Online poker star

Murray in the Australian Open tennis final.”

Chris is proud of his UK roots and – despite tough memories of being bullied at school – regularly returns home to Essex.

He is mainly pals with his fellow players, who hail from around the globe.

In June, Chris won the World Series Of Poker Gold Bracelet at Las Vegas’s Rio Hotel And Casino.

He won $500,000 – around €425,000.

And he grins: “I felt on top of the world. I’d been trying to win it for 11 years so it was a great feeling. I’d worked so hard to get there and all my friends were watching, cheering me on.”

Chris, 888poker’s British ambassador, will head home this week to play the 888Live Festival London at Aspers Casino in East London. The prize pot totals €740,000.

He is also launching his Paragliding thrill in New Zealand autobiography Moorman: The Inside Story Of The Most Successful Online Poker Player Of All Time at the event.

Chris tells how his passion for poker even rubbed off on dad Simon and paid big dividends back in 2009.

The poker nut arranged for Simon to play an event with him in Manchester – and his dad scooped €100,000. “I’d been professional for a couple of years so he’d started getting into it too,” says Chris.

“I bought him into the tournament for his birthday present. “There were 500 players, a lot of professionals, and he won the whole thing. “I’d done 40 or 50 of these events at the time and hadn’t won anything in them, so he was giving me a bit of stick!” vikki.white@trinitymirror.com The 11-day festival at the 888poker card room, part of Aspers Casino, at Westfield, East London, runs from October 5-16. See schedule at 888poker. com/888liveevents/londonfestival-2017/

Mum was worried when she found out that I played poker ...she thought I might get shot CHRIS MOORMAN ON KEEPING GAMBLING SECRET FROM FAMILY