Top 10 All-Time Leading Poker Winners

As they are Impressive and their names have always been in the poker leaderboards, these players have not just taken poker as a game but as a career. Now we’ll look at some of their career highlights and earnings. 

Whether it’s for fun or wanting a career, you may want to answer the question: is poker legal in my state? So you won’t get caught in some monkey business or get into any trouble on legal matters.

Here are the top ten leading poker winners of all time:

1. Steve O’Dwyer

Steve has won $30 million as a tournament poker professional. His largest win was from the Super High Roller 8 Handed event at PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in 2015 with $1.9 million. In 2013, he also won $1.6 million at the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.

Steve got into poker after watching Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). 

2. Justin Bonomo

Justin is from Virginia and started his poker career at 16 when he turned his $500 deposit into $10,000 at Paradise Poker. 2018 was the year when he was at the peak of his game, as he won $5 million at the Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas. Although months after that, he won $10 million at the 2018 Big One for One Drop in 2018.

The same year, he also won $5 million at the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl China in Macau. Thus, his earnings went record-breaking in 2018 with $25 million alone.

3. Daniel Negreanu

Daniel is from Toronto and has already earned $42 million throughout his career. One of his career highlights was getting second place at 2014 Big One for One Drop and the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas. 

Being in poker for a decade, from 2004 to 2013, he also won the WSOP Player of the Year. 

4. Stephen Chidwick

Stephen is from Deal, Kent, England, and has already won $34 million. His largest earning was over $5.3 million, placing fourth in 2019 Triton Million. He had also played online back in his youth, where he played the WSOP Main Event and won 100+ WSOP packages in online satellites. 

But since he’s too young to enter the tournament legally, he brought a $1 million prize instead.

5. Fedor Holz

Fedor, from Germany, has already won over $32.5 million. He won nearly $5 million on the High Roller for One Drop tournament at the WSOP 2016. But his largest earning was $6 million at the Big One for One Drop at WSOP 2018, finishing second.

6. Jason Koon

Jason is from West Virginia and has already won $32 million. Early in his career, he won at the SCOOP tournament in 2009 with $302,000. He then focused on playing at high roller tournaments since they’re more profitable.

In 2018, he got his biggest prize at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro with $3.5 million. 

7. Erik Seidel

Erik is from New York and has already won nearly $38 million. He started making a name in 1988 when he won second place at the 1988 WSOP Main Event. In 2021, he had an impressive record in playing poker online at the Super MILLION$ High Roller event at the WSOP Online series, where he earned almost a million dollars.

8. Bryn Kenney

Bryan is also from New York and has already won overall $ 56.5 million in his career. His major wins include the 2019 Mega Crusher, where he went with three $1 million prizes within a few months.

But his largest win was at the 2019 Triton Million for Charity with over $20 million. 

9. Dan Smith

Dan is from New Jersey and won $36 million in tournaments. Being a chess prodigy, he has already shown the skills in intellectually stimulating games at six. He got burned out playing chess and discovered poker, which many of his colleagues also play in their spare time.

He has this nickname of ‘Cowboy Dan.’ Although he placed third at the 2019 Triton Million event with $8 million and 2018 Big One for One Drop with $4 million, he’s more likely to be playing with high rollers than any players.

10. David Peters

David is from Ohio and gained $34 million from his poker career. He’s a second-placer at the 2016 Super High Roller Series at the WPT National Philippines, where he earned his biggest cash. 

After watching Chris Moneymaker’s in 2003, he turned to online poker, earning $6.5 million overall.

Conclusion

These are the ten poker leaders who have made a name for themselves in the poker world. You, too, can become a renowned poker winner with the right effort.