Not everyone who sits down at a poker table or logs in to an online poker room is destined to be one of the richest poker players ever. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t room on the list of the most successful and wealthy poker players for some new blood. Many of the extremely rich players on this list began playing at a very early age, but that may be the end of what they have in common. Read on to find out more about some of the richest poker players in the world.
Top Ten Richest Poker Players
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Anthony Esfandiari
With an estimated net worth of $27 million, the tenth richest poker player as of 2021 is Antonio Esfandiari. He has become famous for his elaborate chip tricks and was once the face of UltimatePoker.com. He is well-known for being a skilled magician and an excellent poker player. As of 2017, he was still a professional magician, but has made a career out of his poker skills.
He has won an impressive 3 WSOP bracelets and 3 WPT titles during his career. The largest pot he ever won was upwards of $18 million. His wife, Amal Bounahra, is a Belize resident. She is an accomplished chef, and she nearly enrolled in culinary school. Her mother, who is a chef, is the daughter of a prominent businessman.
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Tony G
Although most people know him from his appearances on television, few people know the real Tony G. Born in Lithuania in 1973, Antanas Guoga is a poker pro and philanthropist. He is a former member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Movement party and the European People’s Party. His antics at the table have drawn the attention of fans and producers alike. In 2004, he began appearing on television in his role as a commentator for a televised poker event.
In 2008, he won $190,056 from the World Series of Poker. He then competed in the $40,000 No-Limit Hold’em – 40th Anniversary tournament at the World Series of Poker. He placed 10th, earning $172,120 USD. He made another big comeback on the poker felt in 2018. His most recent appearance was at the EUR250,000 Super High Roller tournament in Rozvadov, where he finished fourth. His winnings from the tournament were over $900,000. Though Tony G has certainly increased his estimated $36 million wealth through his actions at the poker table, the majority of his income has come from his business dealings.
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Justin Bonomo
When he turned professional in 2006, poker players were shocked to see a young man ranked 30th at the $10K Main Event of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In that same tournament, Bonomo won a cool $15,600. Since he was underage in the US, finding legal live games was not easy, but he overcame these difficulties by moving to Europe, where he has since gained a reputation as one of the best players in the world.
In 2012, Bonomo became the youngest world poker tournament winner ever, earning $2,167,588 in cash. Later that year, he went on to win the World Series of Poker Bracelet, bringing home $449,980. Currently, he competes in various WPT events, and it is estimated that he is currently worth $49 million. Despite his success, Bonomo still prefers to live a quiet life in Las Vegas.
As a poker player, Bonomo also has a busy social life. He writes two blogs a month. One blog is about his experiences playing in a live poker tournament, and the other is a commentary on sexism in the poker world.
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Daniel Negreanu
Poker pro Daniel Negreanu grew up in Toronto, Ontario. His parents had immigrated from Romania and both worked as electricians and sold confectionery. As a child, he frequented a pool hall where he learned how to play poker. He soon became addicted to the game and dropped out of school to devote himself to it full-time. As a teen, Negreanu played against adults in charity casinos and gambling halls and won against people twice his age.
Negreanu moved to Las Vegas in 1996 and began to make a name for himself in poker. He was named the best all-around player at the 1997 World Series of Poker and later entered the World Series of Games. There, he won a $2,000-Pot-Limit Hold’em event. This win made him the top poker player in the world. His success led to numerous awards, and in 2002, he became the first Brazilian to win a bracelet.
Despite his young age, the man has already made his name in the poker world. He has appeared on television shows and has written a chapter in the book by Doyle Brunson, Super System 2. In 2008, he released a book called Hold’em Wisdom For All Players, which became a must-read for gambling enthusiasts. Through his work at the table and his auxiliary work promoting poker he has amassed a wealth of $50 million.
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Bryn Kenney
This young American is a regular on the super-high roller circuit. Born November 1, 1986, Bryn Kenney lives in Long Beach, New York. As the eldest of five siblings, Bryn has always put his family first, and often bets on friends and associates. He has won more than 100 tournaments and is currently one of the top players in the world.
Although he began playing Magic: The Gathering when he was a child, Bryn eventually decided to focus on poker full time. His brash demeanor is known to rub opponents the wrong way. While the public may see him as cocky, Bryn Kenney has proven himself to be a smart and determined poker player.
