Poker requires an amount of skill and luck. Most top poker players embrace their knowledge and skills as the main reason for their success. It is very difficult to tell which poker player earns the most, because there is not much information available. But we did our best to rank the top 10 best earning poker players, based on their winning in live games, endorsements, appearances in movies and other sources of income.
Take look at the top 10 best earning poker players.
- Dan Bilzerian – $200 Million
Dan is highest earning poker player. He claims that the majority of his earnings came by winning high- stakes poker games. He is also an Instagram sensation and shares his luxury lifestyle with his fans. Most people doubt that most of his money is generated through trust funds and his lucrative social media presence. Dan Bilzerian claimed in 2014 that he won more than $50 million from poker. Although he had never won any major tournament, yet claims that his majority income comes from poker.
2. Phil Ivey – $100 Million
The American player Phil Ivey is considered as one of the biggest poker players. He has won 10 WSOP bracelets. Phil appeared in numerous mega events for instance the WPT. He has appeared in 9 final table events and managed to win 7 of them. In 2014 he won the Aussie Millions LK Boutique and secured $4 million Australian dollars. He is also one of the most successful online poker players. He has won a lot of high-stake cash games. He won around $16 million only in three days.
3. Chris Ferguson – $80 Million
Chris Ferguson is not the much popular poker player, he is in fact accused of a scam. He was accused for being involved in a Ponzi Scheme, that stole more than $450 million form different players. Later he came out with an apology, but it was too late.
Despite of all this, he is considered one of the greatest players. He bagged $1.5 million in the WSOP main event in 2000. Furthermore, he has also won $7 million with a live tournament.
4. Doyle Brunson – $75 Million
Brunson is considered as one of the most successful poker players. He set a record by winning 10 WSOP and two Main Events. He also played cash games in Bellagio and won numerous poker games. Brunson has won more than $6.5 million from live tournaments. It is still unclear how much he won from poker.
Some other sources income include his book “Super system”, which is best-selling poker strategy book and is considered the best poker book ever written.
5. Bryn Kenney – $56 Million
Bryn Kenney won only one WSOP bracelet. But he won money in more than 32 games. He is ranked number in the list of players who won the highest amount of money in tournaments. The American poker player, also known for winning the highest prize-winning award. Furthermore, he also won around 20.5 million in the Triton million charity event in London. He came second in that event but made a deal with the winner and secured this amount.
6. Daniel Negreanu – $50 Million
Negreanu is famous among poker players, because of his charming personality and skill set. He has six WSOP bracelets and is the only player who bagged two WSOP in a single year.
Overall, the prizes won by Negreanu in tournaments are worth $42 million, along with sponsorships. He also became the face of PokerStars. In 2019 he became ambassador of GGPoker.
7. Justin Bonomo – $50 Million
Next in our list is Justin Bonomo, who is famous for live and online tournaments. He bagged three WSOP bracelets and won 55 times at other events. Furthermore, Justin won many online events, for instance the Super Roller bowl Online in 2020. He won $10 million in 2018, in “Big One for One Drop”. This win made him number one in live poker, but later his record was broken by Bryn Kenney.
8. Antanas Guoga – $40 Million
Antanas Guoga A.K.A Tony G is one of the most outspoken players of poker. Not only is he a great poker player, he is also a politician in the European parliament and successful businessman. Although he had never won a single WSOP, he still won numerous other games. Including six figure prizes on multiple occasions. The majority of his wealth is generated through his business ventures.
9. Antonio Esfandiari – $27 Million
Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most famous players in poker industry. Formerly a magician, Esfandiari won two WSOP (World Series of Poker) Bracelets. Furthermore, Antonio won three WPT titles as well. His biggest win was in 2021, he won “Big One for One Drop” with a huge amount of $18 million.
10. Sam Farha – $10 Million
Last on our list of the top 10 best earning poker players is Sam Farha. He is a Lebanese poker player that won three WSOP bracelets. He is considered one of the greatest poker players and is famous for the high-stakes Omaha cash game. Many people recognize him from the game he lost to Chris Moneymaker in 2003. After that he came back stronger and won many more mega events. His biggest win was $488,241 in the WSOP Omaha Hi-Low Split-8. Furthermore, he has also been features in TV and movies and earned a fortune through his books as well.
We hope that this top 10 list of the best earning poker players in the world gave you an interesting insight in the professional poker industry. Also learn more about the top 10 poker legends.
