Corey Cheresnick was born in Charlotte, North Carolina but has lived much of his adult life in Coral Springs, Florida. Holder of an advanced degree in accounting, Cheresnick shot into poker limelight in March 2005 when he finished 5th in the No Limit Hold'em main event at the World Poker Tour’s Shooting Star tournament. Competing for a share of the $4,070,000 pool with 439 other players, Cheresnick made the final table and took home $240,000, his biggest tournament earnings to date.
Cheresnick started playing poker online during his college days and that’s where he picked up his nickname “Muchaka”. But Cheresnick soon moved on to live tournaments, starting at the 36th Annual World Series of Poker in July 2005, where he finished a disappointing 302nd in the No Limit Hold'em World Championship, earning $21,070. The following year, however, he put in an impressive performance at the 37th World Series of Poker. In a field of 1,290, Corey Cheresnick finished 5th in the No Limit Hold'em event and walked away with $118,680 of the $2,967,000 prize pool. In the No Limit Hold'em Short Handed event at the same tournament, he finished 34th, earning $8,085.
Corey Cheresnick’s best live tournament finish came at the Bellagio Cup II in August 2006, where he finished runner-up to Kyung Han. In a field of 234 entrants, Cheresnick took home $49,935 of the $226,980 prize pool in the No Limit Hold'em event. He returned to the World Series of Poker at the Rio a few days later, where he finished 27th out of 420 entrants in a No Limit Hold'em event, earning him $2,867.
Other Tournament Performances of Corey Cheresnick:
- Tournament: No Limit Hold'em Tournament, Event: No Limit Hold'em, Date: June 2006, Finish: 3rd, Earnings: $7,130
- Tournament: World Poker Tour World Championship, Event: No Limit Hold'em, Date: April 2007, Finish: 27th, Earnings: $1,750