Disgraced Poker Player Chris Ferguson Enters World Series Of Poker Tournament2000 Main Event Champion Busts After Roughly An Hour |
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One of the men behind what was called a “global Ponzi scheme” by the federal government has returned to the World Series of Poker in search of his sixth career bracelet.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who was an owner of Full Tilt Poker when it shut down while holding more than $300 million worth of player funds, entered the $10,000 seven-card stud event at the 2016 WSOP on June 4. It was his first appearance at the WSOP since 2010, the year before the Black Friday indictments that ensnared other of the world’s top poker sites facilitating games for Americans.
Ferguson, along with Howard Lederer and Rafe Furst, settled their respective civil cases with the government without admitting to any wrongdoing. Unlike CEO Ray Bitar, they were never charged criminally. Full Tilt was eventually sold to rival site PokerStars, the latter of which gave the government enough money in a settlement to pay back Americans who had money missing on Full Tilt.
Ferguson was ordered to hand over an undisclosed amount from a specific bank account, as well as an additional $2.35 million. In the settlement, Ferguson said he was “unaware” of the situation at Full Tilt Poker. He has never talked publicly about the case, and didn’t do so on Saturday.
The 53-year-old busted in the early morning hours on Sunday after about an hour of play.
Ferguson, the 2000 main event champion, is 12th all-time at the Series in number of cashes (63). He has $8.3 million in lifetime tournament earnings.
Though Lederer has played poker in a public setting since his settlement, it hasn’t been at the WSOP. Furst also hasn’t been seen in a bracelet event since the indictments.
For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2016 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.
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