Many of us want to become legends at poker, myself included, but very few of us actually get there.
While who the best poker player in the world is a hot topic and depending on who you ask the answers vary significantly. Though, who the richest poker players are, is a much clearer option. One thing is for sure, as online poker grows the old time greats are no longer the best players.
So let's have a look at who the most talented poker players are! Let me know in the comments if you've had a chance to play with any of them.
10. Doug Polk
Until recently, Doug Polk stayed largely off the radar but was well regarded within online poker circles as arguably the best Heads-Up NLHE player in the world. Since the release of his poker training website Upswing Poker he has opened himself up to the masses and heads a successful Youtube and Twitch streaming channel. As well as millions of dollars of profit made playing online poker, he has won 2 WSOP bracelets illustrating his breadth of poker talent and securely landing him 10th place in our rankings.
9. Tom Dwan
It would be unjust to do a top 10 most talented poker players without including Tom Dwan within the rankings. Known back in online poker’s glory days as the infamous ‘durrrr’ he has amassed millions of dollars of profit in online cash games. Furthermore, he was a regular on TV’s ‘Poker After Dark’ as well as being a Full Tilt sponsored pro and a regular on the live tournament circuit. Although controversy surrounds the well-known million dollar durrr challenge, his poker talent is unquestionable.
8. Phil Hellmuth
Also lovingly known as the ‘Poker Brat’, Phil Hellmuth is no stranger to the limelight. Although famous for his hilarious ‘blow-ups’ on live TV, Phil’s poker talent in unprecedented. Having won a record-breaking 14 WSOP bracelets lifetime across a wide span of poker disciplines his white magic cannot be questioned. Although in recent years his domination on the tournament circuit has been less pronounced there is no argument that Phil Hellmuth isn’t one of poker’s all-time greats.
7. Stu Ungar
Although he’s now sadly passed away, Stu Ungar is without a doubt one of the all-time greats of the game. Making the poker hall of fame in 2001, he is best known for the exceptional feat of winning back-to-back WSOP Main Events in 1980 and 1981. Allegedly possessing a ‘genius’ IQ and photographic memory, ‘The Kid’ Ungar has over $3.7M in live tournament earnings. Although by today’s standards this is no exceptional feat, considering this is mostly from a period before the poker ‘boom’ it is astounding. This is largely due to the biggest buy-in tournaments being $10,000 as opposed to the regular $25,000 – 1,000,000 buy-ins available nowadays.
6. Ben ‘Sauce123’ Sulsky
Although Ben is not a prominent figure within the poker world, the success he has had while remaining under the radar is remarkable. Highstakesdb.com records Sauce’s profit on PokerStars alone to be just shy of $5M, before considering untracked sites and tournament scores. In addition to this plethora of notable achievements, Ben makes training videos for the site Runitonce.com owned by Phil Galfond. Continuing to crush the online poker world during a time where many of his once High Stakes companions have fallen to the way-side is what sets Ben out from the crowd.
5. Daniel Negreanu
Arguably one of the most loved players in the world, Daniel Negreanu just had to make it into our top 10 most talented players of all time. Renowned for his ability to make reads off live ‘tells’ there is no poker player in the world who is not familiar with his antics. As well as being the face of PokerStars in the modern era, Negreanu boasts an impressive live earnings tally of over $32M making him 1st place on the All-time money list. Although not atop our list of top 10 poker talents he earns a well-deserved 5th place.
4. Patrik Antonius
The notorious Fin makes it to a well deserved 4th spot in our list of poker talents. Once a model and semi-professional Tennis player, it is clear that Antonius’ talents are not limited to just the poker world. Having appeared alongside the likes of Dwan and Ivey on TV as well as battling with the best online makes Antonius a formidable opponent. Highstakesdb has the Fin up well over $16M making him one of online poker’s biggest ever winners
3. OtB_Redbaron
OtB_Redbaron until a few years ago was just one of the many midstakes grinders playing online poker. Out of nowhere the mysterious alias shot up the stakes and started crushing the best of the best in the biggest games available online. Remaining anonymous, the player originally from Belgium continues to dominate the online games having won millions of dollars. He is widely regarded as currently the best NLHE player in the world. In addition, he plays all formats from heads-up to 6-max, full ring and even tournaments having recently participated in the highest buyin online event at a whopping $102,000
2. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom
Back in 2009 a mysterious player appeared in the online world under the screen name of ‘Isildur1’. Until 2011 his true identity was unknown but during this period he battled the highest stakes online challenging the best players and for a period he crushed. He was known for playing many opponents at once whilst multitabling and is known for his relentless aggression. He has had many multi-million dollar swings in a day playing online and has played the largest ever recorded pot against none other than Patrik Antonius. Having created such a stir in online poker, he was responsible for what was known as ‘Railbird Heaven’ on Full Tilt poker where many excited viewers would watch the marathon sessions Blom would have with the likes of durrrr and Ivey. Unfortunately variance would catch up with Viktor and over the course of just one day he lost $4M to Brian Hastings marking the start of a fall for the online poker giant. Viktor does, however, play high stakes online to this day and can be found frequenting PokerStars.
1. Phil Ivey
A legend in both online and live poker, Phil Ivey has been around the poker world for what seems like an eternity and needs no introduction. He is the biggest ever recorded winner in online poker history in profit in excess of a staggering $19M. In addition he has won 10 WSOP bracelets and in recent history has crushed the Aussie Millions S250k challenge winning it 3 times in 4 years between 2015 and 2011. Hendon Mob records his total live earnings at $23M placing him 5th on the all-time money list, a worth winner of our top 10 most talented poker players.
What's your biggest winning in poker? Have you had any horrible losses? Let me know!
Also, make sure to check out the list of most expensive poker sets and the richest poker players.
