WSOP 2021: Former Champ Chris Moneymaker Set to Miss This Year's WSOP

August 18, 2021

The 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker has announced that he will not be attending the 2021 World Series of Poker.

In a tweet, the Poker Hall of Famer stated as one of his reasons that he did not want to bring the virus home, with his nine-year-old child unable to be vaccinated.

Many poker players and fans were quick to commiserate, including three-time WSOP bracelet winner David Bach.

Moneymaker Explains All

Pokernews reached out to the former Main Event champion to ask him about how he came to his decision, one that he admits he hated to make.

"I decided to skip the WSOP Main Event when I learned that even vaccinated people could shed the virus," said Moneymaker. "If I go to the WSOP I will most certainly be exposed to the virus."

Moneymaker cashed twice at the 2019 World Series of Poker, including a 687th place finish in the Main Event - the first time Moneymaker had cashed in the Main Event since his 2003 win.

"I was looking forward to live poker in general," said Moneymaker. "Before the Delta variant, I started to play live locally again and added some stops live to my schedule. That is all gone for the foreseeable future."

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Masks and Vaccines

"If you are not vaccinated [...] I cannot handle that kind of stupidity"

We asked Moneymaker whether he had anything to say to those who were hesitant to wear masks or were reluctant to get vaccinated against the virus. Moneymaker did not mince his words.

"If you are not vaccinated or don't wear a mask at this point, there is nothing I can say to you. I will probably just not speak to you anymore as I can not handle that kind of stupidity."

Moneymaker has since said that he would love to see the World Series of Poker go forward, and that he would love to play in it. In fact, he finished his tweet with the hashtag #nextyearihope.

However, while the rest of the poker community hopes to write their name into poker folklore, this is just one name they will have to go without for 2021 at least.

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Managing Editor

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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