How Have Past WSOP Main Event Winners Fared Since The 2003 Poker Boom?

In 2003, Chris Moneymaker helped spark the modern poker boom after wining the WSOP Main Event, having qualified for the $10,000 competition via a $39 PokerStars satellite tournament.
That year he took away $2.5 million for his famous victory, but in the intervening years his poker career hasn’t exactly sky rocketed and his life time earnings are currently standing at $2,937,439.
Since then, past Main Event Winners Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008) have continued with their tournament success, although Eastgate has now decided to retire from the game. However,other past winners haven’t been quite as fortunate in their post WSOP endeavours.
The 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold has added just $129,832 to his tally over the past four years, and is now better remembered for the controversy which ensued after he collected his $12 million prize. After refusing to pay half his winnings to business partner Los Angeles TV producer Bruce Crispin Leyser, the two eventually settled in an out of court settlement,for an undisclosed sum. 
And then who can remember the 2007 winner Jerry Yang? With $120,727 in winnings since taking down the Main Event for $8.25 million, Yang entered the 2010 competition as a 22,500 to 1 outsider.
Finally, even last year’s champion Joe Cada has only managed an 11th place finish at the $25k buy-in High Roller PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $51,450 since his incredible WSOP win.
Winning the WSOP Main Event will always require a good deal of luck, especially considering the massive fields attracted to the prestigious competition.
However, that’s what makes it the most exciting tournament in the world and when you consider the 2nd place runner-ups since 2003 include such players as Sam Farha,  David Williams, Paul Wasicka and Ivan Demidov, you know that the top pros are never going to be too far behind the action.