Menu Close

The Most Memorable Poker Moments of All Time

There are few other games in the world that are quite as famous and popular as poker, the beloved card game of chance. Modern poker has been enjoyed for more than two hundred years, and turned into a massive, international industry that attracts countless millions every single year. Professional poker tournaments are like no other event on earth, offering fast-paced game play mixed with extremely high skill and a degree of uncertainty that just adds to the overall exhilaration.

Many of these events and tournaments have given rise to some truly unforgettable moments in poker; such as moments that saw the pros winning big or suffering huge losses; moments that absolutely no one could have predicted, These are some of those moments.

Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker is a name that has become synonymous with high winnings and brilliant luck at the poker table, but the origins of the player may surprise some. He entered the scene in 2003 as an accountant from the city of Georgia and was able to win a seat at the WSOP Main Event after winning a ticket through online poker. The main event saw over 800 entrants and boasted a top prize of $2.5 million.

Chris Moneymaker was not deterred, however, and very calmly made his way through each one of his games until he got to the final table. He didn’t stop however, and eventually was able to face Sammy Farha in a match that poker fans will never forget. And despite it all, he became the first poker player in history to win an international event after qualifying online, spawning an entire wave of entrants vying for their own chance at the real tables.

The Day Poker Went Online

Long before the creation of the internet, poker was played almost entirely at online blackjack, and it remained like that for decades. That was until the 1st of January 1998, when the very first game of video poker went online. It was named Planet Poker, and was founded by Mike Caro and Randy Blumer, who were poker legends of their own. Opening up the site to the public didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped and they were faced with endless technical difficulties – but it was the start of something that would eventually become of the most popular online pastimes in history, one that remains a favourite to this day.

Isildur1’s Legacy

Over a decade after the first online poker site went live, the game had exploded in popularity around the world, and had attracted an entirely new generation of professional players. This is where the anonymous Isildur1 came into being, and no one else involved in the events knew where he came from or who he was. He immediately stood out as he seemingly had no fear, was willing to face absolutely anyone, and had a big bankroll to keep going.

At first, many thought that he would quickly be knocked out, but he proved to be almost unstoppable until a group of pros used a controversial move to undermine his streak.