Chris Moneymaker’s run in the 2026 World Series of Poker main event frustratingly ended in directly on the money bubble.
ACR Poker is now putting a different spin on the painful finish with The Moneymaker Bubble Effect, a special online tournament taking place on Tuesday, July 28.
Bubble Effect Tournament Details
The event begins at 8:30 pm ET and carries a $10,000 guarantee with a buy-in of just $0.10. Players who reach the money will collect their share of the prize pool, but the tournament’s most unusual payout is reserved for the last player eliminated without cashing.
The bubble finisher will receive a $2,650 seat into one of ACR Poker’s upcoming Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms.
That means narrowly missing the money will still earn the bubble finisher a prize worth 26,500 times the tournament’s 10-cent buy-in. Instead of leaving empty-handed, the player on the bubble will gain entry into one of the biggest events on ACR Poker’s schedule.
The Bubblemaker @CMONEYMAKER
This event is insane
You don’t want to miss this… https://t.co/MMvEf0H7fu pic.twitter.com/02lwmYXmyj— ACR Poker (@ACR_POKER) July 27, 2026
Moneymaker Fails To Moneymake
The idea follows Moneymaker’s own main event experience earlier this summer. His elimination on the bubble provided the inspiration for an event that turns a brutal near-miss into another major tournament opportunity.
The tournament will run alongside a live watch party hosted by Moneymaker on ACR Poker’s official Twitch channel.
Beginning at 7 pm ET, the ACR Poker Pro will watch ESPN’s coverage of the WSOP main event and offer his reactions, analysis, and unfiltered opinions. The tournament gets underway 90 minutes later.
Exclusive first-time deposit and reload bonuses will also be revealed during the stream.
The Champion’s History
Moneymaker has a longer history with the main event than almost any other player associated with the modern poker era.
In 2003, the accountant from Tennessee qualified online for $86 before navigating the main event field and defeating Sammy Farha heads-up for the title. He earned $2.5 million for the victory.
The run became one of the defining stories of televised poker. Moneymaker’s path from an online satellite to world champion helped introduce a larger audience to tournament poker and encouraged a new generation of players to try qualifying online.
The surge in interest that followed became known as the “Moneymaker Effect.” More than two decades later, ACR Poker is borrowing from that history for a tournament built around a much less celebrated main event result.
Venom Up Next
The $2,650 bubble prize also connects the event to ACR Poker’s largest pair of Venoms to date. The Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms are part of the site’s 25th anniversary schedule and feature a record $15 million in combined guarantees.
The lineup features a $12 million guaranteed no-limit hold’em Mystery Bounty Venom with a $500,000 top bounty. A $3 million guaranteed pot-limit Omaha Mystery Bounty Venom will run alongside it with a $250,000 top bounty.
About ACR Poker
About ACR PokerACR Poker has been a leader in online poker since 2001, serving players across the U.S., Latin America, and beyond.
The online poker site is renowned for its massive tournament guarantees and innovative formats. ACR Poker has a rewarding loyalty ecosystem, including rakeback, reload bonuses, and leaderboard races.
