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Ihsan "Sam" Farha (born in Lebanon in 1959?) is a professional poker player.
When Farha was in his teens civil war broke out in Lebanon, so he went to the U.S.A.. He settled in Wichita, Kansas in 1977 and began attending Friends University. He graduated with a degree in business administration, then moved to Houston, Texas to work with his brother. Farha first played a game of poker a year after moving to Houston, and he won several thousand dollars. He quit his job in 1990 to play poker full time.
Farha's biggest matchup was against Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 World Series of Poker. Although Moneymaker won, Farha won $1.3 million for his second place finish. In a rematch between Farha and Moneymaker a few months later, organized by PokerStars, Farha won. As of 2004, Farha had won over $1.5 million in tournament poker, although he tends to play Omaha poker cash games. He has one WSOP bracelet.
Although Farha doesn't smoke, he can frequently be seen with a "lucky" cigarette in his mouth. He is superstitious and if he takes a bad beat he will sometimes change cigarettes. One time, after winning a series of pots, he said, "I'm so hot, my cigarette's going to light!" Many other poker players have similar objects they believe to be lucky, including Johnny Chan who can be seen with an orange.
Aside from poker, Farha is skilled at many other forms of gaming. He once won a pinball tournament in Kansas, and he won a sizeable bet by winning a Pac-Man competition.
Farha is working on a book, tentatively titled Luck is Not Enough, a reality TV poker series, and video game. He is a spokesman for Harrah's casino in Las Vegas.
Farha currently resides in Houston, Texas.
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