Chris “Jesus” Ferguson Biography
Chris Ferguson was born on April 11th 1963 in LA, California. His family was very math oriented with both his mother and father having degrees in math and his father teaching probability and game theory at UCLA. Chris followed his father to UCLA and over many, many years of study received a Ph.D. in computer science. One of Ferguson’s key strengths at the poker table is his use of mathematics. Chris feels that even if he cannot read another player, his knowledge of the math of the game will allow him to compete.
After many years of playing poker as a hobby Ferguson decided to enter the 1995 World Series of Poker and try his luck against the other top players in the world. Although Ferguson began playing a lot in 1995, it was in 2000 that he really had his coming out party and started to get noticed. In the 2000 World Series of Poker, Chris Ferguson won two gold bracelets, one of them being the main event bracelet that is so difficult to win. After this great World Series, Ferguson proved it was no fluke with another bracelet win in 2001 and another two bracelets in ‘03. To date Ferguson has won five World Series of Poker gold bracelets and has finished in the money 59 times. This last feat is quite remarkable and ranks Ferguson third all-time. As you can imagine with all of these money finishes and the main even win Ferguson has racked up a ton of career tournament winnings. His current total stands at $8 Million, but that number is sure to increase in the future.
Ferguson’s very unique appearance helped him gain notoriety and fame in the poker world. His long dark hair and unshaven face have caused people to call him “Jesus” and the name has stuck. The fact that Ferguson can throw cards through veggies and fruits didn’t hurt his popularity in the poker world either.
Ferguson, unlike many other top poker professionals, will only play tournaments and stays away from the cash games. He understands that these are completely different games and he prefers knowing he can only lose his buy-in. In his extra time between tournaments Ferguson will do a lot of studying and analyzing past poker hands. He is always trying to improve himself and increase his edge at the poker table.
You can find Chris playing in a lot of tournaments on Full Tilt Poker. He is a full member of team Full Tilt so he has a vested interest in the poker room and does his best to market it and allow players the chance to play with one of their favourite professionals.
