LAS VEGAS -- With a name like Chris Moneymaker, how could he lose?

The 27-year-old accountant from Tennessee parlayed a $40 investment in an online poker tournament into a $2.5 million win in the annual World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Vegas.

It was not only the first time he ever played the World Series, but the first time he had ever engaged in a face-to-face poker tournament, beating out more than 800 other players, including a bunch of professional gamblers.

The improbable story about the guy with the improbable name started when Moneymaker won the $10,000 entry stake in an online poker tournament at PokerStars.com. Several online casinos took part in the promotion, allowing amateurs the chance to take part in the biggest poker tournament in the world. Moneymaker sold "shares" in possible winnings to his father and friend to help finance the Vegas trip.

Then he got busy, outbidding, out-playing, and outwitting even the most seasoned poker champs with a style that he admits involved a lot of bluffing. The final hand came at about 1:30 in the morning after almost 11 hours of play, when Moneymaker drew a full house to beat his opponent and walk away with $2.5 million, the largest poker tournament prize in history.

After paying off his father and friend's investments, Moneymaker plans to donate some of the money to charity and use the remaining to pay for his 3-year-old daughter's college education, among other things.

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