Moneymaker Effect

1. Chris Moneymaker, an accountant from Tennessee with a storybook last name, stepped into poker history when he won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event for $2.5M. "The Moneymaker Effect" refers to the influx of interest in poker among recreational players who were inspired by Moneymaker's success. It is often cited as one of the defining characteristics of the poker boom.

The Farha Effect?

Pundits often debate the validity of the Moneymaker Effect, some arguing that the poker boom was the inevitable result of the combined influences of online poker, media attention from ESPN and the creation of the World Poker Tour. However, there is little doubt that Moneymaker, by virtue of being in the right place at the right time with the right last name, effectively unified all these elements and played a pivotal role in exposing poker to a mass audience.