Poker is a game for risk-takers and master strategists — it’s a game where you need to be able to keep your cool under pressure. Luck is a huge factor too, but if you want to win big bucks, you’ll need to possess unique skills and characteristics.
Many of the best poker players have gotten pretty damn rich out of playing the game at the highest levels. But who are the richest poker players in 2022?
Well, you could count the richest poker players as the ones with the highest net worth. But there’s a difference between getting rich from poker — including endorsement deals and so on — and being a high net worth individual who plays poker.
In this blog, we’ll talk about five of our favorite world-class poker players who came top at tournaments and high-stakes competitions. Want to find out who made our list? Read on!
5. Vanessa Selbst — poker winnings: $11 million+
Vanessa Selbst, a graduate of Yale Law School, MIT, and now an employee at a major global proprietary trading firm, is the highest-earning female poker player of all time. Selbst has won an impressive 3 WSOP bracelets in her career, and in terms of cash, she’s bagged $1.8million in a single event.
Although she’s now retired from professional poker, Selbst has secured her place in poker history and can be considered one of the richest poker players, having gained a place in the top 100 All Time Money List.
In her own writings, Selbst has talked about her natural ability in deductive reasoning and logic. These talents, plus her well-honed skillset, definitely came in handy when she turned to professional poker playing. Check out some of Selbst’s top poker tips for some inspiration on how to improve your game.
Photo credit: Joe Giron/www.pokerphotoarchive
4. Phil Ivey — poker winnings: $32 million+
When it comes to poker, Phil Ivey should top any list of the richest poker players in the industry. The fact that he’s won a staggering 10 WSOP bracelets shows that he’s one of the best players out there.
A fixture on the high-stakes and tournament circuits, he’s earned over $4 million in particular games, and his total net worth is thought to exceed $100 million. Ivey was named the WSOP Poker Player of the Year in 2005 and 2009, respectively.
Ivey might seem like less of a ‘big character’ compared with some famous poker players, but that doesn’t mean he keeps his knowledge to himself. In fact, he’s created a MasterClass series on poker strategy to help improve your game.
3. Justin Bonomo — poker winnings: $56 million+
Justin Bonomo, AKA “ZeeJustin,” became one of the richest poker players in 2018, winning two WSOP bracelets and earning a massive $10 million at the $1 million Big One for One Drop event. He got his start playing Magic: the Gathering competitively before successfully making the switch to poker.
Bonomo has been a fixture on the professional poker scene since 2005 — famously he was the first teenager to appear on a televised poker event. He’s not only won 3 WSOP bracelets and 55 money finishes but he’s also won at many high-stakes poker events across the globe. At the Triton Super High Roller Series in London, 2019, he won over $3 million at the Short Deck Hold’em main event.
There’s some exceptional analysis of Bonomo’s playing style out there, including this great video that breaks down his biggest tournament win.
Photo credit: (c)Stacha Tomas www.poker-photo.eu
2. Daniel Negreanu — poker winnings: $43 million+
Daniel Negreanu has been playing professional poker since the age of 21 and since then, the Canadian-born poker star has more than earned his stripes at various competitions. He’s also made some serious cash along the way, making him top many industry lists of the richest poker players in the world.
Negreanu’s managed to bag 6 WSOP bracelets since he started playing professionally, and he’s had 108 money finishes. One of his biggest wins to date was at the 2014 WSOP, where he won 2nd place and a staggering $8.2 million.
Want to become a poker expert? Negreanu has penned books like Power Hold’em Strategy, to give you insight into the strategies of one of the best poker players in the world.
Photo credit: Joe Giron/www.pokerphotoarchive
1. Bryn Kenney — poker winnings: $56 million+
New York-born Bryn Kenney has earned over $56 million from live poker tournaments. Kenney has been playing at tournaments since 2007 but his 2019 3rd place win of $20.5 million at the Triton Million in London helped catapult him to the top of the Hendon Mob’s All-Timey Money List.
He’s earned his spot as one of the best poker players in the US, gaining a WSOP (World Series of Poker) bracelet in 2014 and achieving 32 (money) finishes.
Want to learn how to bluff like Bryn? Listen to this podcast, where he discusses his expert techniques with the Economist after his big win in 2019.
Photo credit: Joe Giron/www.pokerphotoarchive
Other famous poker players we missed
Is this a definitive list? Heck no! These are our favorite picks of the richest poker players out there. There are also more famous poker players, with a higher net worth than some of the players on our list.
But while famous poker players like Dan Bilzerian and Tony G are wealthy by anyone’s standards (with a net worth of $200 million and $36 million, respectively), the fact is their wealth most likely hasn’t come from playing the game at a professional level.
The players we picked have proved themselves as the best poker players time and time again. They’re regularly included in objective rankings like the Hendon Mob All Time Money List .
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