Images courtesy of the World Poker Tour
For two decades, one player who has never strayed from the online tournament poker streets for too long is Chris Moorman. Once known mostly by his online moniker of ‘Moorman1’, the British poker legend stepped into the live arena and discovered that much of what he loved about the game he played online was there at the live felt, too.
With two WSOP bracelets already, Chris is taking on the thousands of players descending on the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in his adopted home city of Las Vegas this summer. We caught up with him to discuss his motivations for success and how he’s used the lessons of the past to pay it forward in the future.
An Englishman in Las Vegas
For the past 11 years, Chris Moorman has called the United States of America home. One of England’s favorite poker sons now drives on the other side of the street after recently passing his driving test. After four years in Los Angeles, Chris now lives in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world. He loves a lot about crossing the Atlantic.
The main attraction for me here in comparison to the UK is the weather, he says. I love having the sun shining constantly; I really feel like it brightens my mood and makes me happier in general. It’s nice having the option to play pickleball, padel, or golf on pretty much any given day to balance the lifestyle of a poker professional. At home in England, I felt a lot more restricted and stuck inside all the time.
I asked Chris if his love for the game of poker still burns as bright as it ever did, and his response was an interesting one.
It’s impossible to love it as much as when you first start delving into the game, and I’ve had short periods throughout my career where I feel like I’ve lost the love for it a bit. But I try to take breaks when I get these feelings and mix it up by playing different formats and studying new things.
The constantly evolving nature of poker means the natural competitor, Chris, is permanently fueled with new problems to solve and puzzles to figure out.
Having to adjust to stay on top really helps me to have a fresh approach to it all, he reveals. I think people often focus on the negative things with online poker, but one positive lately is the lack of scandals with online poker sites. In general, people trust their money a lot more and realize that sites are trying to prioritize security as much as possible.
The Online and Live Streets
Chris has been an ambassador for Americas Cardroom since November 2021, and in the past few years has played all their major series, such as the Venom and Online Super Series. He’s proud to wear the ACR patch at the felt in Las Vegas this summer and credits the site with “constantly trying to cater to the average player,” providing them with added value.
Whether that’s with rakeback programs or leaderboard contests, or new formats of poker that feel fresh. The bomb pot cash games are a prime example. They are always looking to encourage new players to the game whilst keeping existing players happy with good rewards and promotions.
When I ask Chris if he’d rather win his next WSOP bracelet online or live, there’s no question in his mind.
100% I’d prefer to win my third one live. My online one doesn’t feel real at times, especially given it was in a turbo! I think my biggest edges are mental game and experience.
Like many players will experience this summer in Vegas, adjusting from online poker to live requires a completely different set of skills, something Chris is keenly aware of.
Live poker tournaments are long; it’s important not to get flustered with the ups and downs of a tournament and try and stay as level-headed as possible. I try to catch myself before it happens when I’m seeing spots that aren’t there, or if I catch myself locking up chips rather than playing every hand individually.
The British Poker Scene
Chris tells me that he’s always loved being a part of the British poker community. Alongside fellow legends of the game such as Jake Cody, Toby Lewis, and Matt Perrins, Chris burst onto the scene and met with huge success before he even considered relocating to the United States.
When I came up in the game, I was very much one of the youngest guys in the UK scene. I remember guys like Praz Banzi, Barny Boatman, and Karl Mahrenholz being particularly welcoming and kind to me. I just try and represent myself as best as possible and make time for people who enjoy the game or me as a player.
That ethic is a big part of who Chris is, and it comes from him knowing what the opposite experience feels like.
I’ve met people in the game before who I looked up to, and then it was a disappointment when I finally met them. I try to never let that be the case with me, even if I’m tilted or not having a great day.
Making the final of a WSOP Event and having a British rail behind him is an experience Chris never gets tired of. From fans to fellow players, the Brits are known for drinking to excess and supporting anyone flying the Union Jack with fervor. Chris fondly remembers being three-handed in a $2,500 six-max WSOP event.
I had a hand where I raised blind-vs-blind against the chip leader with ace-deuce and c-bet a K-4-3 board. Facing a raise, I really didn’t believe my opponent and decided to jam all-in when facing a raise on the flop.
With Chris sat in seat nine, he was unable to see the player he was up against in seat one clearly.
The rail was really rowdy and intoxicated by this point, and all of a sudden I heard a huge cheer followed by chants of “Show the deuce!” I’m not really one to show my cards ever, but what better a spot than this? I flip over just one card – the deuce – and go to drag the pot into my stack. Imagine my horror when I reached forward and saw my opponent still had cards.
Chris’ opponent called with ace-deuce, and the pair ended up chopping the pot. Ultimately, Chris came third in the event, but it could all have been very different.
If I’d stayed stoic, I likely win the pot and gain some much-needed momentum at that time in the tournament. To be honest, I’m still not sure he should have called because it seems most likely that my other card would be a king in that spot rather than an ace or five, which really are the only other two options.
The Next Generation
Chris is always thinking about poker, and it’s clear that his mind is solution-oriented to the degree that even within an anecdote, he can clearly recall the rhythms of each strategic point. I move on to the subject of fatherhood, with Chris being a fairly new Dad. I ask him if he’d be happy for Mikel to become a poker player like him and follow in his father’s footsteps.
If he showed an interest in the game, I’d 100% encourage it, says Chris. I feel like poker has really helped me overall become a more well-rounded individual. At the end of the day, I want my son Mikel to follow his passion, and I’ll support him as best I can along the way.
Just like David Beckham’s footballing gift wasn’t passed on to Brooklyn Beckham, fame and sporting fortune don’t always go hand in hand. Chris is also mindful of the pitfalls attached to emulating your parent.
It can be difficult following in someone’s footsteps with expectations, but I’d prefer to approach it with the view that I would be able to help him not make some of the same mistakes that I did along the way and focus him on the right aspects of the game.
With all that being said, he’s actually going to become a professional footballer – I can feel it. With the name Mikel Moorman-Gonzalez, how can he not!? He sounds like Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla regen!
Backing Back in the Day
With Chris on his way to the latest event at the 57th annual World Series of Poker, I wanted to know if there was any truth to the many rumors I’ve heard about his extensive backing of random players back in the years following the original poker boom.
I think the story that showcases best how things were back then was in 2011. I bought a WSOP Main Event piece of this guy Nelson Robinson purely based on him knowing Big Huni [Chris Hunichen] and him vouching for him.
Putting myself in Chris’ shoes, I’d be all-in, following all the action of my horses, sweating every big hand, praying they make the money. But that’s not how ‘Moorman1’ rolled back in the day.
I completely forgot about it until he hit me up to ask where I wanted the money a few weeks after the event, as I hadn’t reached out. He ended up coming 33rd for $242,636, and I had 5% if I remember correctly. Imagine if he’d won it for the best part of $8.7 million that year and I wasn’t even sweating it along the way at all!
Now 15 years on, Chris Moorman sounds just as much in love with the game as he always was. Poker has been kind back to him, and with two bracelets to his name, Chris is back at the live felt this summer in Las Vegas, firing hard for number three.
