{"id":28001,"date":"2021-06-01T17:31:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T22:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=28001"},"modified":"2022-05-27T04:11:21","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:11:21","slug":"what-ever-happened-to-sammy-farha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/what-ever-happened-to-sammy-farha\/","title":{"rendered":"What Ever Happened To Sammy Farha?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sammy Farha may not be one of the biggest names\nin poker going solely by his results, but he’s definitely one of the best-known\nfaces from the \u201cold\u201d days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always quick to throw a joke and usually\nsitting at the table with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, Farha quickly became\na favorite of poker fans worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farha first caught the eye of the wider poker public in 2003 by playing a crucial role in the epic story of Chris Moneymaker<\/a> that triggered the poker boom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sammy was the last obstacle Chris had to\novercome to claim the Main Event title, and, in many ways, it was a real David\nvs Goliath story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farha had countless hours of experience and was\nused to playing under pressure. On the other hand, Moneymaker was a complete\nstranger to big tournaments featuring millions of dollars in prizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years following the 2003 Main Event,\npoker would become huge as millions of people took it to the felt, looking to\nrepeat Moneymaker\u2019s amazing feat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farha kept doing his thing, and since he was a\nmember of the inner circle of high-profile poker pros, he was often invited to\nparticipate in popular TV shows like High Stakes Poker<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sam
Image: YouTube<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After Black Friday, poker lost a lot of its\nmomentum, especially in the US, and the poker production slowed down\nsignificantly. With that, Farha pretty much disappeared from the public eye,\nleaving fans with the question over their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened to Sammy Farha? Where is he these\ndays, and what has he been up to in recent years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Interesting Story Of Sam Farha<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ihsan \u201cSam\u201d Farha was born in Lebanon in 1959.\nHe and his family migrated to the US in 1975, when a civil war erupted in his\nnative country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farha landed on his feet. He finished the\nUniversity of Kansas, earning a degree in business administration. During his\ntime at the college, he also became very good at pool and made money playing\nthe game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another fun fact is that Farha was apparently\nquite proficient at Pac-Man and once allegedly won $5,000 playing this fun\narcade game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time Sammy came across poker was when\nhe moved to Huston, Texas, in the 1980s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A competitive spirit and always looking for new\nchallenges, he quickly fell in love with the game and realized that he could\nmake real money playing cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, after some deliberation, he decided to give\nit a go and moved to the poker center of the world \u2013 Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sammy had his eyes set on becoming a professional poker player<\/a>, and with his talent and passion, he was already well on his way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in those days, learning resources were\nscarce, so those who had the biggest drive to succeed, backed up by some\nnatural flare, would often do well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging by his Hendon Mob and what we know of\nFarha\u2019s career in general, he\u2019s focused mostly on cash games. He did amass more\nthan $2.8 million in live tournament cashes, but Sammy followed the money, and\nthe money was in the side games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This didn\u2019t prevent Sammy from claiming three WSOP bracelets, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Poker legend Sam Farha won his 3rd #WSOP<\/a> bracelet. On this date in 2010. All 3 have been won in Omaha. #raisydaisy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Z6r2GvXoJj<\/a><\/p>— WSOPMemories (@WSOPMemories) June 14, 2015<\/a><\/blockquote>