1. Darvin Moon was an American self-employed logger and amateur poker player who was the runner-up of the 2009 World Series of Poker, US$10,000 no-limit Texas hold'em Main Event.
35 Facts About Darvin Moon
1. 2.
Darvin Moon earned the chip lead early in the tournament, and eventually entered the final table as the chip leader, with about 30 percent of the chips in play.
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Darvin Moon ultimately lost heads up against Joe Cada, earning Darvin Moon US$5.18 million for his second-place finish.
4.
Darvin Moon participated in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, but lost in the second round to poker professional Annie Duke.
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Darvin Moon competed in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, but was eliminated on Day 2.
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Darvin Moon lived in the western Maryland town of Oakland, at the foot of Backbone Mountain.
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Darvin Moon owned and operated a small logging company with other family members.
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Darvin Moon taught himself how to play poker, and he first started playing with his grandfather at a young age.
9.
Darvin Moon started playing frequently around 2006 and studied the game by watching televised poker.
10.
Darvin Moon regularly played home games at such places as fire departments, Elks Lodges, and American Legion buildings.
11.
Critics of Ferrell's conviction explore two alternate theories: one where Cathy Ford was still alive and one where Darvin Moon was the culprit in her disappearance.
12.
Darvin Moon earned his seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker no-limit Texas hold'em Main Event by winning a $130 satellite tournament at the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling, West Virginia.
13.
Darvin Moon lost in two Wheeling Island tournaments before finishing in first place on his third attempt, winning a $10,000 main event seat and $6,000 for expenses.
14.
Darvin Moon performed well on the first day and continued a successful streak throughout the tournament, although he himself proclaimed it was luck.
15.
Darvin Moon eliminated several professional poker players during the tournament, including David Benyamine.
16.
Darvin Moon eventually obtained the chip lead and kept it until the seventh day of play.
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Darvin Moon entered the final table as the chip leader, holding 58.6 million chips, or about 30 percent of the chips in play.
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Darvin Moon made it to the final two players and went heads up against Joe Cada, with Moon at 58.85 million and Cada at 135.95 million.
19.
Commentators later criticized Darvin Moon for making such an expensive bluff for a small pot, and Darvin Moon seemed visibly disappointed after the game.
20.
Storms Reback, of All In Magazine, said Darvin Moon was "out of his league" at the tournament, and made a number of questionable calls and bets.
21.
Darvin Moon said he planned to spend some of his World Series winnings on putting relatives through college and charitable contributions to his home town, including a new youth ball field and recreation center.
22.
Darvin Moon played few major poker games after the 2009 World Series of Poker, preferring instead to play local games among friends in the Oakland area.
23.
Darvin Moon paid the $20,000 buy-in from his personal funds.
24.
ESPN writer Gary Wise said Huntress stood "as good a chance of toppling an invited player as any qualifier ever has", and questioned why Darvin Moon participated in the tournament given Darvin Moon's past claims of disinterest in media exposure and sponsorship.
25.
Darvin Moon lost in that round to Annie Duke, whose three kings bested Moon's two pair of queens and tens.
26.
The next month, Darvin Moon entered the 2010 World Series of Poker no-limit Texas hold-em Main Event.
27.
Early in the tournament, Darvin Moon doubled up with pocket kings against a player with pocket jacks.
28.
Darvin Moon's opponent had pocket aces, and Moon received no help with a turn and river.
29.
In 2011, Darvin Moon accepted a deal to become Tour Ambassador for Heartland Poker Tour, wearing the patch of the nationally televised tour and playing in several HPT events.
30.
Darvin Moon died on September 19,2020, following complications from surgery.
31.
Darvin Moon displayed what he described as a humble and self-deprecating manner during the World Series of Poker, acknowledging his lack of poker experience throughout the course of the tournament, and often attributing his success to luck and a high number of strong cards, rather than talent.
32.
Darvin Moon said one of his philosophies was, "Make the other guy pay to see the cards", a strategy attributed to many re-raises Darvin Moon made during the 2009 World Series of Poker despite weak hands.
33.
Darvin Moon had almost no experience in heads-up poker, which some commentators said factored into his loss against Cada in the final hours of the 2009 World Series.
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Darvin Moon was bestowed with the nickname the "Luddite Logger" because of his distaste for anything technological, including credit cards and online poker.
35.
Darvin Moon refused to sign a sponsorship deal with an Internet poker company during the 2009 tournament because he said he did not want to answer to anybody.