Top 10 Poker Players by Winnings (2021)

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.

1. Justin Bonomo - $44,040,711

Source - flickr.com
Twitter - @JustinBonomo

Justin Bonomo's career in poker started at the early age of 16, when he impressively transformed a $500 deposit at Paradise Poker into a huge $10,000 pot. Only a few years later and Bonomo became the youngest player to feature at a televised final table event, eventually taking home $40,815.

Since then, Justin has placed 1st at over 20 events including the 2012 EPT Grand Final and the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
July 15, 2018 Las Vegas	$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP	$10,000,000
May 27, 2018 Las Vegas	$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl	$5,000,000
March 20, 2018 Macau	HK$2,000,000 + 100,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl China	$4,823,077

2. Daniel Negreanu - $39,830,195

Source - pokerfuse.com
Twitter - @RealKidPoker

Daniel Negreanu has made quite the reputation for himself. Named by the Global Poker Index as the player of the decade from 2004-2013, it's clear to see that he's a force to be reckoned with.

Negreanu currently holds 7 cashes for $1m or more, none larger than the $8.28m he took for winning 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

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
June 29, 2014 Las Vegas	$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP	$8,288,001
May 27, 2018 Las Vegas	$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl	$3,000,000
December 14, 2004 Las Vegas	$15,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em Five-Diamond World Poker Classic	$1,770,218

3. Erik Seidel - $34,782,419

Source - fi.wikipedia.org
Twitter - @Erik_Seidel

Seidel is another player to have begun 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'.

His career year came in 2011, with million-dollar prizes on two continents highlighting a phenomenal 12 months in which he took home more than $6.5m.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
January 27, 2011 Melbourne	$250,000 Super High Roller No Limit Hold'em Aussie Millions Poke Championship	$2,472,555
May 29, 2016 Las Vegas	$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl	$2,400,000
April 30, 2015 Monte Carlo	€98,000 + 2,000 No Limit Hold'em EPT	$2,222,222

4. Fedor Holz - $32,556,379

Source - cardplayer.com
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 2^nd place cash win in the 2018 WSOP that saw him taking home $6m.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
July 15, 2018 Las Vegas	$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP	$6,000,000
July 8, 2016 Las Vegas	$111,111 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller for One Drop WSOP	$4,981,775
May 29, 2016 Las Vegas	$300,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl	$3,500,000

5. David Peters - $30,106,263

Source - flickr.com
Twitter - @dpeterspoker17

A self-confessed convert to online poker after seeing Chris Moneymaker win big in 2003, David Peters has gone on to develop his own brilliant career in poker. Peters has seen 9 separate cashes over $1m, pushing him into the competition with the big poker names.

Despite only winning one bracelet, David has bagged himself almost 50 cash finishes in the WSOP alone along with making it to 8 final tables.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
January 3, 2016 Philippines	$196,000 + 4,000 No Limit Hold'em WPTN	$2,699,752
October 26, 2018 Rozvadov	€95,000 + 5,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller WSOPE	$1,848,008
July 2, 2015 Las Vegas	$500,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl	$1,505,000

6. Daniel Colman - $28,925,059

Source - flickr.com
Twitter - @DanielColman_

Best known for his Big One for One Drop win during the 2014 WSOP, Daniel Colman is a man with lots of winnings. Nabbing the second-largest payout in poker tournament history pushed Colman into the hall of fame for this reason alone.

On top of all this, he's also the proud owner of various player awards including the 2014 BLUFF Player of the Year award and then 2014 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year award.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
June 29, 2014 Las Vegas	$1,000,000 No Limit Hold'em - The Big One for One Drop WSOP	$15,306,668
April 24, 2014 Monte Carlo	€98,000 + 2,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller EPT	$2,127,398
June 28, 2015 Las Vegas	$111,111 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller for One Drop WSOP	$1,544,121

7. Antonio Esfandiari - $27,728,437

Source - pokerplayersbase.com
Twitter - @magicantonio

Esfandiari has been a household name for over a decade, having made his mark on the poker scene way back in 2004 with his $1.3m win at he LA Poker Classic. Having made six figure sums every year since 2004, he's in a position many poker players can only dream of.

On top of this, Esfandiari's biggest achievement came in 2012 with an $18m win at the Big One for One Drop ? the single largest payout in a poker tournament.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
July 1, 2012 Las Vegas	$1,000,000 The Big One for One Drop WSOP	$18,346,673
June 26, 2013 Las Vegas	$111,111 No Limit Hold'em - One Drop High Roller WSOP	$1,433,438
February 21, 2014 Los Angeles	$9,900 + 100 No Limit Hold'em WPT	$1,399,135

8. Bryn Kenney - $27,092,109

Source - pokerstars.com
Twitter - @BrynKenney

Previously a Magic the Gathering player, Kenney transition to poker in 2007 and by 2017 had won his first WSOP bracelet. Bryn has claimed a number of major wins, including the 2021 Aussie Millions No Limit Hold'em Main Event.

