Five-time World Series of Poker winner, 2000 WSOP Main Event Champion
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, topped off by one very large cowboy hat. Chris followed an unorthodox route into the card-playing lifestyle; he spent 13 years as a computer science graduate student before deciding to venture into the world of professional poker. It's a decision he hasn't regretted - the first year after leaving graduate school, Chris won the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.
Chris has a legendary playing style that is founded on years of studying game theory and mathematics. His family background played a big part in this - his father teaches statistics and game theory at U.C.L.A., and his mother has a Ph.D. in mathematics. In addition, Chris spent the majority of his graduate degree working on artificial intelligence. As a result, Chris has a knack for gaming that makes him one of the world's most feared poker players. The payoff hasn't been too bad either - he's earned more than $6 million in lifetime tournament winnings.
Chris is much more than just a one-trick pony, however. Chris is best known for his performance in Texas Hold 'em. However, he's one of the only masters of a much more obscure branch of poker - Texas Throw 'em.
If you haven't heard of this game, don't worry - it's because Chris is one of the only people good enough to play it! The game is simply throwing playing cards fast enough and forcefully enough to cut fruit into pieces.
And Chris is an expert at it - he can cut a banana in half by throwing a card from a distance of 10 feet. Chris can also cut through apples, melons, and even carrots.
Chris has many other talents as well. He's a skilled ballroom dancer who enjoys dancing the foxtrot, waltz, tango, mambo, and the West Coast swing.
Whether he's cutting up the rug, or cutting up a fruit salad with cards, Chris is one of the most interesting characters in the poker world. Be sure to look out for him and his 10-gallon cowboy hat on Poker After Dark.
