The End of an Era as Moneymaker Announces He Is Leaving Pokerstars

Published on December 31st, 2020 1:16 pm EST

It's the end of an era, as Chris Moneymaker announced earlier today that he was leaving Pokerstars with immediate effect.

Moneymaker was one of the original sponsored poker players, as Pokerstars inked him to a deal after he took down the 2003 World Series of Poker.

The Moneymaker win was one of the biggest events in the history of poker, as it started the online "poker boom" that changed the game forever.

Moneymaker, if you'll remember, was an accountant who qualified for the World Series of Poker via a satellite on Pokerstars. Moneymaker managed to make his way through the main event, eventually defeating Sammy Farha heads-up to take down the main event.

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Moneymaker and Pokerstars have maintained their relationship for 17 years. Pokerstars inked many players to sponsorship deals over the years, eventually parting ways with almost all of them.

The site remained loyal to Chris Moneymaker, however, as he was a major reason behind their surge in popularity.

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The split seems to be an amicable one, as Moneymaker said that he was looking forward to spending more time at home with his family, and less time traveling the world and playing poker.

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The days of the live "sponsored pro" are likely dead and buried now, with sites like Pokerstars choosing to focus more on streamers that have large followings online.

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It was a great run for Chris Moneymaker, and the entire poker world owes him a tip of the hat for sparking the "poker boom".


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Filed Under: Online Poker Rooms