 Ballroom
Dancing, long hair, multiple
PhDs, does this sound like a
professional poker player to
you? Well it is, and he goes
by Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.
Ferguson, who earned his nickname
because of his look, is much
more than an outstanding poker
player. His supreme intellect
and photographic memory make
him one of the most feared professional
poker players around today.
Ferguson grew up in Los Angeles,
and became highly interested
in academics and mainly mathematics
from a young age, and this is
evident in his poker play. Born
into a well off family, both
of Chris' parents have mathematics
doctorates. Chris Fergusons
father is a professor in both
game theory, as well as statistics
at UCLA. Ferguson followed in
his parents footsteps and earned
himself a PhD in Computer Science.
As a teen, Ferguson pocked up
the game of poker, immediately
doing well do to his understanding
of numbers. Chris however had
no aspirations to play poker
for a living, he wanted to work
in his field of study.
Chris began to play more and
more poker, and began to wonder
if his new hobby could be more
than a hobby and if he could
play at an elite level. Chris
knew that there were players
who were consistently winning
on the tournament circuit. Chris
immersed himself in poker and
played against the best competition
he could find, and observed
what they did at the table.
Chris would study there tactics
and employ them in his own game.
Chris began to play a lot of
tournaments, many in the range
of one hundred to three hundred
dollars.
Chris graduated from grad school
in 1999, and that year he made
the leap to the big stage, taking
part in both the World Series
of Poker and the World Poker
Tour. Chris has had great success
in each, holding five WSOP bracelets,
one of which is from his main
event victory in 2000. That
year, Chris played heads up
against poker legend T.J. Cloutier,
and was able to secure the win
even though Cloutier held A-Q
to Fergusons A-9. This hand
has since been Chris trademark
hand, as he hit a 9 on the river
to knock T.J out.
Chris has taken part in some
interesting poker experiments,
namely his various successful
attempts at turning $1 into
$10,000. Ferguson preaches strict
bankroll management and game
selection, and is proof that
anyone can become a skilled
poker player as long as they
are willing to commit the focus
and discipline.
Chris remains active playing
both cash games and tournaments
around the world. Chris has
been know to play more that
seventy events in a year. When
Chris is not focusing his time
on the tournament circuit
or at the cash game tables,
you can find him playing on
Full
Tilt Poker, a site of which
he is one of the founders. Chris
is known for great discipline,
and a great attitude towards
the game. He is a definite ambassador
of the game.
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