Chris Ferguson, one of the most prominent players on the WORLD POKER TOUR™, holds a PhD in artificial intelligence from UCLA. Upon graduating, he turned his attention to playing professional poker as his primary occupation, while continuing to consult part time. Among his clients is the state of California for the California Lottery.

Ferguson played poker with friends on weekends during his high school years in Pacific Palisades, CA, and developed a desire to explore whether his instinctive flair for the game could lead to play at a higher level. He put that question in check until he’d finished his undergraduate degree at UCLA in mass computer sciences.