Top 15 Greatest Poker Players of All Time

Poker is a game that is played all over the world in a variety of styles and different stakes. The discussion about who the best poker player is continues to be contentious, even though we have witnessed numerous outstanding players come and go throughout the years.

The simple reality is that it’s quite difficult to choose just one name among the best players in poker because many men excel in only a single genre, while many others are masters of none.

We have compiled an assortment of the top 15 poker players ever along with our justifications for doing so and the pinnacles of each player’s individual poker careers in an effort to put an end to the argument.

Even if some of the individuals who we chose particularly don’t appeal to you, you will undoubtedly find the most successful poker player of all time within our top 15 players. Without any more delay, in similar fashion with our list of richest snooker players, let’s have a look at our list of the greatest poker players who have ever existed and actively played the game.

Dan Smith

While Dan Smith was 16 years old, he began to play poker and became passionate about it. He was good at chessboard and enjoyed playing it before this. Smith quickly lost interest in chess and stopped playing.

Dan began to spend so much time playing cards that his college coursework began to suffer in favor of his desire to become a professional poker player. Smith has been successful in rapidly advancing to the top of the poker players. He has maintained his success in live performances ever since. Dan had the privileged fortune of earning seven-digit sums in nine live tournaments all over the course of his professional career.

He received the initial payment in 2012 after triumphing in the $100,000 Challenge. The Big One for One Drop of $1m at the 2018 WSOP was Dan’s most spectacular win, earning him $4m for finishing third.

By placing number three in the Triton Million series at Triton Poker, Smith broke his previous record and earned $8.76 million. He has already accumulated a three million dollar fortunes and has also achieved success online. “Danny98765” is the user’s PokerStars moniker. He is currently frequently referred to as being among the most significant athletes in the entire planet.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Cowboy Dan
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Manalapan)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 23
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 3
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 4

Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is a widely recognized professional poker player of the 20th century. Daniel is without a doubt one of the best representatives for the game and has won multiple honors for his efforts as the Poker Ambassador. Negreanu is a name that almost all poker players are familiar with. Both his birth and upbringing took place in Canada.

Despite having Romanian origins and spending the majority of his life in America (having gained American nationality), he is nonetheless considered to be a true Canadian. He acts as this nation’s (Canada) representative in poker competitions. Numerous victories in important poker tournaments have been accumulated by Negreanu. He is one of the best poker players because of his accomplishments.

His responsibilities consist of organizing a range of programs, providing analysis on a range of significant events, along with presenting some of them. For almost four years, Daniel Negreanu dominated poker tournament triumphs and earned more than $39m. He kept this spot until 2018, when Justin Bonomo passed him. Daniel also frequently participates in philanthropic endeavors and plays games for real money.

Daniel Negreanu joined the renowned online poker room PokerStars’ Team Pro in 2007. Many months following his departure from PokerStars, Negreanu became a spokesperson for GGPoker.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Kid Poker
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Las Vegas)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 148
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 24
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 4

Bryn Kenney

Bryn Kenney is a driven professional poker player who has the potential to experience both huge wins and defeats over his career. Parents’ persuasion forced Bryn to get enrolled in college. He became disinterested with education after a few weeks. As a result, he quit attending school and started playing poker. Before beginning to play poker by himself online, he first grasped the basic rules guiding poker. Players can register and also begin to play like Bryn at Bet999 online casino.

When Bryn turned 17, he first used his mother’s account. He had to change to a separate account when he turned 18; he still uses it today. Kenney gained knowledge, acquired new talents, and generated a big profit. In January of 2016, he took home about $1.68m from a $100,000 event at PCA. At the 2017 Poker Stars Event, Bryn won the Super High Roller 8-Max occasion, earning him $1.17m.

In 2016, he earned an extra million dollars from the Main Event of a Super High Roller event . He was awarded $1,401,694 for finishing second place. He is one of the best poker players ever because of these millions he has earned.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Mega Crusher
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (New York)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 32
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 6
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 5

Stu Ungar

Even today, Stu Ungar is still regarded by many as the best poker player of all time. It is astounding for a poker player to have such an exceptional career, especially given that no other person has ever risen so swiftly in so little time. Stu Ungar, a resident of Manhattan, was given birth on the 5th of September 1953.

