Greatest Poker Players of All Time

Their stories are straight out of the movies. Meet the poker GOATs.

It takes nerve for great athletes to win big when the stakes are high. That same nerve is even bigger with great poker players.

Some of the greats “on the felt” have backstories that seem pulled right from a Hollywood script.

And like the movies, the greatest poker players of all time include heroes and villains from all over the world.

50. Eli Elezra

Eli Elezra has won four World Series of Poker bracelets. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 24, 1960

Native country: Israel

Career highlights: 2004 World Poker Tour No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2007 WSOP Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo (champion), 2013 WSOP 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (champion)

Earnings: $3.8 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (2007, 2013, 2015, 2019)

Eli Elezra fought in the Israeli Army before immigrating to the United States and finding fame and fortune in the gambling world.

Elezra learned to play the game in the 1980s and started to compete in World Series of Poker events in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, he came into the spotlight with his appearances on the television show “Poker Stars After Dark” and by winning approximately $1 million at the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown.

Elezra bet Barry Goldstein $25,000 and got 10-to-1 odds he would win his first WSOP bracelet in 2007. Elezra cashed out for $250,000.

49. Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2003. Joe Cavaretta / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 21, 1975

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2003 WSOP Main Event (champion), 2004 WPT Shooting Stars (runner-up), 2011 National Heads Up Poker Tournament (runner-up)

Earnings: $3.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2003)

Few players, if any, have done as much for poker’s popularity in their lifetimes as Chris Moneymaker did in just one year.

“The Moneymaker Effect” was a term coined by the media after poker’s explosion in popularity beginning in 2003, when Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event and $2.5 million grand prize after qualifying via an $86 online satellite tournament.

Moneymaker has been a constant on the international poker scene since his improbable win and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019. He still participates in international online poker tournaments held by different online casinos such as Jackpot City, PokerStars, 888Poker, and GGPoker.

48. Annie Duke

Annie Duke won her only World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004. Vince Bucci / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 13, 1965

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2004 WSOP Omaha High-Low 8/OB (champion), 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions (champion), 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship (champion)

Earnings: $2.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2004)

“The Duchess of Poker” Annie Duke might not be one of the winningest poker players in the world – she’s not even the highest-earning woman of all time — but she’s definitely one of the most well-known players ever.

Duke rose to fame in the early 2000s after working her way up from local games in Billings, Montana, to winning a bracelet at the 2004 WSOP, then becoming the first female winner of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where she brought home $500,000.

Duke became even more famous as the runner-up on a season of “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2009.

47. Allen Cunningham

Allen Cunning has won World Series of Poker bracelets for three years in a row. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: March 28, 1977

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2006 All In Magazine Player of the Year, 2005 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2006 No Limit Hold ‘Em/Rebuys (champion)

Earnings: $11 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007)

Allen Cunningham’s wealth and fame can be directly traced to his stunningly consistent success at the World Series of Poker in the 2000s, when he won five WSOP bracelets in seven years.

The Riverside, California, native is part of an exclusive club of players that have won WSOP bracelets in three consecutive years alongside Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, Bill Boyd and Gary Berland.

46. Chau Giang

Chau Giang won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 1993. PokerStars / YouTube

Born: July 2, 1955

Native country: Vietnam

Career highlights: 1993 WSOP No Limit Ace to Five Draw (champion), 1998 WSOP Omaha 8 or Better (champion), 2004 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion)

Earnings: $3.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (1993, 1998, 2004)

Chau Giang is an amazing story of success in the poker world — a Vietnamese immigrant who came to the United States in his teens, learned how to play and parlayed that into his own fame and fortune.

Giang’s success in poker can be directly tied to his philosophy of the game not being about luck. “Poker is a game of skill with an element of luck,” Giang wrote in his autobiography. “Not a game of luck with an element of skill.”

It’s tough to get a gauge of Giang’s true winnings, as it’s widely known he focuses more on cash games than tournaments.

45. Nick Dandolos

Nick “The Greek” Dandolos, left, was a famous gambler. weldingglass / YouTube

Born: April 27, 1883

Native country: Greece

Died: Dec. 25, 1966 (83 years old)

Career highlights: Poker Hall of Fame (1979)

Earnings: Unknown

World Series of Poker bracelets: None

Nick “The Greek” Dandolos came from a rich Greek family and immigrated to the United States when he was 18 years old, where he made a name for himself as one of the most legendary gamblers in history.

Some estimates have Dandolos winning and losing up to $500 million over his lifetime, with none of it more notable than a public heads-up game between Dandolos and legendary poker player Johnny Moss in 1949. For six months (with breaks only for sleep), they played almost every variation of poker until the game ended with Dandolos down $2 million to $ 4 million and uttering the legendary line: “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”

Dandolos died on Christmas Day in 1966, destitute and playing $5 games in Southern California.

44. Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen has almost $10 million in career poker earnings. Jae C. Hong / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 13, 1974

Native country: Denmark

Career highlights: 2010 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em High Roller Heads Up (champion), 2004 Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament (champion), World Poker Tour Walk of Fame (2004)

Earnings: $9.8 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2010)

Danish poker superstar Gus Hansen has become as well-known for his losses as his wins. Hansen is the first player to ever win three World Poker Tour titles, but he’s also lost almost $21 million in Full Tilt Poker games online.

Hansen’s profile is somewhat different from his contemporaries. He was a backgammon champion and youth tennis star before moving to poker, and he was also included in People’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list in 2004.

To Hansen’s credit, he’s never shied away from talking about his huge losses, including several times where he’s admitted to losing over $1 million in a single game.

43. Mickey Appleman

Poker star Mickey Appleman. mickeyappleman / Twitter

Born: July 15, 1945

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1985 Amarillo Slim Super Bowl of Poker (champion), 1995 WSOP Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2003 WSOP Pot Limit Hold ‘Em (champion)

Earnings: $1.6 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (1980, 1992, 1995, 2003)

Here’s the thing to remember about Mickey Appleman’s incredible success in the poker world, including four World Series of Poker bracelets — he wasn’t always that into it. For Appleman, the real juice was betting on sports, and poker was kind of a side hustle he was just really, really talented at.

One reason why Appleman has been so successful is that he’s incredibly intelligent. Appleman got his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Ohio State University and earned his MBA in statistics from Rutgers.

42. Chris Ferguson

Poker star Chris Ferguson, right. Vince Bucci / AP Photo

Born: April 11, 1963

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2000 WSOP Main Event (champion), 2001 WSOP Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better (champion), 2005, 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship (runner-up)

Earnings: $9.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (2000, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2003, 2017)

Chris Ferguson is, in no small way, one of the more hated and despicable figures in poker history. He is also one of poker’s greatest players in history, having won six World Series of Poker bracelets, including the Main Event title in 2000.

But back to being despicable. Ferguson was one of the four founders of online gaming site Full Tilt Poker, which the U.S. Justice Department said in 2011 was a front for a Ponzi scheme that paid out $444 million to Ferguson and his co-investors.

The case was dismissed in 2013, and Ferguson apologized in 2018.

41. Chris Bjorin

Poker star Chris Bjorin, right. The Players TV / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBV5Sbb98tg

Born: 1947 (specific day unknown)

Native country: Sweden

Career highlights: 1997 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion), 2000 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2012 English Poker Open (runner-up)

Earnings: $5.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 2 (1997, 2000)

Swedish poker star Chris Bjorin is an enigma in the game. The public doesn’t know much about his personal life because he hasn’t done many interviews.

You also can make the argument that we don’t know a lot about him because of the way he’s played and the way he’s won over the decades. Bjorin has a knack for always placing in the Top 10 at huge events — World Series of Poker Main Event, World Series of Poker European events, one Professional Poker Tour main table.

But he’s never the guy in the spotlight.

40. Barbara Enright

Poker Hall of Famer Barbara Enright. Joe Cavaretta / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 18, 1949

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1986 WSOP Women’s Seven-Card Stud (champion), 1994 WSOP Women’s Seven-Card Stud (champion), 1996 WSOP Pot Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2007)

Earnings: $1.6 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (1986, 1994, 1996)

Barbara Enright is a trailblazer for women in poker, and became the first female to win an open event at the World Series of Poker when she beat the field in 1996 in Pot Limit Hold ‘Em. That was just one year after she became the first female to make it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event in 1995.

Enright was the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, in 2007, and is the only player ever inducted into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame, Senior Poker Hall of Fame and Poker Hall of Fame.

39. Berry Johnston

Berry Johnston has over $3 million in career earnings. WSOPMemories / Twitter

Born: Sept. 25, 1935

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1986 WSOP Main Event (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2004), 1983 WSOP Match Play (champion)

Earnings: $3.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (1983, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2001)

Berry Johnston won World Series of Poker bracelets in three different decades, including the WSOP Main Event in 1986, but his consistency is really something to behold when it comes to high-pressure events.

Consider that Johnston, who is in his early 80s, finished in third place at the WSOP Main Event in 1983 and 1985, then fifth place in 1990.

Johnston became known to a new generation of poker fans when he competed in NBC’s “Poker After Dark” television show, including a game featuring six former WSOP Main Event winners in 2008.

38. David Peters

Poker star David Peters has won over $34 million in his career. wpt / Twitter

Born: April 16, 1987

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2016 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2015 Poker Central Super High Roller Bowl (fifth place), 2016 WPT National Philippines (runner-up)

Earnings: $45.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2016)

David Peters’ understated demeanor flies in the face of the fortune he’s made playing poker — almost $35 million.

