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| Sam Farha | |
|---|---|
 Farha at theNational Heads-Up Poker Championship | |
| Nicknames |
|
| Born | (1959-02-23)23 February 1959 (age 66) Beirut, Lebanon |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelets | 3 |
| Final tables | 6 |
| Money finishes | 9 |
| Highest WSOP Main Event finish | 2nd,2003 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title | None |
| Final table | None |
| Money finishes | 3 |
| Information last updated on15 July 2009. | |
Ihsan "Sam"Farha (Arabic:إحسان فرحة; born 23 February 1959 inBeirut,Lebanon) is a Lebanese professionalpoker player. He is best known for finishing as runner up in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 2003. He has won three bracelets at the WSOP in his career.
When the civil war erupted in Lebanon in 1975, the Farha family moved to the United States in search of a better life.
The young Ihsan "Sammy" Farha went on to earn a degree in business administration from theUniversity of Kansas. While completing his studies, he also learned to play pool, ping ball, and the video gamePac Man so well that he earned substantial money by playing these games against others for cash.
After graduating from college, he moved to Houston, Texas. That is where he had his first encounter with poker, in the eighties. Shortly after, he made a trip toLas Vegas. His winnings at the poker tables made him realize he could make a living playing cards. Farha then decided to quit his job and moved to Vegas.[1]
Farha's biggest tournament finish was in the2003 World Series of PokerMain Event, where he finished second toChris Moneymaker for $1,300,000.[2] On TV, Farha was identified as an "investor", a job Farha said he never actually held but was rather an identity he held to convince people to start a game with him. On the second day of play, Farha lost a major pot toBarry Greenstein leaving him with only 10% of the average stack. He was considering leaving at this point and was talked into staying in the tournament by Greenstein. He lost the final hand to Moneymaker when he went all-in with a pair of jacks on theflop, only to be called by Moneymaker who had flopped bottom two pair, which held after the final river card was dealt.[3]
In a rematch between Farha and Moneymaker a few months later, organized byPokerStars, Farha won.[4] They played against each other again in a special "grudge match" during2011 World Series of Poker, which was won by Moneymaker in best-of-three format.[5]
All of Farha's WSOP bracelets have come inOmaha events.[6][7][8]
| Year | Event | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | $145,000 |
| 2006 | $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo (8 or better) | $398,560 |
| 2010 | $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship | $488,241 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
