP Main Event victory. And then for another year.
Heinz walked away from the spotlight once his connection with PokerStars ended. He stated that touring the poker circuit wasn’t his thing, and he now only plays for fun. Essentially, he utilized his $8.7 million winnings to accomplish what many of us would like to do: retire early.
Mr. Greg Merson (2012)
Greg Merson of New Jersey had his greatest year in poker when he won the 2012 Main Event. He won another $1.1 million and a second bracelet in the same series, in addition to the huge one for $8.5 million. As a result, he was named Player of the Year in 2012 and will be a star for many years to come. Merson’s deep runs at the WSOP and other significant tournaments continue. His live profits have already topped $11.4 million, yet he still plays online short-handed cash games.
Riess, Ryan (2013)
There’s no denying Ryan Riess has talent. In addition to winning the WSOP Main Event in 2013, he also won a WPT championship in 2017. Add to it a lifetime earnings total of more than $15 million, and he has a resume few athletes can match. That is why Riess is still involved in tournaments and cash games today.
Yet, most of his recent efforts have been directed toward rebuilding his reputation. Some pros were not pleased with Riess’ antics immediately following his Main Event victory. Riess has subsequently apologized for referring to himself as “the best thing in poker,” but some still consider him one of the game’s bad boys.
Martin Jacobson (2014)
Martin Jacobson is no exception to Sweden’s reputation for producing world-class poker players. The 2014 WSOP Main Event champion has over $17 million in earnings, as well as WPT and EPT championships.
Jacobson may still be found in the major live and online events. If you don’t see him at the table, he may be floating in a saltwater pool. Jacobson attributed his easy going demeanor to floating tan in a 2019 interview.
Joe McKeehen (2015)
McKeehan’s talent for winning events began in 2012. Just three years later, he earned the largest poker prize of $7.6 million. McKeehan has cashed 43 times at the WSOP by August 2021, earning three bracelets and an online championship.
But, this American pro shines not just in the WSOP. He won the Wynn Spring Classic, a US Poker Open championship, and the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open High Roller for $550,990 in 2021 alone. McKeehan currently has more than $18.2 million in live earnings as a result of those triumphs and others.
Qui Nguyen (2016)
Qui Nguyen’s first appearance in the Hendon Mob’s live tournament database was in 2003. For much of his career, the Vietnamese-American was known as a circuit grinder, until he finally struck gold in 2016. His winning streak not only garnered him a $8 million bonus, but also a book deal with D&B Publishing.
In the book From Vietnam to Vegas!, Nguyen and co-author Steve Blay recapped 170 significant hands from his Main Event run. How I Won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. He now resides in Las Vegas and continues to perform on the live circuit.
Scott Blumstein (2017)
After Blumstein won the 2017 Main Event, he essentially became the new Chris Moneymaker. He was an accountant like Moneymaker, but he didn’t qualify through an internet satellite. After winning $8.1 million, Blumstein, like the 2003 champion, never returned to a life of spreadsheets and tax returns. He’s never replicated the form that earned him his one and only WSOP bracelet. Blumstein, on the other hand, is still an active participant on the circuit.
John Cynn (2018)
Cynn rose up the poker ranks before placing 11th in the 2016 Main Event. That run increased his bankroll by $650,000. He’d turned it into his first WSOP bracelet and $8.8 million by 2018. He keeps grinding his way through the circuit’s major tournaments, traveling from hotel room to hotel room. Cynn may not be one of poker’s most well-known figures, but with over $10 million in profits and a talent for teaching people how to play, he’s far from a spent force.
Hossein Ensan (2019)
When Hossein Ensan won the WSOP Main Event, he was almost unknown in North America. In 2017, he did win a WSOP International Circuit event. He already held an EPT Prague championship, so when he won the Big Dance for $10 million, he was far from inexperienced. The German continues to make long runs in European tournaments and appears on the North American circuit on occasion. Thus, if you find yourself at an EPT or partypoker Live tournament, keep an eye out for Ensan.
Salas, Damian (2020)
Damian Salas’ name will live on in poker history, even if only because it is the solution to a trivia question. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Salas won the WSOP Main Event. As a result, his path to triumph was everything from typical.
Salas competed in and won the international leg of the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event on GGPoker. This won him a position in the live heads-up final against Joseph Herbert, the victor of the American leg. Salas finally triumphed, becoming the overall champion and taking home an additional $1 million on top of the $1.5 million he won online.
Koray Ademir (2021)
Koray Ademir has won the $10,000 buy-in main event at the 2021 World Series of Poker, defeating a field of 6,650 total entrants to earn his first WSOP gold bracelet and the first-place prize of $8,000,000. The 31-year-old German high-stakes tournament pro is only the third German to win the main event, following 2011 champion Pius Heinz and 2019 winner Hossein Ensan.
Ademir placed third in the player of the year race at the 2022 WSOP and had another deep run in the main event, ending 75th out of 8,663 entrants in defense of his title. In the process, he set a record for the most consecutive main event players outlasted, with 15,328 in the 2021 and 2022 main events combined.
Ademir still plays poker till this day and was recently a part of the Enjoy poker tour
$ 400 + 40 No Limit Hold’em – Mystery Knockout.
Espen Jorstad (2022)
Espen Jorstad earned his first WSOP bracelet in 2022, when he competed in the Tag Team event alongside Patrick Leonard. In the Main Event, he reached the final table in a field of 8,663, the second-largest in WSOP history, and faced Adrian Attenborough heads-up. He became Norway’s first Main Event champion.
Espen Jorstad saw his total live winnings surpass $10,271,000 as of 2022, ranking him top on Norway’s all-time money list. He has not played poker this year and his last appearance was in December last year.