Peters is another great example of today’s modern player not necessarily needing World Series of Poker bracelets to achieve any modicum of success in the poker world. He’s only won once, in No Limit Hold ‘Em in 2016. Peters’ biggest payday came that same year, when he won $2.3 million at a World Poker Tour event in the Philippines.

An Ohio native, Peters also has experienced some success on the European Poker Tour, where he has almost $1 million in career earnings.

37. Dominik Nitsche

Poker star Dominik Nitsche. poker_solutions / Twitter

Born: Oct. 11, 1990

Native country: Germany

Career highlights: 2012 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2014 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion),

Earnings: $18.3 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (2012, 2014, 2014, 2017)

German poker player Dominik Nitsche, along with Fedor Holz, have helped put their country on the map with their huge winnings and big-time performances on the felt in the last decade.

Nitsche’s biggest wins of his career have come in the World Series of Poker, where he’s won two No Limit Hold ‘Em titles and won the High Roller for One Drop Hold ‘Em event at the WSOP Europe for over $4 million in 2017.

In 2014, Nitsche became the youngest player to win three WSOP bracelets at just 23 years old.

36. Antonio Esfandiari

Poker star Antonio Esfandiari, back left. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 8, 1978

Native country: Iran

Career highlights: 2012 WSOP Big One for One Drop (champion), 2004 WSOP Pot Limit Hold ‘Em (champion)

Earnings: $27.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (2004, 2012, 2012)

Iranian-born Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was responsible for the single-biggest tournament win in history when he won a staggering $18.3 million at the Big One for One Drop in 2012 at the World Series of Poker.

Efandiari’s nickname isn’t just a play on words. He’s a performing magician and has been known for his tricks with chips.

He’s gained a certain measure of fame outside of poker for his appearances on “Entourage” and in the Robert DeNiro/50 Cent vehicle “Freelancers” — both in 2012.

35. Fedor Holz

German poker star Fedor Holz. crownupguy / Twitter

Born: July 25, 1993

Native country: Germany

Career highlights: 2016 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop (champion), 2016 Triton Super High Roller (champion)

Earnings: $39 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2016)

German poker player Fedor Holz has carved out a reputation as someone who chases high-payout games across the world — most notably when he won $4.9 million in the World Series of Poker $111,111 buy-in High Roller for One Drop in 2016.

Holz, who is just 26 years old, is likely already the greatest poker player in German history. He won a staggering $11.9 million playing in 2016 and cashed out big again in 2018 with a $6 million victory at the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop.

34. Jason Mercier

Jason Mercier has won five World Series of Poker bracelets. CasinoNews6 / Twitter

Born: Nov. 12, 1986

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2009 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion), 2011 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha Six Handed (champion), 2016 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. Championship (champion)

Earnings: $19.6 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (2009, 2011, 2015, 2015, 2016)

Jason Mercier is one of the most successful poker players of all time and seems like a lock to one day be in the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Florida native, only 33 years old, has almost $20 million in career winnings, five World Series of Poker bracelets, a European Poker Tour title and has spent more time at No. 1 on the Global Poker Index (GPI) than any player in history at 84 weeks.

He’s also not the only great poker player in his household. His wife, Natasha, has approximately $1.2 million in career tournament earnings.

33. Michael Mizrachi

Poker star Michael Mizrachi. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 5, 1981

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2010 WSOP Players Championship (champion), 2012 WSOP Players Championship (champion), 2018 WSOP Players Championship (champion), 2010 WSOP Main Event (fifth place)

Earnings: $17 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019)

Michael Mizrachi’s biggest wins have come playing in the World Series of Poker, where he’s earned over $9 million in winnings and is a three-time champion of the WSOP $50,000 Players Championship.

Despite going over $17 million in career earnings at the beginning of 2020, Mizrachi’s financial difficulties have been well-documented, including a $340,000 tax lien in 2010 and the foreclosure on several condominiums in Florida.

He’s also not the only pro poker player in his family. Older brother Robert Mizrachi also has played in WSOP and WPT events.

32. John Juanda

John Juanda, right, with Phil Ivey. Joe Cavaretta / AP Photo

Born: July 8, 1971

Native country: Indonesia

Career highlights: 2008 WSOP Main Event Europe (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2015), 2011 WSOP 2-7 Draw Lowball (champion)

Earnings: $24.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (2002, 2003, 2003, 2008, 2011)

John Juanda’s rise in the poker world coincided with the sport’s boom in the early 2000s and he’s cashed in to the tune of $24.7 million in career earnings — mainly due to his consistency.

Juanda, who was Card Player Magazine’s Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, hasn’t won a World Series of Poker bracelet since 2011, but he’s managed to cash in big at events all over the world, from the U.S. to Monte Carlo to Australia.

