Online poker is one of those games that attract the best players in the casino. It’s a skill-based game that pits players against each other instead of the house. Poker tournaments also offer rewards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In short, the game is a magnet for skilled and wealthy casino players.
So, who are some of these wealthy players? To satisfy your curiosity, here is the list of the richest poker players in and their net worth. But always remember that these players didn’t necessarily make their wealth from playing poker. They play for fun.
Dan Bilzerian is an American actor, venture capitalist, and, of course, casino poker player. The man has a massive social media following with 30 million followers on Instagram. Dan’s professional poker career began in 2009 when he was just 29. He participated in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 108 with a $36,000+ prize. But Dan has also won more than $12 million in one event. After this win, he immediately hired a jet to celebrate in Mexico.
Nicknamed the “Tiger Woods of Poker,” Phil Ivey is a decorated American professional poker player with a $100 million net worth. He is an eight-time winner of the competitive World Series of Poker. This no-nonsense poker player has also won the prestigious World Poker Tour. To date, Phil has generated more than $19.5 million from live poker tournaments. He also finished seventh and won $12,538 in the European Poker Masters.
Sammy Farha is a Lebanese professional poker player with a $100 net worth. Born in 1959, Farha quit his job in 1990 to carve out a career in professional poker. He has participated numerous times in the World Series of Poker, winning $1.3 million in 2003 after coming second. He also has three Omaha bracelets. As of 2010, Farha’s earnings from live poker tournaments were more than $3 million. Due to his poker prowess, he has several nicknames, including Mr. Cool.
Born in 1963, Chris Ferguson is an American film producer and professional poker player. Currently, Ferguson boasts five WSOP bracelets and more than 60 money finishes. In fact, he is the only poker player to win three WSOP circuits. But his career was dogged with controversies. Tilt Poker, an online poker company where he served as director, was accused of fraudulently taking money from players. The US Department of Justice claimed that this company was more of a Ponzi scheme.
Doyle Brunson is widely considered the American ‘godfather’ of poker. Mr. Doyle, currently retired, has over 50 years of experience of playing poker. As a result, he is a Poker Hall of Fame member. That said, the 88-year-old is a winner of 10 WSOP tournaments and a two-time WSOP Main Event champ. That’s not all. Brunson is the first poker player to get $1 million from a live contest. He retired in the summer of 2018 after finishing sixth in the 2018 WSOP, earning $46,963.
Born in 1974, Daniel Negreanu is a famous Canadian actor, writer, and professional poker player. Daniel discovered his love for gambling when he was just a teenager. He used to hang around pool halls where he would bet on sports and play poker. In 1997, he was named the best all-around poker player at the World Poker Final, winning $55,064. A year later, he played his first WSOP event, winning $164,460 in the competitive $2,000 limit Hold’em. Negreanu has six WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour championships.
Bryn Kennedy is one of the most decorated professional poker circuit players. This player had a net worth of $56 million as of September last year. He is one of those few players who amassed more of their fortunes from playing poker. As a young man, he had a passion for playing poker and participated in the East Coast Poker Championships at age 21. In July 2014, he collected his first WSOP bracelet, winning $153,000 in the process. In 2016, he played Joe McKeehen, the 2015 Main Event winner. Kennedy floored the champ, earning over $1.6 million.
Born in New York City in 1959, Erik Seidel is a professional poker player with a net worth of around $41.9 million. Interestingly, he dropped out of school to create a career in backgammon and low-limit poker. As it stands, Erik has won nine WSOP bracelets and a single World Poker Tour championship. In addition, he was inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.
