Top 15 Famous Poker Players – Ranked by Popularity

The most famous poker players are now very much poker celebrities and household names if you know anything about poker and gambling. If you ever wondered who is the most popular player, who has won the most WSOP bracelets, and who has had the biggest ever cashout in a tournament, then this page will tell you all that and more, as well as show you some players to follow for poker strategy.

Top 15 Most Famous Poker Players of All Time

Here’s our top 15 list of the most famous poker players out there. Poker has been largely dominated by male players but there are also some very famous female top-ranked poker players. Our list is split into the top 10 males and top 5 females.

Top 10 Most Famous Poker Players – Men’s Category

Here are our top male professional poker players based on popularity, not just a list of the most famous poker players of all time or those based on lifetime poker earnings.

1. Daniel Negreanu – Kid Poker

• Nationality: Canadian
• Date of Birth: July 26, 1974
• WSOP Bracelets: 7 (seven)
• Social Media Followers: 1.3+ million
• Biggest Cash: $8,288,001 (2014 WSOP)

With a prize money stash that currently sits north of $52 million, Daniel ‘Kid Poker’ Negreanu is one of the most successful poker players in poker history. He has seven WSOP Bracelets, two WPT championship titles, and a remarkable 271 cashes at the world’s biggest poker event, more than any other player.

While Negreanu’s net worth is reported to be in the region of $70 million, it might be much higher as he excels in high-stakes cash games and has always been sponsored by at least one poker company – he currently has an ambassadorial role at GG Poker.

Toronto-born Negreanu is also the only player ever to have been named WSOP Player of the Year more than once, and in 2014, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, putting him at the pinnacle of our list of famous poker players.

Daniel Negreanu – Greatest Poker Moments

Daniel Negreanu’s uncanny skill at reading poker minds.

2. Phil Ivey – Tiger Woods of Poker

• Nationality: USA (California)
• Date of Birth: Feb 1, 1977
• WSOP Bracelets: 11
• Social Media Followers: 620,000+
• Biggest Cash: $16 million

Phil Ivey is one of Poker’s all-time legends. The ‘Tiger Woods of Poker’ has been one of the top 10 poker players for several decades and is famed for his iconic ice-cold stare.

Ivey, whose net worth is an estimated $125 million, has won 10 WSOP bracelets, which is bettered only by Phil Hellmuth. In 2017, Ivey was voted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Ivey famously won over $16,000,000 over three days, during a heads-up match with Texas billionaire Andy Beal at The Wynn Resort.

Phil Ivey Poker Strategy – The Big Bluff

Ivey Hits QUADS in the 2024, $2,500,000 Triton Poker High Stakes Final Table

3. Fedor Holz – CrownUpGuy

• Nationality: German
• Date of Birth: July 25, 1993
• WSOP Bracelets: 2
• Social Media Followers: 175,000+
• Biggest Cash: $6,000,000

Fedor Holz is a German pro poker player who has made a name for himself in high-roller tournaments. The 31-year-old, whose alias is ‘CrownUpGuy’, won his second bracelet when collecting just over a million dollars in a $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – Heads Up event.

Holz sits atop the all-time German money list with live tournament winnings over $40 million. In 2018, Holz landed a monster cash of $6 million at the $1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – The Big One for One Drop.

Fedor Holz Poker Strategy – Playing the $5,200 WCOOP Main Event

Holz talks viewers through his strategy and thought process as he plays a $5,200 event in 2019.

4. Justin Bonomo – ZeeJustin

• Nationality: American
• Date of Birth: September 30, 1985
• WSOP Bracelets: 3
• Social Media Followers: 65k+
• Biggest Cash: $10,000,000

Justin Bonomo ranks second on the all-time poker money list with over $64 million in tournament earnings. In 2005, a 9-year-old Bonomo became the youngest player to feature at the final table of the Magic: The Gathering.

Bonomo has 55 cashes to his name at the WSOP, three bracelets, and one circuit ring. His biggest payday came in 2018 when collecting $10,000,000 for winning the $1,000,000 One Drop event. It was a victory that, albeit only temporarily, catapulted him to number one in the all-time live tournament money list, and cemented his position as one of the top professional poker players.

Justin Bonomo Poker Strategy – 2023 Poker Masters with $333,000 on the line

Justin Bonomo Faces All-IN bluff from Daniel Rezaei

5. Bryn Kenney – BKD

• Nationality: American
• Date of Birth: November 1, 1986
• WSOP Bracelets: 1
• Social Media Followers: 54k+
• Biggest Cash: $20,563,324

New York-born Bryn Kenney won his first WSOP bracelet in 2014 when he landed the $1,500 10-Game Mix Six-Handed event, pocketing him $153,220. In 2019, Kenney took out the largest single payout in live tournament poker history despite finishing second to Aaron Zang in the Triton Million for Charity Event. Kenney agreed to a prize-splitting deal with Zang when the pair entered the heads-up stage, at which point Kenney held a 5:1 chip lead.

Kenney currently sits first in the Hendon Mob All-Time Money List as of 2024 with live tournament winnings of over $65 million.