Juanda was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2015.

31. Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro gets a massage during a poker game. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: July 30, 1965

Native country: Italy

Career highlights: 2007 WSOP Seven-Card Stud (champion), 2009 WSOP Seven-Card Stud (champion), 2009 WSOP World Championship Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo (champion), Australian Poker Hall of Fame (2009)

Earnings: $5.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (2007, 2009, 2009, 2009, 2010, 2014)

Jeff Lisandro’s backstory is pretty great. Growing up in Salerno, Italy, his mother began teaching him how to play poker when he was just 5 years old.

Lisandro can make a claim to being the greatest seven-card stud player in the world, as well as one of the best of all time.

In 2009, Lisandro earned World Series of Poker Player of the Year honors when he became the first player to win three different Seven-Card Stud events in one WSOP: Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo and Razz.

30. Stephen Chidwick

Poker star Stephen Chidwick. pokercentral / Twitter

Born: May 10, 1989

Native country: England

Career highlights: 2018 partypoker Live Millions Grand Final Barcelona (third place), 2019 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha High Roller (champion), 2009 Full Tilt FTOPS Event (runner-up)

Earnings: $44.9 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2019)

British poker player Stephen Chidwick is a great example that World Series of Poker bracelets aren’t the only standard of success in the game.

Chidwick has just one bracelet, won in 2019, but has earned more money than almost anyone who has ever played the game, with his career winnings topping $34 million in 2019. Chidwick can already lay claim to being the greatest poker player in British history, and he was No. 1 in the Global Poker Index from April to October 2018.

There’s an outside shot that Chidwick could pass $50 million in career earnings by the time he’s 35 years old.

29. Adrian Mateos

Poker star Adrian Mateos. WPT / Twitter

Born: July 1, 1994

Native country: Spain

Career highlights: 2013 WSOP Main Event Europe (champion), 2015 European Poker Tour Grand Final (champion), 2106 WSOP Summer Solstice No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion)

Earnings: $21.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (2013, 2016, 2017)

It’s tough to imagine a foreign player benefiting more from the explosion of poker over the last 15 years than Adrian Mateos, the first Spanish player to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in Europe.

Mateos won a stunning $1.25 million at the Main Event when he was just 19 years old and at only 25 years old saw his career earnings (on the books) soar past $20 million in 2019.

The real question for fans is if Mateos already has three WSOP bracelets at such a young age, how many will he accumulate over his career?

28. Ted Forrest

Poker star Ted Forrest. Isaac Brekken / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 24, 1964

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1993 WSOP Omaha 8 Hi-Lo (champion), 2004 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 2014 WSOP Seven-Card Razz (champion)

Earnings: $6.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (1993, 1993, 1993, 2004, 2004, 2014)

Ted Forrest burst onto the poker scene by winning three bracelets at the 1993 World Series of Poker, then made a triumphant return in 2004 with two more bracelets at the WSOP.

Then, guess what, Forrest came back 10 years later and won his sixth career bracelet at the WSOP in 2004. Forrest’s style of play — always calling for a raise pre-fold in Texas No Limit Hold ‘Em — has come under some scrutiny over the years, as has Forrest himself.

In 2016, Forrest was arrested on two felony counts of trying to pass bad checks in Las Vegas.

27. T.J. Cloutier

Poker star T.J. Cloutier. Isaac Brekken / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 13, 1939

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1985 WSOP Main Event (runner-up), 2000 WSOP Main Event (runner-up), Poker Hall of Fame (2006)

Earnings: $10.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (1987, 1994, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005)

T.J. Cloutier envisioned a much different career as a two-sport star at Cal Berkeley who played football and baseball. He even played in the 1959 Rose Bowl against Iowa.

Cloutier had to leave college because of financial hardships and went to the Canadian Football League, where he played for the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes before injuries.

Cloutier learned to play poker working in the Texas oil fields and became so good at it that he turned pro, finishing as runner-up in two World Series of Poker Main Event tables in 1985 and 2000.

26. Johnny Hennigan

Poker star Johnny Hennigan. wsop / Twitter

Born: Aug. 10, 1970

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2002 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. (champion), 2014 WSOP Poker Players Championship (champion), 2018 WSOP Poker Players Championship (runner-up)

Earnings: $8.5 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (2002, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)

Philadelphia native Johnny Hennigan has been a poker star for almost two decades and is a throwback Johnny Moss-type player who garners an incredible amount of respect from his competitors.

Hennigan’s six World Series of Poker bracelets stack up against the very best in the game, and he’s also won a title in the World Series of Poker.

His nickname — “Johnny World” — comes from the fact that Hennigan is said to be willing to bet on anything in the world. Which is some pretty all-encompassing action.

