While naming the most well-known players for different sports is not really difficult, naming the most famous Poker players can prove to be really tricky. The game has a distinctive nature which makes it pretty complex to determine what actually makes any Poker player excellent.
Yes, you can say that we can definitely rank players according to their wins, wins, or even the amount of their earnings cannot alone determine who’s a good player…and who’s not! So, we just divided to go with the flow and listen to our guts – read on to find out about the most popular Poker players in the world.
Most Famous Poker Players Of All Time In The World [2023]
It’s difficult to find out famous Asian poker players or even determine in terms of which countries these players are hailing from – instead, we have taken into account the player’s gameplay, achievements, and even personality into consideration.
As a result, it is best that you don’t take this list as something absolute – so, in no particular order, scroll down to check the most famous Poker players in the world, according to the experts at Casino Mag!
1. Daniel Negreanu (Kid Poker):
How can we talk about the best poker players of all time and not mention Daniel Negreanu? Fans even have a name for this talented Poker player – he is lovingly referred to as the ‘Kid Poker!’ Negreanu has been named the ‘player of the year,’ not once, but twice, and that too by the legendary WSOP!
Plus, Negreanu also happens to be the biggest winner of live Poker tournaments – the man has a record! The famous player has already managed to obtain 33 million dollars as tournament earnings, 6 WSOP bracelets, and two WPT titles – and he has no plans of stopping now!
2. Phil Ivey (Tiger Woods Of Poker):
Yes, there were multiple cheating accusations, but that hasn’t stopped people from looking up things like ‘poker hall of fame Phil’ – and why won’t they? At the beginning of the 2000s, Phil Ivey also known as the Tiger Woods Of Poker was one of the hottest players.
He went on to win his very 1st WSOP bracelet when he was only 23 and followed the win with 3 more bracelets in 2002. Did you know that Phil’s winnings from live tournaments amount to 26 million dollars or even more? And that’s not all – Phil also has an admirable WPT title and ten WSOP bracelets.
3. Phil Hellmuth (The Poker Brat):
Currently, one of the most famous poker players in the world, Phil Hellmuth, is renewed for his Poker-playing skills. He has the title of ‘Poker Brat,’ which comes right after the biggest Poker title – yes, we are talking about the ‘Grandfather Of Poker’ title! This tough Poker player has acquired around 23 million dollars in earnings and 15 WSOP bracelets.
And not just this. Hellmuth even won the main event in the WSOP, once in 1989 and then again in 2012. However, the talented Poker player has still not added his name to any Champion’s Cup, but we are guessing it’s only a matter of time.
4. Bryn Kenney (Mega Crusher):
If this were a list featuring the best poker player in the world in terms of their live earnings, then Mega Crusher Bryn Kenney would have surely bagged that title! He has managed to acquire over 56 million dollars just from live earnings! It is Kenney’s skill set that makes him so consistent in terms of how he finishes the game.
Kenney’s specialization is Magic, a gathering game of cards, but then, in 2007, the talented player transitioned simply to Poker, and the rest was history. In 2019, Bryn Kenney became the runner-up in a Triton event worth one million pounds with a payday worth 20.5 million dollars.
5. Dan Smith (Cowboy Dan):
Ever heard of someone who dropped out of University for the love of Poker? Yes, people might say that’s stupid, but when you see Cowboy Dan, A.K.A. Dan Smith’s career, you will be convinced! Let’s talk about his live earnings – 33 million dollars, what can you even say? But he is a little different from other famous poker players.
Smith is a charitable human and even launched his own charity, Double Up Drive – an initiative for helping players who REALLY need help. Double Up Drive has managed to gather plenty of support from other Poker players.
6. Johnny Moss (Grandfather Of Poker):
The Grandfather Of Poker is perhaps the biggest Poker title out there, and Johnny Noss already has it! He used to be a roadside gambler in Texas, and as a result, there’s no way to find out about his total cash winnings. But we can tell you about his professional Poker wins.
The Grandfather Of Poker managed to earn 1.25 million dollars from tournament wins, three titles from the main event, and nine WSOP bracelets. Although Moss passed away at the age of 88 way back in 1995 yet he continues to be relevant today as a talented Poker player.
