Chris Karagulleyen- Like many professional poker players, this young man from Beirut began sneaking into gambling establishments when he was way too young.
Now the rules may be different in Beirut as far as the illegal gambling age, but it's doubtful that it is 10 and up. Chris Karagulleyen a may have gotten an early start at gambling, but it would be a while before he could call himself a pro.
Chris and his family immigrated to the United States in 1985, after which Chris began to work a succession of odd jobs. From working in foodservice to driving a cab to working as a baker, Chris took some time before he became a professional poker player. Chris is known for a number of things besides being a bit of a gambler. He is also known for being, shall we say, "confident" at the poker table. Of course he has some reason to believe that he can do well when sitting at the felt.
He has done very well in both limit and pot limit hold'em tournaments, taking first place in pot limit at the LA Poker Classic, the first place in limit at a Hustler Cup and a fifth-place in limit at the Legends of Poker.
Perhaps the most impressive when, however, was when he took first place at the main event for the 2002 Legends of Poker event. It was during this event where he defeated the "Kamikaze Kid" to the tune of $258,000. It's probably a good thing there wasn't a blackjack table nearby.
While Chris is respected for his poker game among the professional poker players, the general consensus is that he still has a ways to go when it comes to money management and perhaps patients at the game. While it may seem crazy to criticize a player who has had some day wins, it just goes to show that pro poker players are people too.
