Poker has its own stars. Men and women players who have won huge prizes, coveted bracelets and the recognition of all the lovers of this exciting card game.
There are many names that we have left out, key figures such as Annie Duke, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Sergio Aído, Kathy Liebert or Doyle Brunson are some of them. However, we have compiled a list of the 10 best poker players that you must know.
Do you want to know them? Let’s start!
The best 10 poker players
Here is a list of the 10 best male and female poker players, from historical references like Johnny Moss to the most current ones like Adrián Mateos. Do you want to meet them all? Let’s start!
Doyle Brunson
We start the ranking with one of the greatest poker players of all time. Doyle Brunson is considered one of the founding fathers of poker, a living legend of the cards that holds no less than 10 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets.
We owe Brunson the popularization of poker in the heart of Las Vegas. He was destined to become a basketball star, but he chose the card game after his knee injury prevented him from fulfilling his dream in the NBA.
As for his poker stint, Brunson has participated in virtually every WSOP Maint Event until his retirement in 2018. In addition to his cash achievements, Brunson managed to have poker considered a game of skill and not merely a game of chance.
Liv Boeree
In a world populated mostly by men, Liv Boeree is the queen. This renowned British player has accumulated almost 2.5 million dollars in prize money.
With a degree in astrophysics, she soon discovered her great talent on the green carpet and did not hesitate to exploit it. Her biggest prize came in 2008, when Boeree pocketed $42,000. This was only the beginning of her long list of tournament victories, highlighting her performance in the Five Star World Poker Classic or the Main Event of the WPT Championship.
Liv retired some years ago from professional poker as one of the best poker players in the world.
Johnny Moss
In our list could not miss Johnny Moss, considered one of the best poker players of all time. So much so, that his countless victories led him to be part of the Poker Hall of Fame more than 40 years ago.
The appearance of Johnny Mos is located in the early years of poker as we understand it today. It was in the decade of the 30’s when he toured the USA in search of new challenges on the green carpet.
As the years went by, his fame and popularity increased. In fact, he was so well known in the poker world that he was one of the 7 players invited to participate in the first edition of the WSOP.
Daniel Negreanu
This player needs no introduction. He is one of the best known faces of international poker. And no wonder.
Canadian Daniel Negreanu has six WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles to his credit. Throughout his life, he has accumulated a total of $43 million in winnings in live tournaments. How is this possible? Hours and hours of dedication to the cards. In fact, by the age of 18, Negreanu was already devoting 40 hours a week to studying poker.
One of the great lessons that can be learned from this professional player is his versatility at the table. Negreanu’s game is never the same, which allows him to be flexible, to adapt to his opponents and to avoid his tactics being discovered.
Dan Smith
Born in New Jersey in 1989, Dan Smith has positioned himself as one of the best live tournament poker players.
Like Negreanu, Smith began his poker career at a very young age. At just 16 years old, he started playing poker online. At the time, that was the legal age to gamble in the US. At the age of 23, he started playing in the biggest poker tournaments, pocketing millions of euros.
His success in live tournaments has led him to accumulate a whopping $36.7 million in cash over the course of his career.
Adrian Mateos
The Spanish Adrian Mateos managed to cross borders and become one of the best poker players worldwide. The truth is that success has accompanied this young player since his beginnings.
32,699 € was the prize he won in his first tournament. Since then, his path has been plagued with prizes, being crowned as winner of the WSOPE at only 19 years old. That victory earned him €1,351,661 and made him the second youngest poker player in history to win the championship.
Loni Harwood
Winner of two gold bracelets at the WSOP National Championship, Loni Harwood not only accumulates prizes but also breaks records. The last of them accumulated $874,678 in three final tables and six total cashes, which translates into a new record in prizes won by a woman in a single edition.
She learned to master the cards from her father, online poker specialist Joel Harwood. Shortly after graduating with a degree in finance, she moved to Florida where she began her professional poker career.
Phil Hellmuth
Considered one of the best poker players in the world, Phill Helmuth became, at the age of 24, the youngest ever World Series of Poker Main Event poker champion, currently holding 16 bracelets, holding the world record.
His total winnings? More than 25 million dollars.
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo became, in 2018 the biggest winner in the history of live poker after beating Negreanu on the all-time winnings history list.
At just 33 years old, Bonomo broke all records with his victory in Event #78 that earned him $10 million and his third WSOP bracelet. That year alone, he accumulated winnings of $25 million.
Vanessa Selbst
And if Justin Bonomo is the man who has won the most money in poker, we present the woman who occupies the same position: Vanessa Selbst, with more than eleven million dollars in winnings, holds the number one position in the Global Poker Index ranking.
Born in New York, she started playing poker as a hobby. It was her talent and skill that led her to the most prestigious tournaments in the world, such as the WSOP. After twelve successful years, she retired from the poker world.