The 2017 season saw Kenney pick up even more wins, with his performance at the Bellagio Super High Roller Event securing him second place in the Global Poker Index.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
April 27, 2017 Monte Carlo	€100,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller Eight MaxPoker Stars Championship	$1,946,911
June 6, 2016 Paradise Island	$100,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller 8-Handed PCA	$1,687,800
March 20, 2018 Philippines	HK$2,000,000 + 100,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Bowl China	$1,484,024

9. Steve O'Dwyer - $26,820,595

Source - pokernews.com
Twitter - @steveodwyer

Known for his accomplishments on the European Poker Tour, Steve O'Dwyer has seen global success in poker with wins across Europe, American, and Asia. His notable achievements include winning the 2014 Asia Championship of Poker Super High Roller tournament.

Even though his wins were smaller in recent years, he showed he's still got what it takes when he took home $1.3m from the 2018 partypoker Caribbean Poker Party.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
January 6, 2015 Paradise Island	$97,000 + 3,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller 8-Handed PCA	$1,872,580
November 1, 2014 Macau	HK$500,000 Super High Roller APPT	$1,811,638
May 6, 2013 Monte Carlo	€10,000 + 600 No Limit Hold'em EPT	$1,604,972

10. Phil Ivey - $26,267,283

Source - casino.org
Twitter - @philivey

Known as the Tiger Woods of poker, Ivey won his first WSOP bracelet in 2000, he went on to win nine more. He's also bagged $1m+ cash wins 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 $3.5m prize being the biggest win of his career.

Top 3 Biggest Tournament Wins

Date \| Location	Tournament Name	Winnings
February 9, 2014 Melbourne	$250,000 No Limit Hold'em - $250,000 Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship	$3,582,753
January 27, 2012 Melbourne	$250,000 No Limit Hold'em - $250,000 Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship	$2,058,948
February 1, 2015 Melbourne	$245,000 + 5,000 - The LK Boutique Challenge Aussie Millions Poker Championship	$1,710,854

What Can Their Bankroll Buy?

Rank

Poker Player & Amount Won

That's enough money to?

Buy an
$880,000 house in every state in America

Support the

Vegas

Golden

Knights

Spend almost $6,000

every day

for the rest of his life

Buy 10

private jets

Buy

3,763

watches

Buy 6,301,755

McDonald's

Happy Meals

Buy Justin Bieber's

Beverley Hills

mansion

three times over

Book every

room in Vegas' 5*

Hotel

for a month

Pay for 10,893 people

to enjoy a seven-night

all-inclusive stay in the

Bahamas

Hire P.Diddy

to perform

at his next

birthdays

The Big One for One Drop

Big One for One Drop logo The Big One for One Drop was a poker tournament held at the 2012 World Series of Poker, with an entry fee of $1m. It was established by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, with $111,111 from each entry going to the One Drop Foundation, a charity which works to ensure safe and clean water is available to everyone in the world.

The tournament affects the all-time money rankings, with three players on this list earning their biggest career score in the Big One for One Drop.

EPT Main Event

European Poker Tour logo The EPT Main Event is the primary event of the regular European Poker Tour held throughout August. The EPT began in 2004, and has since come under the ownership of Pokerstars.

The last instance of this event was in 2016, where it was held in Spain's Casino Barcelona with a €5,300 buy-in fee and a prize pool of €8,657,250. Poland's Sebastian Malec, winner of 2016's Main Event, walked away with €1,122,800.

World Series of Poker

The The World Series of Poker is an annual set of tournaments held in Las Vegas. One of the oldest ongoing poker tournaments (given its founding in the 1970s by Benny Binion), the WSOP also remains one of the most renowned tournaments in the world.

WSOP is also how poker players earn the World Series of Poker bracelet - an accolade seriously respected and coveted throughout the poker world. Only 74 of these bracelets were awarded in 2017, with nearly a thousand having been handed out since WSOP began. The buy-in for the World Series tends to vary, the amount for the main event is $10,000.

WSOP Europe

World Series of Poker Europe logo Series of Poker's European counterpart is the first expansion of a few in the WSOP family. The first of these was held in London in 2007 - the first time a World Series of Poker event was held outside of Las Vegas. The buy-in for this was �10,000 and won by Norwegian Annette Obrestrad.

Winners of WSOPE can, like in its Vegas progenitor, win the coveted WSOP bracelet - there are were eleven 11 of these set to be awarded in at WSOPE's 2017 event in the Czech Republic.