The best poker players of all time are notoriously difficult to rank. Poker has seen great players come and go over the years, and the debate about who is the greatest has been and will always be controversial, particularly given the element of chance involved in the game.
Poker legends like Johnny Moss, the “Grand Old Man Of Poker” and the first winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, have shaped the game. Today many legends have achieved mythical status through incredible skills, unbeatable strategies, and notable wins.
The Top Poker Players of All Time & Why
WSOP bracelets, WPT trophies, and high roller crowns are some of the tale-tale signs of the greatest players. But the true greats have not only these titles and earned fame but also lots of money! The following poker players, some living and others gone to glory, have these accolades and dominated their time, shaping poker into what it is today. They showed exceptional skills at the table. Come with us as we explore the stories of these poker legends, each with their remarkable achievement in the history of poker.
1 – Phil Ivey
Whenever the best poker players of all time are discussed, the first name on many people’s lips will be Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. The 47-year-old is one of the most accomplished and successful poker players of all time. At 38, he had already won his tenth bracelet from the World Poker Series. It only took him 14 years from the first to the tenth, making him the youngest player to achieve this milestone. Ivey has made in excess of $38.3 million from live poker tournaments, with nearly $10 million coming from cashes at the WSOP.
It doesn’t matter whether he is playing a live poker table or online; Phil Ivey beats the toughest. He’s a nine-time World Poker Tour finalist. Numerous poker observers and contemporaries regard this American professional poker player as the best all-around player in the world. He also has the most bracelets won in non-Hold’em events, which makes ten of his victories and holds five mixed-game bracelets, the most won by any player. That’s on top of his WSOP and WPT titles. No wonder, in 2017, the community inducted him into the Poker Hall of Fame. If he’s not the GOAT, then who is?
2 – Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu, born July 26, 1974, in Canada, began his poker journey at 15. His first taste of victory came at the tender age of 23, earning him the nickname “Kid Poker.” It was just the beginning of a legendary career that would see him win over £41 million in winnings and numerous titles. His dedication and perseverance led him to become the 2004–2005 WPT Player of the Year, and he continued to dominate the poker world, winning six WSOP bracelets and a WPT championship title, even beating the GOAT, Phil Ivey, along the way. An expert in multiple forms of the game, his major titles including HORSE and an online Pot Limit Omaha tournament.
Daniel Negreanu’s poker career has a series of unique achievements that set him apart as one of the best in the game. He is the first and only player to receive the WSOP Player award more than once, a feat he accomplished in 2004 and 2013. He is also the first player to feature at a final table at the three WSOP bracelet-awarding locations, winning each bracelet. In 2014, the Global Poker Index, an independent poker ranking service, recognized Negreanu as the best poker player of the previous decade, a testament to his unparalleled skills. The same year, he was honoured by the poker community with an induction into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame.
3 – Daniel Cates
Born November 14, 1989, in Bowie, Maryland, Cates, like most prodigies, began poker at a tender age, sustaining losses through his development and taking on odd jobs to maintain his bankroll. With a solitary childhood, he had the option to play video games. Instead, he focused on online poker, abandoning his studies at the University of Maryland, where he studied Economics, to become a professional poker player. Through online poker, playing under the alias “jungleman12,” Cates developed his skills, using a “reverse game selection” poker strategy to ascend from modest stakes to high-stakes matches to become one of the best in the world in this game.
But what makes him unique? Cates has two WSOP bracelets in the Poker Players Championship, defeating Ryan Leng in 2021 and Yuri Dzivielevski a year later, becoming the first person to win the title in consecutive years. He won over $5 million in 2010 and has accumulated over $11 million in poker earnings. His skill has survived iconic battles, like facing Tom Dwan in the Durrrr Challenge in a high-stakes encounter. But as they say, accurate tests come when you experience loss, as it’s only through adversity that genuine growth emerges; he suffered a notable loss at a casino in Manila. However, his resilience has extended his online triumph, and he is a formidable opponent in the World Series of Poker.
4 – Justin Bonomo
At just 19, Justin Bonomo, then popular under his online username ZeeJustin, shocked the world when he was fourth in a showcase of his poker skills at the televised final table of the EPT in Deauville, France. As of July 2022, his live tournament earnings had reached an impressive $57,283,047, making him the highest-earning living tournament player in history. Bonomo won the Big One for One Drop in 2018, his biggest single prize, earning over £8 million. But as we already said, winnings don’t always mean talent, so what makes him great?