25. Jennifer Harman

Jennifer Harman signs autographs. Joe Cavaretta / AP Photo

Born: November 29, 1964

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2000 WSOP No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw (champion), 2002 WSOP Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2015)

Earnings: $2.5 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 2 (2000, 2002)

Nevada native Jennifer Harman is one of three women to have won multiple bracelets at World Series of Poker events.

She’s also the only woman to have ever been a regular player in Bellagio’s “Big Game” that features some of the best poker players in the world.

Harman’s career in poker had to be put on hold just when it was starting to pick up steam when she had her second kidney transplant in 2004. Harman has become an advocate for kidney transplant research since then and has a huge role as an advocate for the Nevada Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals.

24. Barry Greenstein

Poker star Barry Greenstein. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 30, 1954

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2004 WSOP No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw (champion), 2005 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2011)

Earnings: $8.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (2004, 2005, 2008)

Barry Greenstein is known as “The Robin Hood of Poker” for donating chunks of his earnings to charities.

Greenstein was a doctoral candidate in mathematics before he decided to turn his attention to professional poker, and his biggest wins have come in three bracelets at the World Series of Poker and two wins on the World Poker Tour.

Greenstein’s fame has far surpassed his actual success as a player, in no small part thanks to his gracious personality and appearance on a myriad of television shows.

23. Billy Baxter

Poker player Barry Baxter. Eric Jamison / AP Photo

Born: 1940 (exact date unknown)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1975 WSOP Deuce to Seven Draw (champion), 2002 WSOP Razz (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2006),

Earnings: $2.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 7 (1975, 1978, 1982, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2002)

Billy Baxter’s career is pretty amazing, even though he’s never won a Main Event at the World Series of Poker. He’s still won seven bracelets there, but Baxter’s greatest impact on the game has come off the felt — he was the person who staked Stu Ungar in the 1997 WSOP Main Event that Ungar ended up winning.

He’s also the source of untold extra millions for poker players after he sued the U.S. government and won over how poker winnings were taxed — going from a 70 percent tax rate on “unearned income” to “earned income” rate, meaning you could actually declare “professional poker player” as your occupation on your taxes.

22. Dewey Tomko

Poker player Dewey Tomko. PokerStars / YouTube

Born: Dec. 31, 1946

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1979 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), 1984 WSOP Deuce-to-Seven Draw (champion)

Earnings: $3.5 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (1979, 1984, 1984)

Dewey Tomko began making money playing poker when he was just 16 years old, hustling for cash in pool halls in his hometown of Pittsburgh.

That money allowed him to pay for his education and become a kindergarten teacher, but the draw of the card table (and the money) pulled him away from the classroom and into card-playing fame.

Tomko’s biggest claim to fame is finishing as the runner-up in the World Series of Poker main event twice, including Jack Straus’ amazing comeback in 1982.

21. Scotty Nguyen

Poker star Scotty Nguyen. Isaac Brekken / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 28, 1962

Native country: Vietnam

Career highlights: 1998 WSOP Main Event (champion), 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. World Championship (champion), 2006 WPT World Poker Open (champion)

Earnings: $12.6 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (1997, 1998, 2001, 2001, 2008)

Scotty Nguyen immigrated to the United States from Vietnam when he was just a teenager, and became a dealer at Harrah’s Casino, learning to play poker on $3-$6 tables after his shifts were over.

Invited to deal at a high-roller tournament in Lake Tahoe in 1985, Nguyen made his name by turning a meager bankroll there into $7,000, then returning to Las Vegas and turning that into $1 million in rapid fashion.

Despite winning the WSOP Main Event in 1998, Nguyen’s behavior has long overshadowed his play, which he blames on various addictions to drugs and alcohol.

20. Dan Harrington

Dan Harrington won both of his World Series of Poker bracelets in 1995. Eric Jamison / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 6, 1945

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1995 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1995 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2010)

Earnings: $6.3 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 2 (1995, 1995)

Dan Harrington is one of just six players to win a World Series of Poker Main Event title and a World Poker Tour title.

Known for his conservative style of play, Harrington has ended up on the final table at the WSOP Main Event four times, including facing near-impossible odds to do so in 2003 and 2004. Harrington is a Boston native known for wearing gaudy, green Red Sox caps, and is also a champion backgammon and chess player.

The most famous games Harrington played in arguably came way before his poker riches, when he became pals with a Harvard undergrad in the mid-1970s who was also an avid poker player — Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

19. Jack Straus

Jack Straus won the 1982 World Series of Poker Main Event. nickschulman / Twitter

Born: June 16, 1930

Died: Aug. 17, 1988 (58 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1982 World Series of Poker Main Event (champion), 1972 WSOP Main Event (fourth place), Poker Hall of Fame (1988)

Earnings: $750,000

World Series of Poker bracelets: 2 (1973, 1982)

Jack Straus was nicknamed “Treetop” because he was 6-foot-6. He also was a giant in the game of poker.

