In the history of the World Series of Poker, the name Chris Moneymaker enjoys a very special kind of status among fans. In some ways, Moneymaker is viewed as the people's champion, sort of a Rocky Balboa for the poker set. While in recent years there have been numerous players to emerge from normal, unglamorous lives as everyday Americans to become poker celebrities, Moneymaker was the first to grab national attention on a phenomenal level.

A native of Tennessee, where he was born in 1976, Moneymaker attended the University of Tennessee and there earned a master's degree in accounting. At that time, it seemed his life would follow a predictable trajectory of establishing himself in the accounting field and earning a respectable living. Indeed, for several years, this was precisely the path that Moneymaker pursued. However, things took a fairly radical turn in 2003, when he won a seat to the main event of the WSOP. And the rest is history.

How exactly did this mild-mannered accountant make such a bold, unpredictable move? The answer is disarmingly simple: Moneymaker laid down all of $39 to enter a satellite tournament hosted by Poker Stars. By this point, he had been playing online poker for some time, building up an impressive level of confidence and mastery. Still, it is safe to say that when he entered the 2003 World Series of Poker, he wasn't exactly expecting to walk away with a championship bracelet and $2.5 million in cash. And yet, that is precisely what happened.

On the heels of this triumph, shocking as it may seem, Moneymaker decided that he was no longer cut out to live the thrill-a-minute life of an accountant. He promptly picked up an endorsement deal for Poker Stars and continued to travel on the professional circuit making a name for himself in numerous tournaments. It can be credibly argued that, in the world of sports, there has rarely been such a dramatic case of an unknown becoming an instant celebrity.

For fans of poker, Moneymaker remains ubiquitous to this day. He appears on Sirius satellite radio every Thursday on Playboy Radio's Morning Show. Bookstores across the country sold his autobiography, published in March 2005, to a wide and ravenous reading audience. The saga of Chris Moneymaker proves, among other things, that nice guys can finish first and that America still remains the true land of opportunity.