7. Fedor Holz (Crownupguy):
There’s no way we can make a list of poker player rankings without mentioning Fedor Holz, A.K.A. Crownupguy! The German Poker-playing sensation is one of the most famous Poker players – Holz started his journey online, but his skills soon helped him to transition to actual live games which proved to be a story of success for Holz.
By 2020, this talented Poker player had already acquired almost 33 million dollars in live winnings, reaching the top of the highly competitive Poker scene. Plus, Holz is a crazy analytical Poker player who is so good at taking risks which works out well for him.
8. Doyle Brunson (Texas Dolly):
Doyle Brunson is one of the most famous Poker players in the world – the player who has managed to stand the test of time. Now he is currently 87 and has played the game professionally for over fifty years. The Texas Dolly has ten WSOP bracelets, including two main event bracelets (one from 1976 and the other from 1977).
When Brunson was 71, he bagged the title of becoming the oldest Poker player to win an event in 2002! Moreover, he managed to earn worth 6.2 million dollars via tournament earnings. Brunson is considered to be great because of his instincts, experience, and natural feel.
9. Justin Bonomo (Zeejustin):
You don’t need to look for celebrities playing poker, you can instead watch this Poker celebrity do what he does best – play Poker! Yes, we are talking about Justin Bonomo, A.K.A Zeejustin! Did you know that the 34-year-old Poker player has won eighteen major Poker tournaments after starting only six years ago?
Bonomo’s most notable victories include the one million dollar Big One For One Drop at the ten million dollars worth WSOP. It is his sense of intellect and love for the game that helps Bonomo succeed as a Poker player.
10. Daniel Colman (MRGR33N13):
Daniel Colman does not have major titles yet, but that is not stopping us from featuring him in this list of famous Poker players since the talented player has managed to accumulate over 29 million dollars in earnings. Colman won his first WSOP bracelet when he was only 30 – he is just waiting for his WPT title!
After all, Colman did manage to win over 15.3 million dollars at the Big One for One Drop after kicking out Daniel Negreanu from the competition. Since Colman primarily plays a lot of online Pokers, he is often known by his online avatar, MRGR33N13!
The Gambling Queens: Famous Poker Players Who Are Women!
How could you even think that we will come up with a list of the most famous Poker players in the world and miss out on women? Welcome to Casino Mag’s list of famous female Poker players in the world – stay tuned to find out who all made it to the list!
1. Liv Boeree:
Hailing from Kent, Liv Boeree is also known as the Iron Maiden. Her records are pretty impressive, and so is her net worth, which happens to be about four million dollars. Boeree is perhaps the only female player to experience major wins at both the European Poker Tour and even at the more elusive World Poker Tour.
2. Annie Duke:
Hailing from California, Annie Duke is popularly known as the Duchess Of Poker. With a striking net worth of 9 million dollars, Duke has some major wins to boast, like her performance in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship of 2010, a 1st rank in the WSOP Tournament of Champions held in 2004, and even a crazy WSOP bracelet.
3. Kathy Leibert:
Hailing from Las Vegas, Kathy Leibert is often referred to as PokerKat. Did you know that PokerKat has a striking net worth of 6.89 million dollars? She won the 2002 Party Millions, a WSOP bracelet in the 2004 event called Limit Hold ’em Shootout, and 6 final tables during the World Poker Tour.
4. Maria Ho:
Maria Ho is an American-Taiwanese player hailing from California. She has a solid net worth of 4 million dollars, and that’s not the best part of featuring her – the player also managed to get induced to the all-elusive Poker Hall of Fame. Did you know that Maria Ho made it to about 5 final tables during the World Poker Tour?
5. Annette Obrestadt:
You might not find the name Annette Obrestadt familiar, but you might have heard her online name, Annette_15. Also, in 2007, she did win the World Series of Poker and went on to become the youngest Poker player to actually win a WSOP bracelet. Of course, after this record, the rest of her journey has been successful!
And It’s A Wrap!
And that’s a wrap on the most famous Poker players in the world – tell us what your thoughts are on this list. It is highly possible that you have some other names, and we would love to find out about those players – so feel free to mention names we missed out. And while doing so, also share your experiences with Poker in the comments below!
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Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.