Justin, born September 30, 1985, in Oakton, has already swept the WSOP, winning 55 cashes and reaching 19 final tables. As of 2020, he had three WSOP bracelets in his collection. Tournaments aside, he has also won a lot in online poker. His record includes Triton titles and EPT honours. If a poker tournament title is up for grabs, you can bet Bonomo has probably won it. His poker prowess has enabled him to afford a luxurious life, living in a penthouse in Las Vegas with multiple romantic partners simultaneously.
5 – Isaac Haxton
Isaac Haxton, born on September 21, 1985, in Westchester, New York, is a man of many talents. Once an amateur chess player who holds a youth chess champion medal, he is strategically skilled, analytically gifted, and unwaveringly dedicated to poker. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in philosophy, he chose to pursue a career in online poker, a decision that would ultimately shape his future.
Haxton is an online poker cash game specialist and has earned over $2,000,000 under various aliases such as Ike Haxton, luvtheWNBA, and philivey2694. Under the username “philivey2694,” Haxton amassed significant earnings and garnered widespread recognition. As of July 2023, he had cashed out more than $38 million in live poker tournament winnings. And though he prefers online cash games over tournament play, he won his first bracelet at the 2023 World Series of Poker. His intellect and articulate advocacy have made him a respected voice within the poker community.
6 – Stephen Chidwick
Known by his online aliases “stevie444” and “TylersDad64,” Stephen Chidwick’s online success matches his live achievements. He was runner-up in the 2009 Full Tilt FTOPS Event, winning $142,155.30. Chidwick has consistently demonstrated his skill in prestigious events like the World Series of Poker, achieving multiple final table finishes. Nothing tells more of his global dominance than his victories at the PokerStars Championship in Barcelona and notable performances in events like the EPT Prague Main Event.
Chidwick’s outstanding performances led to his first WSOP bracelet win in the $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller event. For cash poker for real money, he sits sixth on the All-Time Money List. With live tournament earnings exceeding $54,700,000 and over 30 first-place cashes, Chidwick cannot be wished away.
7 – Linus Loeliger
Younger than anyone on this list, Linus Loeliger is making waves in the professional poker industry. He is remarkably skilled and witty, quickly making him a rising star in the community. Though he has yet to win any bracelets or rings from the WSOP, with total earnings of $66,628, his bracelets will soon troup in, given the benefit of his age. Playing under the alias “LLinusLLove,” he plays high-stakes online poker and has so far had remarkable success.
By February 2018, Loeliger was already in the upper echelons of the poker world, earning acclaim from peers like Andres “Educa-p0ker” Artinano, who ranked him among the top three 6-max no-limit hold ’em players globally. He has beaten renowned player OtB_RedBaron, accumulated impressive earnings of $699,973 from NLHE cash games, and secured a runner-up finish in the $2,100 NLHE SCOOP-21-H tournament. Linus Loeliger boasts online earnings exceeding $1,400,000 and total live tournament winnings surpassing $1,800,000, making him worthy of featuring here.
8 – Viktor Blom
Viktor Blom, famously known in the poker world as Isildur1, has since gone under, but the poker community believes Isildur1 will make his return. He may be already here under a different moniker. Blom was an indomitable opponent any high-stakes online poker player could face. At his height, he was the most feared opponent for online players to come up against. The Swede is a master at the game and earned a spot as a Team PokerStars Pro in December 2010, later transitioning to Full Tilt Poker in 2012.
He is legendary, with monumental wins and staggering losses against top-tier opponents like Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey. Despite experiencing setbacks, including a highly publicized downswing, Bloom’s Poker winnings are more than $2.9 million. Viktor Blom, known as “Isildur1,” battled through a slump on the poker leaderboard at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. His $1.3 million win at King’s Casino in Rozvadov in the Czech Republic on the final day of play at the Partypoker Millions Germany tournament in a showdown against Moldova’s Pavel Plesuv is particularly memorable. The call he made, him holding a pair of kings and Plesuv a pair of queens, remains arguably the ballsiest poker call of all time.
9 – Patrik Antonius
If you thought there were no professional poker players in Finland, meet Patrik Antonius – an exceptionally skilled player with notable finishes in various prestigious events, including the European and World Poker Tour. He is a man of many hats and has tried his hands at tennis both as a player and coach, but poker is his true calling. Antonius has made significant earnings in the latter, including a first prize win of €288,180 in an EPT event and a $1,046,470 prize in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
In July 2006, Patrik Antonius placed 9th in the WSOP $50,000 HORSE event, winning $205,920. The following year, he placed third in the Pot Limit Omaha World Championship, winning $311,394. He has appeared three times on NBC’s Poker After Dark and has total live tournament winnings exceeding $6,775,000, with $911,178 from 14 WSOP cashes.
