Chris "Jesus" Ferguson

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson was born Christopher Philip Ferguson on April 11, 1963 and is one of the most influential and and most recognizable figures in online and offline poker. Take one look at Chris with his beard and long hair and you understand how he earned his nickname "Jesus".

Ferguson took the title of Champion of the No Limit Holdem main event at the 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Chris defeated another top competitor, TJ Cloutier, with an A9 hand and took home the $1,500,000 prize.

Ferguson says his costume, which consists of a black cowboy hat he wears to every game, makes his opponents underestimate him and it works to his advantage because poker, he believes, is a game of misinformation. "Jesus" has a different "look" outside of poker. He loses the hat and looks more like one who people would think is more a professor than a cowboy or a poker player.

Chris mostly plays tournaments, where he feels competition is the greatest. "I figure that the best way to learn to play better is to play against the top players," he once said. "I learn best by playing against the best." Ferguson's philosophy reflects his drive to be the best at the things he enjoys doing. "My favorite place to play is the final table", he says, "I believe the ability to make it to the final table is what marks a champion." After making it to the final table six straight times in the WSOP, he failed to make it to the top three in a $2,000 pot-limit hold'em tournament. He placed fourth, but still he said in an interview that the experience was "disappointing."

Fun Facts:

• Has 5 World Series of Poker Bracelets
• Throws playing cards fast enough to cut through bananas, carrots, and even melons.
• Only plays big tournaments and no cash games
• Holds a Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA
• Former ballroom dancing instructor
• Heads a software development company