The 10 Richest Poker Players in the World

March 6, 2015   No comments


Many amateur poker players turn to the game after seeing a poker professional in action and trying their best to emulate them and their success. At the turn of the century many began playing the game because of Chris Moneymaker, who came from nothing, winning a $39 satellite and then going on to win the World Series of Poker Main Event. But just who are the richest players to ever play the game, who are the ones that have inspired the most and the ones that all amateurs should look up to?


In this article we’ll look at the top ten in descending order, taking total career earnings into account through both cash and tournament play, and through both online and offline poker as well. There are many events that haven’t been logged, and ones that we can’t get access to. For instance, Phil Ivey has been known to play many high-stakes games behind closed doors, but as these are cash games between people who are certainly not short on cash or ability, he doesn’t always finish in a profit.

... Read More


The 10 Richest Poker Players in the World

10. Joe Hachem

Aussie Joe first made a name for himself when he won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2005. The vast majority of his career earnings came from this, but he has also featured in many prestigious tournaments since then, increasing his overall earnings. He even had his own TV show titled The Poker Star, which played out like America’s Top Model for poker players.

9. Jamie Gold

Jamie Gold took down the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event, and has been somewhat of a television personality since. With a calm and collected demeanor, the American is no stranger to big wins, and this one was the biggest in history, which remains to this day.

8. John Juanda.

An all round nice guy, John is from Indonesia and is a regular on the World Series of Poker tour. In fact, he has several titles to his name and continues to add more to his belt. He also has a few World Series of Poker bracelets, which is no mean feat. As with the others on this list, John is also a regular feature on televised poker events.

7. Michael Mizrachi

Michael is a phenomena when it comes to poker. Known by the nickname The Grinder, he is renowned for his consistent play and the fact that he has cashed in more major tournaments than most players. Michael is as solid as they come and he also likes to bet on his performances, which is why he released the Blast Longer app (http://chinesepokerrealmoney.com/blast-longer/) recently.

6. Phil Ivey

Ivey has been a regular on the poker scene for a number of years and many have called him the greatest player ever, with others insisting he is definitely up there. Phil is a huge gambler as well, and has been known to drop millions on prop bets everywhere from the golf course to the casino. Phil also once won over $10 million from a famous London card room, before they discovered he had been using a slight “cheat” and they promptly refused to pay him his winnings.

5. Phil Helmuth

Referred to as The Poker Brat, due to his regular outbursts (which often amuses, as opposed to angers, the other players) Helmuth was a regular on the WSOP scene back in the 80s, when the Main Event was still very small and exclusive. Helmuth still plays in the Main Event these days and he has more bracelets than anyone else.

Although more commonly known for his televised outbursts, Helmuth is one of the most decorated players in the game and although he may not be the best ever, as he so often claims to be, he is certainly up there.

4. Daniel Negreanu

The Canadian has been around almost as long as Phil Helmuth has, but he tends to be more liked amongst players, fans and TV commentators. Daniel is as charming as they come, and he is also a fantastic player, with stacks of titles under his belt. Daniel’s regular appearances on televised events has also made him one of the most familiar faces in the game of poker, and he even had his own show.

His earnings have been estimated to be just shy of $20,000, but the truth is that this is very hard to put your finger on as online earnings and cash earnings can be hard to estimate.

3. Sam Trickett

The Englishman is not quite as well known as Daniel, or indeed anyone else on this list, but his recorded over the last few years has been second to none. He has recorded wins in a huge number of tournaments, and for someone who is not even in his thirties, he still has a lot of big wins ahead of him.

Trickett is often referred to as the best player in England, and Europe for that matter, and his play is also starting to be recognized by many big names on the other side of the pond.

2. Erik Seidel

Seidel has won seven World Series of Poker bracelets and has also appeared in many other tournaments. He didn’t start out with poker and actually began in the stock market and playing backgammon, making money in both before turning to poker where he began to earn so much more. Seidel is one of the most recognized faces in the game and has been around for some time, steadily making money and climbing up this list.

1. Antonio Esfandiari

Antonio holds the title of the youngest player to ever win a World Poker Tour title, and he is also a regular feature on many televised poker events, including Late Night Poker and The Big Game. Known as The Magician, Antonio’s winnings are thought to be above $25 million, but this is only what we know and doesn’t include countless cash games and some online games. Simply put, not every game that these players play is logged, and sometimes there are millions of dollars begin exchanged behind closed doors, when the cameras are turned of.