10 – Erik Seidel
A stock exchange trader turned professional poker player, Erik Seidel, who had a dream debut in a major poker tournament, came second to Johnny Chan in the 1988 WSOP Main Event. It was quite a story that his final hand featured in the 1998 movie Rounders.
His first WSOP bracelet win would come in 1992, and he went ahead to more bracelets in five games, including Hold ’em, Omaha, and Deuce to Seven Draw. Yes, old, but not out. Seidel is one of the few remaining old-generation poker players who is considered one of the best players of all time in both the older and modern era. His tenth bracelet came in the $50,000 Super High Roller at WSOP Paradise On December 9 last year. Currently, he ties with all-time greats like Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and for the second most WSOP bracelets of all time.
11 – Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth’s claim to fame is clear – nobody has won more World Series of Poker bracelets. He is the king of prestigious events like the WSOP Main Event and WSOPE. This guy is a legendary figure in professional poker circles, the most decorated player in WSOP history. While his style of play has repeatedly been questioned by fans and his peers, there’s no doubt that he has the prizes to back up his frequently claims to be the best of all time.
He currently owns an incredible 17 WSOP gold bracelets, seven more than any other poker player has ever achieved. His 17th came on July 2, 2023, in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold ’em event. Beyond the WSOP, he has excelled in tournaments like the World Poker Tour and has regularly appeared on popular poker shows. He has since turned to training people and is creating a legion of followers thanks to his instructional videos, authored books, and coaching activities.
12 – Stu Ungar
Despite drug addiction, financial struggles, and personal tragedy that marred Stuart Errol Ungar’s life, he had a remarkable talent for card games and quickly became a highly talented poker player. Born in 1953, Ungar won the World Series of Poker Main Event three times, two more WSOP bracelets, and over $3.6 million in tournament pay. He holds the exclusive distinction of winning the Main Event at Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker on three occasions, a title regarded as the second most prestigious in the poker world then.
Winning back-to-back titles in the WSOP Main Event is only for the best poker players of all time. OnlyJohnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan had achieved it until Ungar joined their company. In 2001, the community posthumously inducted him into the Poker Hall of Fame. While his star only shone briefly, there’s no doubt that at his peak he was one of the best poker players of all time. He died in 1998 with little to no recognition, but his legacy endures as an incredible talent in poker history.
13 – Chip Reese
Who won the inaugural 50,000 HORSE event at the 2006 World Series of Poker? David Edward “Chip” Reese won it. The American professional poker player remains one of the greatest cash game poker players. He defeated Andy Bloch, earning $1,716,000, in a tense seesaw match that lasted seven hours and 286 hands, compared to the 232 hands in the 2005 Main Event final table. As the poker tournament rules, professionals had to play five poker games, Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, Razz, seven-card stud and Eight or better Hi-Lo, to determine the true champion.
He added this to his WSOP titles of 1978 and 1982. Three World Series of Poker events, the crown jewels of tournament poker, is a challenging feat. The high-stakes card champion died on December 4, 2007, at 56. But the poker community remembers him for his intellect and poise, with a preference for high-stakes private games with high rollers. He was close friends with Doyle Brunson, the following legend in our list, who describes Reece as “arguably the best poker player who ever lived.”
14 – Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson, an American poker legend, played professionally for over 50 years. His $1 million win was a first for any poker player in tournaments. Until his death, he was a two-time WSOP Main Event champion, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and author of several poker books. He twice won the most famous card tournament, the main event of the WSOP— a no-limit Texas Hold ’em tournament with a $10,000 entry fee. He even played in the inaugural main event, although the format was unusual – players simply played for several hours, before the winner, and best player of all time, would be voted by the participants.
Brunson won 10 WSOP bracelets overall, at second, behind Phil Hellmuth’s 17. His book Super/System is one of the most authoritative books on poker. And his influence doesn’t stop there. His name is associated with two specific hands in poker. The first is the 10-2 offsuit, with which he famously won two tournaments, earning the nickname “the Doyle Brunson.” The second hand is the ace and queen of any suit, which he avoided playing and is also humorously referred to as a “Doyle Brunson” because of his aversion to it.
The Best Poker Players Ever List
- Phil Ivey
- Daniel Negreanu
- Daniel Cates
- Justin Bonomo
- Isaac Haxton
- Stephen Chidwick
- Linus Loeliger
- Viktor Blom
- Patrik Antonius
- Erik Seidel
- Phil Hellmuth
- Stu Ungar
- Chip Reese
- Doyle Brunson