Bryn Kenney Poker Strategy – Climbing the Mountain of Poker Success

Bryn Kenney is a guest on ‘The Mechanics Of Poker’ podcast, where he discusses poker strategy and poker coaching.

6. Phil Hellmuth Jr. – The Poker Brat

• Nationality: USA
• Date of Birth: July 16, 1964
• WSOP Bracelets: 17 (seventeen!)
• Social Media Followers: 150,000+
• Biggest Cash: $2,645,333

There is only one place you can start with Phil Hellmuth: his record-breaking 17 WSOP bracelets. ‘The Poker Brat’ is widely regarded as the greatest tournament and best poker player ever. In 1993, Hellmuth became just the second player to win three bracelets at one WSOP.

With live tournament winnings of around $30 million, Hellmuth sits 21st on the all-time money list but he holds the record for the WSOP cashes (154) as well as having appeared on the most WSOP final tables (64).

Phil Hellmuth Poker Strategy – The Poker Brat Dodges Bullets

Phil Hellmuth says “I can dodge bullets, baby!” after making an impossible laydown in the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event.

7. Erik Siedel – Sly or Seiborg

• Nationality: USA
• Date of Birth: November 6, 1959
• WSOP Bracelets: 10
• Social Media Followers: 100k+
• Biggest Cash: $2,472,555

Former professional backgammon player Eric Seidel won his first WSOP bracelet in 1992 and has since gone on to win bracelets in five different games including Hold’em, Omaha, and Deuce to Seven Draw.

The Hall of Famer has amassed more than $45 million in winnings, an amount that puts him seventh in the all-time money list.

Erik Siedel Poker Strategy – Seidel lands a double knockout blow!

Erik Seidel finds pocket aces to clinch the 2024 US Poker Open.

8. Bertrand Grosspellier – ElkY

• Nationality: France
• Date of Birth: February 8, 1981
• WSOP Bracelets: 2
• Social Media Followers: 150,000+
• Biggest Cash: $2,278,657

Former esports player Bertrand Grospellier has quickly established himself as one of the stars of the poker world. ElkY elevated himself to the elite level of poker players when becoming one of only ten players ever to win the triple crown of poker, which consists of a bracelet at a World Series of Poker event, a Main Event on the World Poker Tour, and a Main Event on the European Poker Tour.

ElkY set the Guinness World Record for most Single Table Sit & Goes played in one hour for a total of 62 at a $6.50 buy-in, with a profit of $23.60.

Bertrand Grosspellier Poker Strategy – Elky hits Straight Flush vs Pair-Aces

Bertrand Grospellier lands a monster hand against Vanessa Selbst at the 2017 Premier League of Poker.

9. Stephen Chidwick – stevie444 or TylersDad64

• Nationality: England
• Date of Birth: May 10, 1989
• WSOP Bracelets: 1
• Social Media Followers: N/A
• Biggest Cash: $5,368,947

Stephen Chidwick is a British-born poker player with a WSOP bracelet and a US Open title on his CV. Chidwick has amassed almost $40 million in winnings since his first major cash in 2008.

His biggest cash came in 2019 when a fourth-placed finish in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London earned him a monster $5,368,947.

Stephen Chidwick Poker Strategy – Poker Master Class at 2023 Poker Masters!

Watch Stephen close out against some of the best in Las Vegas.

10. Adrian Mateos – Amadi_17

• Nationality: Spain
• Date of Birth: July 1, 1994
• WSOP Bracelets: 4
• Social Media Followers: 80k+
• Biggest Cash: $3,265,362

Adrian Mateos is one of the youngest-ever bracelet winners having won the $1 million WSOP Main Event in 2013. That same year he also won the Estrellas Poker Tour in Madrid.

Since then, the 30-year-old has amassed more than $48 million in live tournament winnings, ranking him 9th on the all-time live tournament money list. Mateos was regarded by many as the best poker player under the age of 30.

Adrian Mateos Poker Strategy – Exhibition stuff from Mateos in Cyprus

Mateos shows why he is one of the best at the 2024 Super High Roller Series.

Top 5 Most Famous Poker Players – Women’s Category

Now, let’s look at the most famous female poker players based on popularity.

1. Vanessa Selbst – V.Selbst

• Nationality: USA
• Date of Birth: July 9, 1984
• WSOP Bracelets: 3
• Social Media Followers: N/A
• Biggest Cash: $1.4 million

The biggest name in women’s poker is Vanessa Selbst, the only woman ever to be ranked number one in the Global Poker Index. Selbst is also the only woman to win three bracelets in open fields and in 2022 she was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

New York-born Selbst became the highest-earning female poker player in 2013 when she won the PCA high roller for $1.4 million. Her career tournament winnings stand at just under $12 million.

Vanessa Selbst Poker Strategy – Greatest Poker Moments

Watch Vanessa Selbst’s best moments at live tables.

