A List Of Professional Poker Players Who Have Succeeded In Making Poker Playing A full-Time Job

Over the past decade, poker has gained much attention due to its recognition as a sport rather than a game. A large number of online poker sites, media coverage, and the sponsored deals project an exceptional image of World Series of Poker (WSOP) over a globe. A lot of professional players has earned a good name for themselves. In the United States, Benny Binion founded the Poker Hall of Fame which is the hall of fame dedicated for the most renowned and professional poker players. He is the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, which is the world’s largest legacy and a tourist attraction. Here in this article, we have listed some of the professional poker players who not only got fame and success, but made poker as a full-time job for themselves.

The New and Improved Texas Holdem

Phil Hellmuth – Won 15 WSOP Bracelets

Phillip Jerome Hellmuth Jr. is an American professional poker player born on July 16th, 1964. He won a record fifteen World Series of Poker bracelets which is a massive achievement in Phil’s life that made him the greatest poker player worldwide. He is also the winner of Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Main Event of the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE). He is named as “poker brat” for his temperamental personality.

Top 3 largest Tournament Wins

Year Tournament Name Winnings
1989 $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship $755,000
2006 $1,000 No Limit Hold’em with rebuys $631,863
2018 $5,000 No Limit Hold’em $485,082

The New and Improved Texas Holdem

Daniel Negreanu –Won 6 WSOP Bracelets and 2 WPT Championship Titles

Daniel Negreanu with the nickname “Kid Poker “was born on July 26th, 1974. He is amongst the famous poker players and made a good reputation for himself. He was named as the player of decade from 2004-2013, clearly a powerhouse of poker. Currently, he holds six WSOP bracelets, cashed for 108 times, made 38 final tables, and got 11th place for winning the events ‘Big One for One Drop’ at the 2014 WSOP. He is the only player who won the World Series bracelets in Las Vegas, Europe, and Australia.

Top 3 largest Tournament Wins

Year Tournament Name Winnings
2014 $1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – The Big One for One Drop WSOP $8,288,001
2018 $300,000 No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Bowl $3,000,000
2004 $15,000 + 300 No Limit Hold’em Five-Diamond World Poker Classic $1,770,218

Doyle Brunson –Two-time Champion at WSOP’s Main Event

Doyle F. Brunson was born on August 10th, 1933. He is a retired American poker player and has experience of over 50 years. He also wrote several books on poker. Doyle is a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion and a Poker Hall of Fame inductee. He was the first player who won $1 million in poker tournaments. He also holds ten WSOP bracelets, won the Main Event at the World Series of Poker many times from 1976 to 1977. He won WSOP tournaments in four consecutive years. He was titled as the most influential force in the world of poker in the Bluff Magazine.

Top 3 largest Tournament Wins
Year Tournament Name Winnings
2005 $5,000 No Limit Shorthanded Texas Hold’em (6 players per table) $367,800
1977 $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship $340,000
1976 $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship $230,000