Who are the world’s best professional poker players? This page lists the top 10 male poker players in the world based on how many millions they’ve pocketed. We’ve also had a look to see how they could spend their winnings - it’s staggering!
Check out our list of the Best Female Poker Players , too.
Known as: Mega Crusher
Twitter: @BrynKenney
A HUGE 2019 sees Kenney jump from 8th place in 2018 to top of the list. Previously a Magic: The Gathering player, Kenney transitioned to poker in 2007 and by 2014 he had won his first WSOP bracelet. Kenney claimed several major wins over the years, but 2019 changed everything, bringing over a third of the Mega Crusher’s total wins in one night.
Kenney picked up the largest prize in poker tournament history, over $20 million, for taking second place at the Triton Million in 2019.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
€1,050,000 No Limit Hold'em - Triton Million (Runner-Up)
€100,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller Eight MaxPoker Stars Championship
$100,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller 8-Handed PCA
Known as: ZeeJustin
Twitter: @JustinBonomo
Formerly 1st place on this list, Justin Bonomo's career in poker started at 16, when he impressively transformed a $500 deposit at Paradise Poker into a huge $10,000 pot. A few years later, he became the youngest player to feature at a televised final table event taking home $40,815.
Since then, Bonomo has won first place at over 20 events including the 2012 EPT Grand Final and the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop. 2018 saw ZeeJustin take $20 million in winnings across three tournaments.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP
$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl
HK$2,000,000 + 100,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl China
Known as: Kid Poker
Twitter: @RealKidPoker
Named by the Global Poker Index as the player of the decade from 2004-2013, and winning WSOP Player of the Year in the first and last years of that decade, Kid Poker was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Canadian currently holds six World Series of Poker bracelets, two World Poker Tour titles and seven cashes for $1 million or more, none larger than the $8.28 million he took for 2nd place at the Big One for One Drop at the 2014 WSOP. He's also the only player to win World Series bracelets in Las Vegas, Europe, and Australia.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP (Runner-Up)
$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl
$15,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em Five-Diamond World Poker Classic
Known as: Sly
Twitter: @Erik_Seidel
Seidel began his career before the internet poker boom, first making a name for himself with a second-place finish at the 1988 WSOP Main Event. His knockout hand was even immortalized in the movie 'Rounders'.
The New Yorker has won 8 WSOP bracelets and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010. His career year came in 2011, when he took home more than $6.5 million, including two wins in less than a week – putting him number 1 on the all-time money list. He remains the only player to win over $5 million in multiple years (2011, 2016, 2017).
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$250,000 Super High Roller No Limit Hold'em Aussie Millions Poke Championship
$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl
€98,000 + 2,000 No Limit Hold'em EPT
Known as: Cowboy Dan
Twitter: @DanSmithHolla
The man they call Cowboy Dan has made quite the name for himself in a surprisingly short space of time. He made a splash as far back as 2014 when he picked up over $2 million at the Bellagio Super High Roller $100,000. Despite never picking up a WSOP bracelet, playing little and often is the way for Smith. He never breaches the $5 million mark but has accumulated over $36 million in prize money!
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop
WSOP $111,111 No Limit Hold'em High Roller for One Drop (Runner-Up)
Bellagio Super High Roller $100,000
Known as: stevie444
British player Stephen Chidwick saw the run of his life between December 2018 and August 2019, with his biggest prizes to date being won during that period. In fact, despite winning tournaments as far back as 2013, it is from 2018 onwards that made Chidwick prolific.
It’s easy to see why ‘Stevie444’, as he is known online (with over 2,000 online cashes), is a new name on this list, but the way recent years have gone, it doesn’t look likely he’ll leave it any time soon.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
£ 1,050,000 No Limit Hold'em - Triton Million for Charity
$ 25,000 Pot Limit Omaha - High Roller 8-Handed
Bellagio $300,000 No Limit Hold'em
Known as: Silent Assassin
Twitter: @dpeterspoker17
A self-confessed convert to online poker after seeing Chris Moneymaker win big in 2003, David Peters has gone on to have his own impressive career. The Silent Assassin is one of the most prolific tournament players and numerous successes have seen his name placed among the greats, despite his relatively young age (he was born in 1987).
Despite only winning two bracelets (2016 and 2020), Peters has bagged himself over 50 cash finishes in the WSOP alone along with making it to eight final tables.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$196,000 + 4,000 No Limit Hold'em WPT
€95,000 + 5,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller WSOPE
$500,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl
Known as: CrownUpGuy
Twitter: @CrownUpGuy
German high roller Fedor Holz has seen a meteoric rise to fame with 2016 being a huge year for the young player. The 2016 season saw Holz pick up his first WSOP bracelet with his win in the $111,111 No Limit Hold'em for One Drop, just weeks after he secured 2nd place at the Super High Roller Bowl.
And his winnings continue to grow thanks to a brilliant 2nd place cash win in the 2018 WSOP that saw him take home $6 million.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP
$111,111 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller for One Drop WSOP
$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl
Known as: The Phenom
Twitter: @philivey
Known as the Tiger Woods of poker, Ivey won his first WSOP bracelet in 2000 and went on to win nine more. He's also bagged cash wins of $1 million or over on seven different occasions.
Ivey spent several months away from the poker limelight after Black Friday but returned in style by placing first in the Aussie Millions $250,000 Challenge in January 2012. He also went on to become the first two-time winner of the event in 2014, the $3.5 million prize being the biggest win of his career.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
$250,000 No Limit Hold'em - $250,000 Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship
$250,000 No Limit Hold'em - $250,000 Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship
$245,000 + 5,000 - The LK Boutique Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship
Known as: JAKoon1985
Twitter: @JasonKoon
After stumbling across online poker while studying and realizing he had the skill for cards in 2006, Koon is now one of the most successful live tournament players in poker. In 2009 he won a SCOOP tournament for $302,000 on PokerStars and then went on to win the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open for $1,000,000 in 2016. Since then, Koon’s focus has been on high roller tournaments as he regards them as more profitable.
He won $1,079,443 at the Triton series’ events in 2018, closely followed by his big win at the Short Deck Triton Super High Roller tournament in Montenegro, where he pocketed $3,579,836.
Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins
Short Deck Triton Super High Roller tournament
London Triton Poker Super High Roller Series
Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open