#31 - Chris Ferguson
The 40th Annual World Series of Poker is only weeks away. Between now and the start of the Main Event BluffMagazine.com will be presenting the 40 Greatest Champions in WSOP history exclusively on WorldSeriesofPoker.com. 
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson has become a WSOP rock star with a cult following.  His trademark long hair, beard, hat and sunglasses frame his stoic pose at the felt and has become the iconic poker face in current tournament poker.  The 2000 Main Event Champion has a Ph. D. in Computer Science from UCLA, can but a carrot in half with playing card, and even ballroom dances.

Ferguson is a five-time bracelet winner with over $7 million in career winnings.  He has finished in the money 57 times in his WSOP career.  More astonishing is that he has cashed in every Word Series of Poker since 1995.  Since his debut he has won more bracelets, appeared at more final tables, and had more tournament cashes than anyone else.

Outside of his Main Event win in 2000, Ferguson won his first bracelet that same year in a 7 Card Stud event.  He followed up with a 2001 win in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo beating a final table with Allen Cunningham and Men “The Master” Nguyen.  He won another two bracelets in 2003 in a Limit Hold ‘Em & 7 Card Stud event and in a Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event. 

He is one of the founders and faces of Full Tilt Poker.  He proved through proper bankroll management strategy he could find success when he issued the $10,000 challenge in 2007.  Starting with nothing, he played free rolls to start his bankroll and spent nine months grinding it up to $10,000, which he donated to charity.

Ferguson has found tournament success outside the WSOP as well.  He won the NBC National Heads-Up Championship in 2008 after finishing runner-up in 2005 and 2006.

His knowledge of gaming theory and mathematics has skyrocketed Ferguson to poker’s top echelons.  He doesn’t travel the tournament circuit as he used to, instead focusing on large buy-in tournaments and televised games like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker.