| 2000 WSOP Main Event Winner | Chris “Jesus” Ferguson |
|---|---|
| Runner Up | T.J. Cloutier |
| Winning Hand | A 9 |
| Losing Hand | A Q |
| 1st Place Prize | $1,500,000 |
| Number of Main Event Entrants | 512 |
The 2000 WSOP Main Event finished with a great matchup as professional poker players Chris Ferguson and T.J. Cloutier squared off against each other in heads-up play. T.J. was highly respected in the poker community as an excellent player and has co-written numerous poker boos. Chris is known as “Jesus” for his long hair and beard and is frequently seen wearing a cowboy hat at the table.
These two players fought a long heads-up battle against each other, and in the end Chris Ferguson called the all-in bet of T.J. Cloutier with A-9. Chris would later say that T.J. was a better player than him so he knew that he would need to get lucky to win. T.J flipped over a dominating hand of A-Q and looked like a sure double up.
The flop came down K-4-2, which was no help for the beleaguered Chris. The king on the turn further devastated his morale as he was now down to one card. T.J. and Chris had been nearly even in chips at te start of the hand so if Chris lost he would likely lose the tournament. Then, the nine of hearts fell on the river to give Chris the pair he needed to eliminate T.J. Cloutier and win the $1.5 million first prize.