In his first recorded cash in a PocketFives tournament, Bryn Kenney wiped out a field of 278 other players and took a larger slice of their net worth. In recent months, Bryn Kenney has made more than $56 million in live tournaments, surpassing the net worth of many other players on this list.
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Doyle Brunson (The original Richest Poker Players)
In 1959, young Doyle Brunson started playing poker, beginning with five-card draw games. A knee injury prompted him to pursue the game seriously. The following year, he won more than a month’s salary in a seven-card stud tournament. His enthusiasm for the game grew, and he quit his sales job to become a full-time poker pro.
Bruson became one of the first truly famous poker players, partly because he won a total of 10 WSOP bracelets and has taken the top prize in the Main Event twice. Today, at 88 years old, he is one of the world’s highest-paid professional poker players with a net worth of $75 million. Part of this wealth certainly came from his poker winnings, but the majority has come from the sale of his very well-known book Super System. Brunson has also made money licensing his name and image to casinos all over the world.
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Chris Ferguson
Christopher “Chris” Ferguson is an American poker professional. He has won six World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event. He also has won the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Championship. A computer scientist by training, Ferguson has won the WSOP six times.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Ferguson played poker on IRC for several years, practicing his skills and perfecting his game. In 1994, he entered his first World Series of Poker tournament, finishing second to Ted Forrest. In 2000, Ferguson beat T. J. Cloutier and took home $1.5 million in the main event. In 2004, he finished 26th in the WSOP main event. His name is well-known to fans and other players because he helped launch Full Tilt Poker.
Aside from playing poker with cards, Chris has earned himself a spot in the record books by throwing cards at a high rate of speed. In fact, he has been known to throw cards at such a speed that they can cut fruit and make a fruit salad. Currently, he is estimated to be worth $80 million.
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Sam Farha
Ihsan “Sam” Farha is a Lebanese professional poker player. He finished second in the 2003 World Series of Poker main event and has won three WSOP bracelets during his career. In addition to winning many poker tournaments, he is also a part-time television personality. He is one of the most popular professional players in the world.
Farha left his job as a teenager to pursue his poker career. In the late 1980s, he had already entered several rounds of the World Series of Poker. His best finish was second place in the 2003 event, earning $1.3 million. He won three Omaha bracelets, winning them in 1996, 2006, and 2010 – all while playing in small tournaments. Today, he works as a spokesperson for Harrah’s Las Vegas casino and has written books on Omaha and other forms of poker. Through all of his efforts he has amassed a fortune of around $100 million.
Before becoming a world-class poker player, Sammy Farha was a poker player who was known for his good nature and great poker skills. He avoided controversy and made a point to fit in with his opponents. Recently Farha has put his playing career on hold and has not played in major tournaments since 2014.
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Phil Ivey
Poker pro Phil Ivey is a well-known name in the world of card games. His resume includes ten bracelets at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and one title on the World Poker Tour. He has also made nine final tables on the World Tournament of Hearts (WPT). Numerous poker observers consider him to be one of the best all-round players in the world. But who is this legendary player?
Many of his fans call him the “Tiger Woods of Poker.” His infamous nickname is the “No Home Jerome.” He played poker with his grandfather at a young age. Then, he moved to Atlantic City and used a fake ID to get into casinos there, where he developed his skills. Today, he has more than 100 million dollars to his name.
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Dan Bilzerian
The first time we heard the name Dan Bilzerian was in 2007, when he made a splash in the poker industry. Since then, his career has continued to grow. He began playing high-stakes games when he was just eight years old and has now graduated to ultra-high stakes games. He has played private games with multi-millionaires and is also known as “the suitcase guy.”
After dropping out of college, Bilzerian dedicated himself to the game full-time. He started off playing in low-stakes games and later graduated to ultra-high-stakes poker. In 2007, he traveled to Lake Tahoe with a $100k suitcase. While he was on vacation, he soon became known as the “suitcase guy” for arriving with a lot of money. He didn’t play in any tournaments and was content to play cash games. He was joined by his brother Adam Bilzerian, who plays poker professionally and often competes in the same events.
Unlike many of the other players on this list, Bizerian has earned the majority of his nearly $200 million bank roll by playing games both within the United States and internationally.
Becoming one of the richest poker players in the world takes hard work, dedication and some pretty ingenious skills. The men on this list may have been lucky once or twice, but more often than not they acquired their substantial wealth through skill and determination. Taking the time to know poker, and odds, and how to read people may just put your name next on this list of the richest poker players.