The mob was friendly with Stu’s father, who also owned a tavern where shady gambling was done in the nights. At a tender and probably illegal age of ten years, he placed his first bet on a horse race. But before then, at an age of eight, he played in his first poker game. Stu had to pull himself out of school following his father’s death in order to support both his mother and sister.

He met Victor Romano, a mob thug when he was a teenager. The young man started using him as a “protection racket” and started playing all around the city, collecting a fifth of his earnings. Stu Ungar quickly gained notoriety across the nation, and individuals lined up to attempt and defeat him. Nobody, nonetheless had the ability to do it.

For an individual who seemed to be quite young irrespective of his age, Stu played fairly aggressively. He scans his opponent’s card in a flash and teases them, making them tense. Ungar’s winnings come from horse racing.

Keynotes

• Nickname: The Comeback Kid
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (New York City)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 15
• Born: 8th September 1953
• Passed On: 22nd November 1998

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey has demonstrated his prowess as a poker player over the course of his career. He now frequently visits the casinos in Atlantic City, where he plays in some of the most expensive tables and is no more a low-roller. He also serves as the primary inspiration for poker’s standing among some of the most financially lucrative games in history.

Phil Ivey’s net worth available on the internet is reported to be between $100 and $125 million. Phil Ivey has achieved success in both live and virtual championships. Due to his successes, he is named amongst the best poker players in history. He has regularly surpassed $1,000,000 each (a minimum of six times), and he participates in cash games’ contests at the maximum limits.

He founded the Ivey League, a poker room as well as training facility, after spending a considerable amount of time playing with Full Tilt Poker patches. The Phil Ivey League ended in May of 2017. In 2000, he earned his first bracelet, and in 2002, he added three more to his collection.

In poker competitions, he has collected WSOP bracelets in six different categories. Also, he ranked 7th in the main event of the 2009 World Series of Poker. He made it to the prize zone 50x during the World Series. Aside from that, Phil Ivey was a participant in the eighth World Poker Tour final table, which is remarkable.

Keynotes

• Nickname: The Tiger Woods of Poker
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Las Vegas)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 59
• Money Finish on the World Poker Tour: 13
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 3

Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth, who won the WSOP Main Event Gold Bracelet, rose to stardom at a relatively young age. The 24-year-old’s victory shattered the mark as he bacame the youngest World Series champion ever. Since the very start, Phil has made a point of speaking up and “keeping the brand.” Since he was a young teenager, Hellmuth has practiced poker with his family, thus the game has perpetually been a part of his life.

It was one of the games he enjoyed playing while he attended college in 1985. His native town assisted him in amassing a 20,000 dollar bankroll. He squandered it all in the poker rooms of Las Vegas within ten weeks. The subsequent trip was far more fruitful, and Phil Hellmuth made $10,000 gain. The player made the decision to actively pursue a poker profession and quit school as a result.

The very first family member to take part-time employment was Hellmuth. Parents of Phil initially disapproved of his decision, but after understanding it was the right one, he went on to become one of the finest jumma players. Hellmuth won a $755,000 match in 1989, making him the WSOP’s youngest champ.

After then, the player’s life underwent a significant transformation. His involvement in the competition significantly grew, and he took home numerous awards. He was regarded as an iconic figure of his days since he frequently received notoriety and achieved high placings in the competitions he participated in.

Keynotes

• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Palo Alto, California)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 165
• Money Finish on the World Poker Tour: 18

Justin Bonomo

Bonomo, a dominant player in the contemporary game, leads all the others in cash earnings at $62 million. His revenues come from high-roller tournaments where he competes against some of the finest opponents at the biggest stakes in the game.

At the World Series of Poker (WSOP), he took home $185,965 for winning the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Event in the June of 2018. Only a few days earlier, he had won the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl for $5 million, earning him his second WSOP bracelet.

If those placings weren’t sufficient, the 33-year-old poker phenom added another WSOP bracelet to his winnings. At the world series of poker, he won the $1m Big One for One Drop for $10m.

And as he happens to perform well on the felt, his winnings keep increasing. With nearly $62 million in earnings, he is still number one on the list of all-time wealth as of the time this article was written in 2023.

