Over the years, there have been countless poker players that started off as casual part time lovers of the game that eventually decided to take it professionally. Their once hobby has now become their career, something that not everyone gets to do, do their hobby as a full time job.
Like many others, lots of professional casino or poker players started off by just playing casually on the weekend with friends to pass the time, however when some realised they were quite good at the game, they decided to take it professional to see if they could make a living out of it, with some being incredibly successful.
In this article we’ll be taking a look into some of the best poker players around, what they’ve won and how they got to where they are today.
Daniel Negreanu
You couldn’t start this list off without discussing Daniel Negreau first. Arguably the most famous poker player around, he’s also known as kid poker. Second in the all time tournament winnings, only behind Justin Bonomo, he’s managed to rack in over thirty nine million dollars.
With six WSOP bracelets and two world poker tour championships to his name, he’s one of the best to play the game and will be known for generations in the poker community as the one to look up to.
He’s even taken his first steps into other walks of life, appearing in Xmen Origins Wolverine and Katy Perry’s music video Waking up in Vegas, showing just how famous he is outside of poker.
Justin Bonomo
As mentioned above, Justin Bonomo holds the record for having the most winnings from poker tournaments around. He’s managed to bring in over a staggering forty four million dollars from prize winnings from various different tournaments and will take some stopping to get him off his throne.
With numerous titles to his name, with some tournaments taking home as much as ten million dollars, it’s no surprise he’s won so much as is classed as one of the best players to ever live.
Dan Smith
Dan Smith wasn’t always a professional poker player, at age 18 he was successful in getting a scholarship for chess and actually became a chess champion before turning his attention to poker. Since then, he’s won numerous titles throughout the years including a SWOP title.
This shows that other skills are extremely transferable into poker, and the ability to play chess professionally has no doubt helped him in his quest for titles in the world of poker. With a number of titles held in both poker and chess, it’s exciting to see if Dan decides to try his hand at a different game professionally and make it all the way to the top for a third time in a different environment.
Phil Ivey
The Tiger Woods of poker, that was the title often given to Phil Ivey as he battled his way throughout tournaments to reach poker titles. His love for poker was so strong at an early age, he often played using a fake ID before becoming old enough to participate legally.
Phil Ivey is one of the youngest ever winners of the WSOP at just twenty three years of age, showing just how much experience he had at such a young age. Then in 2002 he continued his rise to the top by winning a further three titles, just showing that his first wasn’t a fluke and he was the player to beat.
With over twenty five million dollars in winnings over the years, he’s regarded as one of the best poker players to have played.
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel, who also went by the nickname as Sly, was an incredible poker player who was at the top of the game between 1992 and 2007, winning a massive 8 titles along the way. Due to his popularity and poker skills, he has even featured in a number of poker books such as The Biggest Bluff showing just how much of an influence he had on the poker community during his time playing.
Before poker he was a stock trader, using this experience to rocket to the top of the world of poker and truly taking it by storm.
Poker is a game that’s enjoyed all over the world by people with vastly different skill levels. Whether you’re just playing casually with friends or looking to start out as a professional, there have been numerous different players who have gone from amateurs to professionals in a short period of time.
It’s proof that if you put in enough hard work and get enough experience, there’s a chance for anyone to make it to the top.
Who is your favourite professional poker player out of the players on this list?
