Sam Farha

Mister Cool

Ihsan “Sam” Farha was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1959 and moved to the United States as a young man. He built his reputation not in tournaments but in the toughest cash games in the world, where he became one of the premier Pot-Limit Omaha specialists alive.

The Hand the World Remembers

To casual fans, Farha is forever the man on the other side of the table in 2003 — heads-up for the WSOP Main Event against an unknown online qualifier named Chris Moneymaker. Farha held the lead and the experience, but Moneymaker’s now-legendary river bluff on a J♠5♦4♣8♥K♠ board ended Sammy’s title hopes and launched the poker boom. Relive it in The Bluff That Changed Poker.

A Real Résumé Beyond One Night

It would be a mistake to remember Farha only as a runner-up. He owns three WSOP bracelets, all in Omaha variants (1996, 2006, 2010), cementing his status as an all-time great in the four-card game. His true bankroll, though, was always built in the high-stakes cash arena, far from the cameras.

Playing Style

Loose, aggressive, and supremely confident. Farha thrives on action, applies relentless pressure, and reads opponents as well as anyone — the kind of player who makes you feel like he can see your cards.