Straus engineered what’s been called the greatest bluff in Texas Hold ‘Em history when he won a game after being dealt a 7-2 offsuit, which is the worst hand you can be dealt. Straus cemented his legend in 1982 and was the origin for the phrase “a chip and a chair” when he came back to win the World Series of Poker Main Event.

After thinking he’d lost all his money and was out of the tournament, Straus found one last $500 chip underneath a napkin.

18. Men Nguyen

Poker star Men Nguyen. WPT / Twitter

Born: 1954 (exact date unknown)

Native country: Vietnam

Career highlights: 1992 WSOP Seven-Card Stud (champion), 1995 WSOP Limit Texas Hold ‘Em (champion), 2010 WSOP Seven-Card Stud (champion),

Earnings: $11.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 7 (1992, 1995, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2003, 2010)

Vietnamese immigrant Men “The Master” Nguyen spent the first two decades of his life trying to escape communist rule in his home country. He didn’t receive political asylum in the United States until 1978 and didn’t play poker for the first time until 1984, when he was 30 years old.

It’s scary to think what Men could have done if he started playing earlier, and awe-inspiring to see what he’s done since — 95 tournament titles, 475 money finishes and seven coveted World Series of Poker bracelets.

The four-time Card Player Magazine Player of the Year has been at his best in Seven-Card Stud, an event he’s won three times at the WSOP.

17. Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo has won over $50 million. royaletriple7 / Twitter

Born: Sept. 30, 1985

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2014 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em Six-Handed (champion), 2018 WSOP Heads Up No Limit Hold ‘Em Championship (champion), 2018 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em Big One for One Drop (champion)

Earnings: $62.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (2014, 2018, 2018)

Las Vegas native Justin Bonomo has the second-highest winnings total in poker history behind just Bryn Kenney, although his bona fides are burnished with three World Series of Poker bracelets.

Bonomo’s signature win came at the 2018 World Series of Poker, where he cashed out for $10 million as the winner of the Big One for One Drop event.

Bonomo’s reputation has taken a bit of a hit in the poker world as he’s been caught cheating several times in online tournaments, where he was found to have multiple entries at once.

16. Daniel Colman

Poker star Daniel Colman. pokerstars / Twitter

Born: July 11, 1990

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2014 WSOP The Big One for One Drop (champion), All In Magazine Player of the Year (2014), Bluff Magazine Player of the Year (2014), Card Player Magazine Player of the Year (2014)

Earnings: $28.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2014)

Daniel Colman made his name winning big online in 2013, becoming the first player to win $1 million in online poker tournaments in a single year — Colman actually did it in nine months.

In 2014, Colman put together arguably the greatest single year for a poker player in history. That’s when he won approximately $3 million in a pair of European Poker Tour events, $1.4 million at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, then capped things off with a $15.3 million win at the World Series of Poker’s Big One for One Drop — the second-largest payout in history.

15. Joe Cada

Poker player Joe Cada. John Locher / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 18, 1987

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2009 WSOP Main Event (champion), 2014 WSOP No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Six Handed (champion), 2018 WSOP Closer No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion)

Earnings: $14.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (2009, 2014, 2018, 2018)

Michigan native Joe Cada won a staggering $8.5 million at the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2009, at just 21 years old.

Cada is an interesting case study in how the younger generation has learned to play poker. He started playing online for money when he was just 16 years old and has become as synonymous with online poker as he is with playing in actual tournaments.

One look at Cada’s background gives some great insight into his success. His mother, Ann, was a blackjack dealer in a Detroit-area casino.

14. Amarillo Slim

Legendary poker player Amarillo Slim. AP Photo

Born: Dec. 31, 1928

Died: April 29, 2012 (83 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1972 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1974 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (1992)

Earnings: $595,833

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (1972, 1974, 1985, 1990)

Thomas Austin Preston Jr. gained worldwide recognition as a poker player under the name “Amarillo Slim” — and gained a reputation as a player good enough and famous enough that he played games with Larry Flynt and two presidents, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

But Slim’s life outside of the game has one disturbing incident that can’t be overlooked. In 2003, he was indicted on three counts of sexual indecency with his 12-year-old granddaughter and later pled guilty to four misdemeanor assault charges.

13. Huck Seed

Poker player Huck Seed, right. Lennox McLendon / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 15, 1969

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1996 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1999 WSOP Main Event (sixth place) 2009 NBC Heads Up Poker Championship (champion).

Earnings: $6.2 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (1994, 1996, 2000, 2003)

Huckleberry “Huck” Seed is one of the most colorful figures in gambling history. For all intents and purposes, he was the Dennis Rodman of poker in the 1990s.

Seed even played college basketball for Caltech, a school known for its insane academic credentials and for being one of the worst college basketball programs ever, on any level.

