Where Are They Now - The 2003 World Series of Poker Final Table

When you ask most poker players what got them started in the game one of the most common answers is the 2003 World Series of Poker. Even though the WSOP had been a staple in ESPN’s broadcasting for years, the 2003 version was the first in which ESPN followed each day of play, and took full advantage of the hole-card cam that was recently invented.

Now, some seven years later, I thought it would be interesting to look back at that historic 2003 Final Table, and also at one of the other players who was major personality, and focus of the ESPN cameras, throughout the tournament.

The Final Table

The 2003 WSOP Final Table featured a pretty strong contingent of professional poker players, despite the large field of 839 players. Among the final table were: Dan Harrington, the late Amir Vahedi, Sam Farha, Jason Lester, David Singer, David Grey, and of course Chris Moneymaker. Rounding out the 9 final table participants were amateur players Tomer Benvenisiti and Young Pak.

Dan Harrington - We all know what Dan Harrington is up to; besides competing in tournaments around the globe he wrote the quintessential tournament poker series “Harrington on Hold’ Em”.

Amir Vahedi - Sadly Amir passed away earlier this year, and the poker world mourns the long-time professional poker player known for his big smile and trademark cigar.

Sam Farha - Sammy can be found taking part in the biggest cash games in the world (especially if they’re playing PLO), and is a regular on GSN’s High Stakes Poker.

Jason Lester - Still a mainstay on the tournament scene, and in the Las Vegas poker rooms, Lester went on to win his only WSOP bracelet in 2006 in the $5k Pot Limit Holdem event.

David Singer - The first player out in 2003, most people don’t recall that Singer was at the final table.  Singer has gone on to win a WSOP bracelet, the Ceasars Classic, worth $1 million, and the $25,000 Full Tilt Heads-Up Championship. In all Singer has collected over $4 million in tournament winnings.

David Grey -The consummate professional, Grey has 2 WSOP bracelets and has won over $1.5 million in his career. Grey has also appeared on Poker Superstars and High Stakes Poker.

Chris Moneymaker - The 2003 WSOP win is obviously the highlight of Chris’s poker career, and he is known more for his ambassadorial work in poker than his playing ability. That said Moneymaker has popped up at a few final tables along the way, including the 2004 WPT Shooting Star tournament where he finished 2^nd.

The Stories

Over the course of ESPN’s coverage in 2003 a few players were thrust into the spotlight, including the polarizing Dutch Boyd. Boyd has been in hot water both before and after the 2003 WSOP: Before he was involved in an online poker site, Poker Spot, that went belly-up and absconded with a few hundred thousand dollars owed to its players: Recently, Boyd was once again named in a lawsuit filed by Two Plus Two, for creating a website they claim is guilty of, Cybersquatting, trademark infringement, deceptive trade practices, unfair competition, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.