Bonomo has success playing against some of the best players in the world thanks to his acute brain for the game. He has won 18 significant poker tournaments since 2016 and appears almost invincible when playing heads-up.

A large number of more final table appearances are included in that run of victories. He’s definitely not a competitor you want to face off with.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Zee Justin
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Fairfax)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 55

Johnny Moss

Johnny Moss is regarded by many as one of the best poker players of his generation in a variety of ways. Additionally, he is one of the few elite athletes to have three WSOP Main Event victories. Johnny has also received recognition for his contributions to the poker business by being inducted into the inaugural Poker Hall of Fame.

Everybody agrees that Johnny was the kind of adversary that athletes are happy to lose to in order to afterwards say their actions had fallen short of the best. At the 2nd World Series of Poker, he finished in 2nd place in a $10,000 Limit 7-Card Stud game.

His prize for finishing second was $34,150. A few days later, he won the $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em tournament, earning his third WSOP bracelet. He won the WSOP bracelet and took home a prize pot of $160,000.

Four years later, when participating in the 6th World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada, he claimed his 4th World Series of Poker bracelet while engaging in $1,000 Limit Seven-Card Stud. He received the cash award of $44,000 for winning the contest, along with a WSOP bracelet.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Grandfather of Poker
• Country: United States of America (Dallas, Texas)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 25
• Born: 14th May 1907
• Died: 16th December 1995

Erik Seidel

In terms of the total amount of victories in the history of poker, Rik Seidel ranks as one of the record-holders. Although he’s one of the oldies, he remains capable of competing with newer players and win medals and titles. His total prize money from tournament wins exceeds $34m.

He has eight WSOP bracelets and plenty of money from events. Among the top poker players, legendary Erik Seidel, is still active and healthy. In 1988, he took part in the WSOP Main Event for the first time. Johnny Chan and Sly, as he is affectionately known, got to heads-up, but Sly fell short of victory.

He received $280,000 for coming in 2nd. Seidel enjoyed considerable achievements in the beginning of the 1990s. Erik won a total of 2,500 dollars in 1992 after winning a Limit Hold’em competition. In the year 1993, he received $2,500 for winning Omaha 8 or Better.

During the Limit Hold’em game he won in the year 1994, he received $5,000. He won the No Limit 2-7 Draw event for $5,000 at the WSOP in the year 1998, earning him his 4th bracelet. Seidel has several additional trophies from famous poker series besides those from WSOP.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Sly
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Las Vegas)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 92
• Money Finish on the World Poker Tour: 26
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 1

Doyle Brunson

One of the best poker players ever is without a doubt Doyle Brunson. He undoubtedly has a number of titles under his belt in this top card game.

He has consistently been recognised as the poker industry’s most important figure. In addition to his collection of ten WSOP bracelets, “The Godfather” won the WSOP Main Event on two occasions (1976 and 1977). He is one of the world’s best poker players as a result of his entire accomplishments.

Doyle Brunson has made a big contribution to the poker business as a result of his publications. The most well-known of these publications, commonly referred to as the Poker Bible, is “Supersystem” (1978).

His career and achievements include the history of poker. His professional successes and personal traits both have followers. Until his death, he maintained a close-knit family, preserves a sound intellect, kept in touch with many of his colleagues, and possessed a fantastic sense of humor.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Texas Dolly
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (Longworth, Texas)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 37
• Money Finish on the World Poker Tour: 8
• Born: 10th August 1933
• Died: 14th May 2023

Stephen Chidwick

Stephen Chidwick has evolved throughout the years from a routine player to one of the best poker players in the world. In his poker profession, he has earned over $32,000,000. Many people believe that Chidwick has only just begun despite the poker player’s enormous accomplishments. Stephen began playing poker when he was sixteen years old. He started by playing freerolls with free cash.

It was going great with the free competitions. Chidwick decided to risk with real money as a result. British players started participating in online poker right away as it debuted. Chidwick used the alias “Stevie444” when he initially began playing poker online. He had accumulated a $3m online poker fund by the time he was 25. This amount now exceeds $5m.

He participated in a live tournament for the very first time in the European Tour in Prague. He participated in the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure one month later. The turbo event, which cost $1,000, was where he won his first significant victory at PCA 2008. After winning the competition, he was awarded $88, 760 in prize money. He reached his pinnacle in the final decade of the 2010s.

