Poker 1 on 1

Sam Farha: More Than Superstition

Sam Farha's popularity was a case of overnight success when he went neck and neck with Chris Moneymaker at the 2003 World Series of Poker. Moneymaker's triumph was one memorable event that both put him and Farha on the charts. Farha rook home second place and a prize money of $ 1.3 million. Immediately after his epic match with Moneymaker, PokerStars.com arranged a rematch. This time Farha won the battle.

Farha won the 1996 Pot-limit Omaha Championship of the World Series of Poker and earned his very first WSOP gold bracelet. Farha have the preference for playing Omaha at cash games. He is also works for Harrah's Casino in Vegas as a spokesman. As of 2004, Farha has accumulated over $ 1.5 million in tournament earnings.

Sam Farha was a native of Beirut, Lebanon. He was an excellent video game player and has a knack for reflex games. His specialties are pinball, pool and PACMAN. His video gaming prowess took him far off the common halls and arcades. He once even earned $ 5,000 playing PACMAN and his exceptional skill in pinball gave him the opportunity to be on the cover of a Lebanese magazine.

When civil war broke in Lebanon in the late 70's, Farha was still in his teens. He went to the United States to attend college at the University of Kansas. He graduated from the university with a degree in Business Administration. Farha went to Houston, Texas to live with his brother and he worked several jobs before realizing his niche in poker. It was around 1990 when he became a regular player in Las Vegas and eventually decided to go pro on his newfound career.

Sam Farha believes in superstition and even he even practices it while he's at the tournament table. He was seen sporting his lucky cigarette at one time, but never lights it. There was also an instance that he cried out that his cigarette is going to light because he was so hot winning a series of pots. He is also known for changing unlit cigarettes after a bad game play. Farha's style of play is both unpredictable and aggressive, and he has the skill of getting the higher hand and the flair for intimidating his opponents.

Nowadays, Farha is living in Houston, Texas and he is currently writing a book. He is also busy working on a video game and a reality TV show about poker.