Today I want to talk about one of my favourite poker players. Why does he have that status with me? Apart from his magnificent carreer as poker player I simply admire his personality at and away from the table. I don’t think highly of people who believe they need to rely on psychological tricks by misbehaving at the table. Neither do I like it when people simply keep talking and talking in order to annoy someone else (don’t get me wrong, a certain Daniel Negrenau is very talkative indeed, but at least he shows class and humour – Tony G however… well, let’s just say he and I probably would not get along too well).
Chris Ferguson manages to dominate a table quietly simply through his presence and analytical abilities. I also have a lot of respect for his approach to the game itself. He claims that the money is not the most important aspect for him, he likes the challenge and primarily plays for prestige, honour and the satisfaction of having achieved something big when you are the last to stand up from the final table.
This is also the reason why he prefers playing tournaments rather than cash games. He once explained, “I just don’t like taking money from people after figuring out how they play. That’s just not my style. But once they put their money down for a tournament, it’s all over. Now, that money’s gone. I’m out to win the tournament. There’s something to shoot for in a tournament. More than money, I think.”
Of course this is an easy thing to say considering his success so far: 5 WSOP Bracelets and 2 WSOP Circuit Titles – and all in all more than $7,000,000 of prize money won. That sounds like a whole lot – and it is. Especially considering that this is a man who stated in an interview that poker is just something he does for fun and he wants to make a living in analytics and the stock market.
Christopher Philip Ferguson was born on April 11th, 1963, in Los Angeles. His parents have doctoral degrees in mathematics, his father teaches game theory and theoretical probability at UCLA. Chris himself has earned his Ph.D. in computer science. His analytical background shows strongly in his game and works to his advantage. He has researched the game of poker intensely and the photographic memory that he is supposed to have surely helps as well. This man has his built-in Odds Calculator.
How could you not recognise Jesus?
When Chris Ferguson is at a table you would have to be blind not to recognise him instantly. His poker outfit includes a cowboy hat and sun glasses – add to that his charismatic long hair and beard and you have a very unique looking poker player. But not only unique looking … he once started an experiment where he would have to build his bankroll of $0 (nothing, zip, void, nil, zero,…) up to $10,000 – which he did successfully after 16 months of online poker. For him this was merely to satisfy his own curiosity and it was during that experiment that he came up with his already famous bankroll management rules.
Away from the tables he doesn’t wear his hat. It is simply his way of getting into the mood and concentrate on playing poker. He probably earned his nickname Jesus because of his long hair and the quiet, contained demeanour he displays. He doesn’t use this nickname himself but it doesn’t bother him if others do. He is in general a shy person and prefers it if people walk up to him and start a conversation. He is even such a nice guy that he feels guilty when he is in a hurry and a fan chats him up and he has to cut him short.
If you ever happen to be at a WSOP Event (they are his favourite tournaments) and you see a long-haired cowboy, don’t be shy. Chat him up and get to know the person behind the sun glasses. And keep in mind that this quiet fellow is more than just a poker player, you may want to ask him about his success in Swing Ballroom Dancing – yes, he became champion in that discipline.
Chris Ferguson is a man with many interests besides poker. That alone is very impressive for a man as successful at professional poker as he is. To be honest it is hard for me to find any flaw in this man at all. It is very rare to see a man who has had such tremendous success and earned so much money playing poker merely as an extended hobby, who is the center of so much attention anywhere he goes and who still is so down to earth.
After long hours of research and lots of reading I finally found something that I had to disagree with and for the love of mankind I sincerely hope you are with me on this. When asked for his favourite movie Chris Ferguson answered ‘Monty Python’s Holy Grail’ while we all know the correct answer would have been ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ – so close, Mr. Ferguson. Close but no cigar. That proves that no one is perfect, not even Jesus.