Given his remarkable achievements, Chidwick is recognized to be one of the best poker players. Currently, he favors live competitions over internet contests. He claimed that internet games have lost their allure, whereas physical poker is still fun since the stakes are consistently rising as well as there are always fascinating events to participate in.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Stevie444
• Country of Origin: England, (Deal, Kent)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 53
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 3
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 12

Fedor Holz

Fedor Holz’s name is getting a lot of attention even outside of the gambling industry. At the young age of 21, he had already earned a reputation as one of the best poker players in the world. His winnings from live competitions in December 2017 were over $26,700,000, bringing his total profits in excess of $32,550,000.

When playing video games online, he uses the alias CrownUpGuy. In the January of 2016, the World Poker Tour National awarded him the Triton Super High Roller. He’s put $200,000 into this venture and has made up to $3,463,500.

Keynotes

• Nickname: CrownUpGuy
• Country of Origin: Germany, (Saarbrücken)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 2
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 3
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 3

Maria Constanza Lampropulos

Maria is the only female on our list. Just like top female eSports gamers, she excels in a field dominated by men. She completed a management degree at the university and she later obtained employment with IBM before beginning to play poker.

The girl’s interest in the game only developed very recently—at the age of 30—according to “poker standards.” Maria learned how to play poker from her lover, the renowned Ivan Luca, who is also a poker player.

She initially played micro-limits online for 4 years while essentially keeping tabs on Ivan Luca’s accomplishments. Maria was asked to try her hand at live tournaments by Luca because her results online weren’t great.

Antonio Esfandiari

Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari has proven over the years that there is more to becoming one of the finest poker players in the world than just winning large in poker tournaments.

Despite being largely gone from poker at this point, Esfandiari still managed to cash in more than $27 million in tournaments during his career.

Esfandiari, who was born in Teheran in 1978, immigrated to the US with his family when he was a young child. He began working as a magician, which kindled his love in playing cards.

In his professional career, Antonio earned three WSOP bracelets, including the 2012 Big One for One Drop, where he won $18.3 million, which is his entire career’s highest tournament win.

Antonio is well-known for being a strong cash game player who has made it big by competing in private cash games across America and abroad in addition to his competition success.

Antonio, who is well-known for his flair and arrogance, is a darling of many poker players and has become something of a poker icon as a result of his regular appearances on television poker events.

Keynote

• Nickname: The Magician
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (San Francisco, California)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 46
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 16
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 1

Shaun Deeb

Shaun Deeb is one of the most successful tournament poker players all-around, even if he might not be topping the highest buyin games or ranking first in terms of money won.

Without participating in the majority of the high-roller events available, Deeb has amassed over $11 million in live tournament earns over the course of his career, in addition to other millions gained in online poker competitions.

Shaun currently possesses five WSOP bracelets, but more are probably certainly on the way thanks to his great determination and frequent final table appearances at the WSOP.

It is also important to take into account his ten victories in significant online competitions at WCOOP and SCOOP, where he competed against some of the top players in the world.

Shaun Deeb unquestionably deserves to be included on this list of the best poker players in the world thanks to his incredible abilities in a variety of poker forms, unwavering passion for the game, and professional conduct.

Keynotes

• Nickname: Deeb
• Country of Origin: United States of America, (New York)
• Money standing at the WSOP: 114
• Money Finish on the World Tour: 7
• Money Finish on the European Poker Tour: 3

Best poker players of all time FAQs

Who is the best poker player who has ever lived?

Without Johnny Moss, a renowned poker player and maestro, the game would not be complete. Poker would not be what it is now if it weren’t for him and Nick Dandalos. 

Which poker player has raked in the most earnings?

Brian Kenney is one of the players who has won the most money while also being a well-known poker player.

Currently, who in the world plays poker the best?

Among the best poker players in the world, Bryan Kenney is rated. One can only improve to the level of his by participating in Global tournaments and accumulating a lot of experience.

Who plays poker more shrewdly?

These are the top four most capable and intelligent poker players. Stu Ungar, aka The Comeback Kid, Phil Ivey aka The Tiger Woods of Poker, Phil Hellmuth aka The Poker Brat, and Daniel Negreanu aka Kid Poker.