[1][2] The term was created after Chris Moneymaker, a 27-year-old accountant and amateur poker player from Tennessee, United States, outlasted 838 other players to win the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, thereby winning the US$2.5 million prize and the title of World Champion.
[1] He became the new poster boy for poker, inspiring potential players to believe that "staying at home in front of a computer screen could be more profitable than going to work.
[3] Formerly a member of Team PokerStars, Moneymaker's biography on the PokerStars website read: "His story sparked a tidal wave of interest in poker, a phenomenon that's been nicknamed the 'Moneymaker Effect' [...] he'll always be remembered for that epic victory in 2003.
"[5] His story of an amateur beating some of the best poker players in the world and winning millions of dollars inspired millions of people to begin playing poker, online and in card rooms around the world.
[5] Moneymaker moved on from PokerStars and became an official Team Pro at Americas Cardroom, where he resides today.