2. Kristen Foxen – krissyb24 or krissy24

• Nationality: Canada
• Date of Birth: December 29, 1986
• WSOP Bracelets: 4
• Social Media Followers: 35k+
• Biggest Cash: $356,411

Canadian-born Kristen Fox has been playing poker online since 2006 and in 2011 she hit Supernova Elite on Poker Stars, a feat which earned her the nickname ‘Ultimate Grinder’ given she was required to play circa 2.5 million hands per year to reach that level. In 2016, she won $290,768 for winning a No-Limit hold’em bounty event and later that year she signed with Partypoker.

In 2023, Fox became the first female player to win a fourth WSOP bracelet and her live tournament winnings exceed $7 million.

Kristen Foxen Poker Strategy – Watch Fox’s huge comeback run

Fox hits a hot streak at the 2024 PokerGO Cup in Las Vegas.

3. Kathy Leibert – PokerKat

• Nationality: USA
• Date of Birth: October 1, 1967
• WSOP Bracelets: 1
• Social Media Followers: N/A
• Biggest Cash: $1 million

Tennessee-born Kat Liebert won her first Party Poker Million event in 2002, the first limit poker tournament with a $1 million bounty. Liebert’s sole bracelet win came in 2004 when she was one of three women to win an open event at that year’s WSOP. Her live tournament winnings sit at more than $6.5 million and, having been inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2010, she was recently nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame.

Kathy Liebert Poker Strategy – Big hand at Shooting Star Final Table

Watch Kathy Liebert battle it out for a share of the $3,714,500 at the WPT Global.

4. Maria Ho – Femme on Felt

• Nationality: Taiwan
• Date of Birth: March 6, 1983
• WSOP Bracelets: 0
• Social Media Followers: 340k+
• Biggest Cash: $540,020,000

Taiwanese-American Maria Ho is widely regarded as one of the best poker players in the world. A Women in Poker Hall of Famer, the 41-year-old has won more than $5 million playing live tournaments. Whilst she doesn’t have a bracelet to her name, she has a colossal record of 80 cashes at WSOP events as well as 8 WSOP final table appearances. Ho is now more recognized as a television host/commentator for CBS Sports, ESPN, and Amazon eSports. In 2019 she won the Global Poker Award for Broadcaster of the Year.

Maria Ho Poker Strategy – Ho owns Phil Hellmuth & Phil Laak

Ho hits QUAD fours in Las Vegas in 2015.

5. Annie Duke – The Duchess of Poker

• Nationality: USA
• Date of Birth: September 13, 1965
• WSOP Bracelets: 1
• Social Media Followers: 103k+
• Biggest Cash: $300,000

Former professional poker player Annie Duke is also an author and speaker who received a National Science Foundation Fellowship and completed her PhD in 2023. On the table, Duke’s live tournament winnings top $4 million. Her 39 cashes at WSOP events earned her almost $1.16 million and only three women sit above her in the list of women’s all-time live tournament winnings.

Annie Duke Poker Strategy – Duke vs Negreanu at WSOP

Duke headlines the feature table on day 3 of the WSOP Main Event in 2006.

Who is the Greatest Poker Player of All Time?

A handful of players can lay claim to being the best poker player of all time, but the outstanding candidate is Phil Ivey. The legendary Ivey has proved himself capable of crushing different types of poker including mixed games, super high-stakes cash games, and high-roller tournaments like no one else.

Ivey has 10 WSOP bracelets and has live tournament earnings of over $46 million, without mentioning the likely tens of millions of dollars playing the biggest cash games around.

Famous Old Poker Players?

We could not have a page about famous poker players without mentioning the man who is rightly revered as one of the greatest poker pros ever, and that man is Doyle Brunson.

Brunson paved the way for many in this sport, and was, and always will be one of the best to ever grace the green baize of a poker table.

Born in Longworth Texas in 1933, Brunson passed away in 2023 at the ripe old age of 89. His final throw of the dice was when he finished 6th in a $10,000 WSOP tournament on the day he retired from the game on June 11th, 2018.

He was the very first player to reach $1,000,000 in poker tournament winnings. He was a two-time winner of the WSOP, and rightly so, was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Who are the Best Poker Players in the World Today by Earnings?

Below, we’ve broken down the key details of the top ten players in the world by earnings.

What are the Current World Poker Tour Rankings?

Here, we take a quick look at the current WPT world poker rankings for 2024. As you can see, the current number one and best poker player right now is arguably Belarusian professional Mikita Badziakouski, who began playing in live tournaments at just 18 years of age.

Conclusion

The rise in poker popularity has been fairly meteoric in the last couple of decades. There have never been so many tournaments, as much prize money, and as much TV coverage. For most, poker is a fun pastime, but it can also be lucrative if you are willing to learn from the world’s best poker players and poker streamers, many of whom have been mentioned above.

A great example of what is possible for budding poker players is the rise of Tony G (Antanas Guoga), a former politician in his native Lithuania. Since switching careers, and now known as one of the best high-stakes poker players, Tony has won more than $11 million from playing in live tournaments while also building a poker network and platform at CoinPoker.

Poker Guides

If you want to try your hand at playing poker, then the guides below will help you learn all you need to know to get started.

• Poker Bankroll Management
• How to Play Poker
• How to Win at Poker
• Poker Terminology
• Poker Hands Explained

FAQs