Chris Ferguson can’t remember a time when he wasn’t playing cards. He might say his poker career started in the fourth grade when his losing hand cost him 35 cents. He was determined to never to go broke again.
In high school, Chris was making $2 per hour playing with friends every weekend in nickel and dime games. Soon, Chris and his friends made their first pilgrimage to Vegas.
In 1989, Chris discovered the IRC Poker Network. On IRC, hundreds of players from around the world gathered in a text-only chat room to play poker - no money involved. In the mid-1990s, Chris began playing on the IRC network and, after a number of years, his name was consistently listed in one of the top two positions on the board.
With background in game theory and a Ph.D. in computer science, Chris made the decision to really apply himself and concentrate only on tournament play. He started off playing in the small tournaments in and around Los Angeles. In 1996 he won a satellite World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament, placing him in the main event.
In the next three years, Chris earned 12 in-the-money finishes in the WSOP, as well as making seven final table appearances. Chris never finished higher than fourth place until 2000, when he defeated T.J. Cloutier to win the main event.
In 2002, Chris returned to the world of online poker and decided to put together a team to design the software for Full Tilt Poker. He continues to play an integral role in the design process, hoping not only to create the best deals and best software in the business, but also to give all players - including the smaller ones - a chance to improve their games, and maybe bring something new to the table.
