Poker is one of the biggest games in the world of gambling. Poker has become one of the biggest and most favourite games in the world of gambling thanks to its straightforward rules and gameplay that reel in all kinds of players, from beginners to veterans and penny-pinchers to high rollers.
And, as a result of the game’s global appeal, it has attracted a diverse pool of skilled players from both male and female divisions. So if you’re curious to know who these gifted players are, Casino Days India has made a list of the most famous poker players of all time. Check it out down below:
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is without a doubt the most well-known poker player of all time. This Canadian ruled the poker tables in Toronto before he headed over to big tables in Las Vegas. His big break occurred when he won two events at the World Poker finals during 1997 and was deemed as the tournament’s best player. And as the face of poker in the modern era, he is called ‘Kid Poker’ and has been the ambassador for PokerStars for more than 10 years.
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel is known for two things: his excellent skills in poker and winning over US$37,500,000 through live tournaments. This 62-year-old American poker player has been dubbed the all-time highest-earning poker player at some point.
But apart from that, he has also won nine World Series of Poker bracelets and taken home a World Poker Tour title he won in 2008. Even with more than 30 years in the gambling world, this poker player is still placed fourth on the all-time tournament earnings list as of November 2022.
Phil Ivey
This 45-year-old American poker champ has won several titles, tournaments and so on. His most popular cash game win has got to be over US$16,000,000 during a three-day tournament against Andy Beal in a game of Heads-up. Looking back, Phil Ivey has won ten World Series bracelets, appeared in over nine World Poker Tour final tables and won one World Poker Tour title.
Apart from cash games, Ivey also took over live tournaments. His biggest live win happened in 2014 with a whopping US$3,583,753 prize at the Aussie Millions tournament. Considering all his achievements, Ivey was dubbed one of the best poker players of all time by professional poker observers.
Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson is the most seasoned player on the list for being part of the scene for more than 50 years. He has become one of the most influential names in the poker industry and has even written a book called ‘Super/System’ that has become an essential item for most poker players. He was named the ‘Texas Dolly’ and is the first poker player to ever win over US$1 million in tournaments.
Back in 1976 and 1977, he won the World Series of Poker Main event twice, making it one of the most notable achievements that landed him on the Poker Hall of Fame. Aside from these, he has also won 10 WSOP bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.
Phil Hellmuth
A 57-year-old poker player, Phil Hellmuth is one of the most recognised names in the world of poker. He has won over 16 World Series of Poker bracelets, bagged winnings over US$24,000,000 through live tournaments and many more.
He’s been deemed the ‘Poker Bart’ for publicly expressing his feelings whenever he loses. This has made him entertaining and intriguing to watch and is also one of the reasons why he’s well-known.
Stu Ungar
Stuart Errol Ungar or most popularly known as Stu Ungar was deemed the best Texan hold ’em player of all time and dubbed as the world’s best gin rummy player as well. Unfortunately, on November 22, 1998, he passed away but his iconic moments and achievements are still remembered in the poker community.
He was called ‘The Kid’ and throughout his whole career, has made over US$30 million from the 70s through the 90s. He won the World Series of Poker Main Event a total of three times and took the title from 1980 to 1981 at the Main Event.
Victoria Coren Mitchell
Apart from being a well-known poker player, Victoria Coren Mitchell is also a British author and host. She’s most popular in Europe and was the first person to win the Europe Poker Tour title two consecutive times and the first woman to win an event in the EPT. She took the top spot at the EPT back in 2006 and 2014 at London and San Remo respectively.
Aside from those, this 49-year-old poker player has also bagged the WSOP bracelet, twice and took home over US$20,500,00 through her live tournaments. Through the years, she also became part of the Team PokerStars Pro but left in 2014.
Vanessa Selbst
Just like Erik Seidel, Vanessa Selbst is one of the highest earners in the poker industry. She was the first and only woman to ever be ranked number one in the Global Poker Index and throughout her career, she has earned over US$11.8 million in live tournaments.
This former PokerStars team member has won two WPT final tables and three World Series of Poker bracelets, the most recent of which was in 2014. She made her biggest win at the 2010 PPT Cannes in the Main Event, bagging over US$1,823,430.
Back in the day, she was called ‘V. Selbst’ but has now taken a step back from playing poker to focus more on her family. She now works as a manager for the hedge fund company, Bridgewater Associates.
Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan is a famous Chinese-American poker player who has won over ten World Series of Poker Main Events. He is also the first non-American poker player to win in the WSOP back in 1988.
But what made him a popular name in the poker industry was his victory against Erik Seidel. His final hand was so iconic that it was featured in the film ‘Rounders’.
Throughout his career, he has made over US$8,600,000 through live tournaments and has been part of various international events such as the WSOP, Poker After Dark and Poker Superstars.