His biggest win was the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1996, but he’s known for a series of prop bets that include not shaving for a year and breaking 100 on a desert golf course using just a five-iron, sand wedge and a putter.

12. Vanessa Selbst

Poker star Vanessa Selbst, right. Eric Jamison / AP Photo

Born: July 9, 1984

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2008 WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha (champion), 2012 WSOP 10-Game Six-Handed (champion), 2014 WSOP Mixed-Max No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion)

Earnings: $11.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (2008, 2012, 2014)

There has never been a poker player like Vanessa Selbst — a Yale graduate with a law degree (also from Yale) who was once on a Fulbright scholarship to Spain.

Selbst is the only woman to ever reach No. 1 on the Global Poker Index and is also the only woman to ever win three World Series of Poker bracelets in open events. She’s also the only woman ever invited to play in a Super High Roller event.

Along with her poker career, she’s currently an associate for an investment management firm and a well-known advocate for LGBTQ rights.

11. Walter “Puggy” Pearson

Poker legend Puggy Pearson, center. AP Photo

Born: Jan. 29, 1929

Died: April 12, 2006 (77 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1973 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1971 WSOP Limit Seven-Card Stud (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (1987)

Earnings: $232,740

World Series of Poker bracelets: 4 (1971, 1973, 1973, 1973)

Walter “Puggy” Pearson got his nickname for a childhood accident that disfigured his nose. He dropped out of school after the fifth grade and became an ace poker player during a stint in the U.S. Navy.

Puggy’s reputation was as a gambler that wanted action anytime, anywhere, “provided I like it,” he always said. And he is credited with helping create the World Series of Poker, along with a core group of other legendary players who wanted to create a “freezeout” tournament that was played outside of their usual cash games.

10. Chip Reese

Poker player Chip Reese. David Farias / YouTube

Born: March 28, 1951

Died: Dec. 4, 2007 (56 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1978 WSOP Seven-Card Stud Split (champion), 2006 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. World Championship (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (1991)

Earnings: $3.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 3 (1978, 1982, 2006)

David “Chip” Reese was one of a kind. He played college football at Dartmouth and was on his way to law school at Stanford when a trip to Las Vegas sidelined his legal career because he won so much money.

Reese is often considered the greatest cash game player of all time and also had a tremendous amount of success betting on sports.

Reese died in his sleep at his Las Vegas home in 2007, just one year after winning his final World Series of Poker bracelet in a game of H.O.R.S.E. that paid out $1.7 million.

9. Erik Seidel

Poker star Erik Seidel, center. Eric Jamison / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 6, 1959

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1988 WSOP Main Event (runner-up), 2005 WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2010)

Earnings: $43.5 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 8 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007)

Erik Seidel is one of the richest — and greatest — poker players of all time. But it’s tough for hardcore fans to forget his final hand at the 1988 World Series of Poker Main Event.

The hand, featured in the film “Rounders”, became known for Seidel losing to Johnny Chan simply because Chan pulled off an Oscar-worthy acting performance.

Here’s what we should remember most about Seidel. He’s made over $5 million three different years throughout his career, and he’s won WSOP bracelets in three different events.

8. Bryn Kenney

Poker star Bryn Kenney. BrynKenney / Twitter

Born: Nov. 1, 1986

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2014 WSOP 10-Game Mix Six Handed (champion), 2019 No-Limit Hold ‘Em Charity Event (runner-up), 2016 PokerStars Super High Roller Event (champion)

Earnings: $57.5 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 1 (2014)

New York native Bryn Kenney started making money on the East Coast Poker Tour in 2007, but really came up in the poker world starting in 2014.

Since then, he’s reeled off six seven-figure paydays as a full-time player, but he’s most well-known for what happened in 2019 playing No-Limit Hold ‘Em at the Triton Million for Charity Event in London.

That’s when Kenney cashed in with a $20.5 million payday as the event’s runner-up. That pushed Kenney into first place in career earnings — past the $55 million mark at just 32 years old.

7. Daniel Negreanu

Poker star Daniel Negreanu. John Locher / AP Photo

Born: July 26, 1974

Native country: Canada

Career highlights: WSOP Player of the Year (2004), WSOP Player of the Year (2013), Poker Hall of Fame (2014)

Earnings: $49.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 6 (1998, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2014)

Daniel Negreanu is the only player in history to be named World Series of Poker Player of the Year twice. Negreanu’s career winnings are massive — third on the all-time list — but his impact on the game goes way beyond his winnings.

Negreanu’s rise in the poker world came in the early 2000s, and he found a way to translate that success into pop culture, which isn’t the easiest thing in the poker world (see: Phil Hellmuth).

But it led to a massive amount of publicity for Negreanu, even appearing in a movie in the X-Men franchise at one point.

6. Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is one of the greatest poker players of all time. Joe Cavaretta / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 1, 1977

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 2000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion), 2005 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2017)

Earnings: $29.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 10 (2000, 2002, 2002, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014)

Phil Ivey, along with being one of the greatest poker players of all time, has some of the greatest nicknames in the history of sports.

First, there’s “No Home Jerome” — the nickname he got for using a fake ID to play poker in Atlantic City casinos as a teenager.

Then there’s “The Tiger Woods of Poker” — the nickname he got for being a breakthrough, African-American star in poker.

Then finally there’s “The Phenom” — the nickname he got after he won three bracelets at the 2002 World Series of Poker and became the first player to beat Amarillo Slim in a heads-up game.

5. Johnny Chan

Poker star Johnny Chan. Jae C. Hong / AP Photo

Born: 1957 (exact date unknown)

Native country: China

Career highlights: 1987 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1988 WSOP Main Event (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2002)

Earnings: $7.4 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 10 (1985, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2005)

Johnny Chan is the last player to win back-to-back World Series of Poker Main Event titles and is tied for second on the all-time list with 10 WSOP bracelets, behind just Phil Hellmuth.

One area that Chan has Hellmuth beat in is likeability. For some reason, he’s found himself in the orbit of some major celebrities throughout his career, first as a close pal of late Los Angeles Lakers owner and poker aficionado Jerry Buss in the 1980s, then in the 1990s when he was featured in the film “Rounders” starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.

4. Doyle Brunson

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson. Isaac Brekken / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 10, 1933

Died: May 14, 2023 (89 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1976 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1977 WSOP Main Event (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (1988)

Earnings: $5.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 10 (1976, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1991, 1998, 2003, 2005)

Doyle Brunson played professional poker for over 50 years and is probably the most recognized player in the history of the game.

Brunson was the first player to win $1 million playing in tournaments and won back-to-back World Series of Poker Main Event titles in 1976 and 1977. Perhaps his biggest contribution to the game was his 1979 book “Super/System,” which is largely credited as making poker and the way it’s played by professionals accessible to the public for the first time.

It also was a touchpoint for professional poker players who have come up in the last 40 years. Brunson died in May 2023, at 89 years old.

3. Phil Hellmuth

Poker player Phil Hellmuth. Laura Rauch / AP Photo

Born: July 16, 1964

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1989 World Series of Poker Main Event (champion), 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event Europe (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (2007)

Earnings: $22.7 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 15 (1989, 1992, 1993, 1993, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2012, 2015, 2018)

Phil Hellmuth owns a record 15 World Series of Poker bracelets.

His first one came when he won the WSOP Main Event in 1989 at just 24 years old, becoming the youngest Main Event winner in WSOP history. In 1993, Hellmuth became the first player since 1973 to win three bracelets in one year, matching Puggy Pearson’s record.

Hellmuth’s personality has been as much of a focus as his play at different times, most notably an incident on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and at the 2008 WSOP, when he berated another player to the point of receiving a one-round penalty.

2. Stu Ungar

Stu Ungar in 1997. Lennox McLendon / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 8, 1953

Died: Nov. 22, 1998 (45 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1980 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1981 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1997 WSOP Main Event (champion)

Earnings: $3.1 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 5 (1980, 1981, 1981, 1983, 1997)

Stu Ungar was slight, at just 5-foot-4 and 120 pounds, but he was a giant in the gambling world.

Ungar grew up with a loan shark father who owned a New York City bar and is one of just three people to ever win the World Series of Poker Main Event three times. He’s also one of just four people to win back-to-back Main Event titles and won Amarillo Slim’s prestigious Super Bowl of Poker three times.

Ungar, who collapsed his nasal cavity multiple times snorting cocaine, died destitute in a sleazy Las Vegas hotel in 1998, despite having won an estimated $30 million gambling in his lifetime.

1. Johnny Moss

Legendary poker player Johnny Moss. pokernews / Twitter

Born: May 14, 1907

Died: Dec. 16, 1995 (88 years old)

Native country: United States

Career highlights: 1970 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1971 WSOP Main Event (champion), 1976 WSOP Main Event (champion), Poker Hall of Fame (1979)

Earnings: $1.25 million

World Series of Poker bracelets: 9 (1970, 1971, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1988)

The story of poker can’t be told without telling the story of Johnny Moss, a Dallas native who was already being hired by saloons to spot poker cheats when he was just a teenager. Moss won three World Series of Poker Main Event titles and was one of the inaugural members of the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.

He was most famous for a game that may or may not have happened, however, when he supposedly took up to $4 million from Nick “The Greek” Dandolos in a lengthy, heads-up game in Las Vegas, which ended when The Greek stood up from the table and said the immortal line: “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”

Moss’ autobiography was titled the “Champion of Champions,” a fitting title for the gambling legend.