There are professional poker players who have made their skill their way of life. Much has been said about the technique and the way in which players such as Daniel Negreanu or Dan Smith have decided to channel their careers, but the truth is that their instinct and skill in poker have allowed them to amass a fortune that they can enjoy today.
Below, we have compiled a ranking of the 10 richest poker players in the world, based on what they have managed to accumulate over their careers in recent years. Next time, we will focus on the richest female poker players in the world, we swear! They have also played a very important role in the history of poker, and deserve recognition. So, who are the richest poker players in the world? Check it out!
Top 10 richest poker players
Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio Esfandiari, nicknamed “The Magician”, is not only a professional poker player: he is also an illusionist whose most eye-catching tricks include poker cards and chips. He is an icon in America and has been the star of numerous television shows.
However, with almost $27 million, he has become one of the richest players in the world thanks to the milestones he has reached in professional poker. He has been proclaimed winner twice in the World Poker Tour, and has won the top prize three times in the World Series of Poker.
Amos Ben
This Chilean-born player has been playing professional poker since 2009, when he played his first high-level games in the most exclusive events in Panama, Bahamas, Brazil and Uruguay.
Thanks to his exploits, in Latin America he has been crowned as one of the best of his generation, and the truth is that he has shown an innate talent to know how to read the games. He has traveled to the most exclusive casinos in the world and has been able to put his strategies into practice in all types of games.
He himself says that the key to his success lies in his enormous capacity to analyze live games, a skill that has allowed him to make a name for himself in some of the most important tournaments in the world.
Dan Bilzerian
A native of Florida, United States, Dan Bilzerian is one of the top poker richest players of his generation. Very active on social networks (he has almost 33 million followers on Instagram), he does not hesitate to show off his high standard of living. And it is that he has a fortune that leaves some of the players on this list in diapers.
He became famous in 2013 for winning, in a single night, almost 11 million dollars. Considering that Bilzerian does not participate in tournaments or world championships, it has even more merit. He is a player who forgoes the big events, who amasses his fortune at private tables where millionaires like him bet their money. And he has not done badly at all.
In 2014, and according to his own words, his wealth amounted to $50 million. Today, that amount is estimated to be well over the 100 million mark.
Dan Smith
Originally from New Jersey, Dan Smith currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys life alongside his great passion: poker. During his career he has been crowned several times in the most famous championships, even winning the World Poker Tour. He has also managed to win a bracelet in the World Series of Poker, and was victorious in the Aussie Millions.
For only 33 years old, he already has extensive experience in high-level games and has tasted the sweetness of success in professional poker. Today, he continues to play and earn money from poker, proving that he is still in good shape.
Farid Jattin
He became famous for making a colossal sum of money at the 2017 Winter Poker Open. Almost automatically, Jattin became one of the best players in the world, as well as one of the richest at the moment.
His trajectory began at low-level online tables, as well as at specific local events. Gradually, he became more and more skilled and made the jump to casinos. Over the years, he ended up participating in several Texas Hold’em and Omaha world championships, amassing a considerable sum of money.
Daniel Negreanu
The Canadian player is one of the most famous for his style, his charisma and his particular way of playing. He has been crowned on several occasions as the number 1 in several world championships and in the main poker series, making his figure linked to professional poker and being a reference for many people eager to learn to play.
To this day he remains for many fans the reference in terms of style and instinct, being one of the most successful players in the recent history of poker.
Erik Seidel
With a fortune of almost 34 million dollars, Erik Seidel is one of the richest poker players in the world. He has won almost a dozen times the World Series of Poker, and managed to take the title in the World Poker Tour.
He entered the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010, having won his first major victory at the WSOP in 1992 and in 2007, his first and last, respectively. In addition, he has specialized in Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Deuce to Seven Draw, being one of the most ambivalent.
José Ignacio Barbero
In Argentina there are true poker legends, and Barbero is one of the most successful of his generation. Although he started in Europe, he soon returned to Central and South America to compete in championships such as the Peru LAPT. He also attended the Uruguay and Brazil editions.
After his debut, he decided to play with the national team in Argentina, where he developed his style to become one of the most important players in the modern history of poker.
Bryn Kenney
It is estimated that he accumulates a fortune of 32 million dollars. In addition to being a professional poker player, he is an entrepreneur and businessman, with several active companies in Long Beach.
In 2014 he won his first WSOP, where he won more than $150,000. Two years later he would pocket more than $1.5 million in an epic duel against Joe McKeehen, the WSOP champion of the moment. Today, Kenney is the number four player on the Global Poker Index and occupies his well-deserved place on the list of the richest players of all time.
Justin Bonomo
He is known as ZeeJustin, but under this nickname hides Justin Bonomo, one of the best professional players of the moment. During the 2005 French Open he finished fourth, being the youngest player to reach the final in this event (at the time, Bonomo was only 19 years old).
He has even been present at 19 final tables, during his first WSOP (in 2014) he won almost half a million dollars and has even obtained rewards worth a million dollars per game. He is one of the youngest and most prolific players of the moment, and a tough rival in poker championships of all kinds.
Bonus: Adrian Mateos, Spain’s best poker player
Adrian Mateos is among the richest players in the world. His winnings are estimated to be close to $30 million ($29,775,601 at last count), and he has also been crowned the best Spanish poker player.
He is currently ranked 16th on the list of the best and richest players in the world. He has had the opportunity to measure himself against the best players in the world and has delighted us with some of the best games in memory in our country. All a delight for the fans that we hope will last in time.
