Poker has produced legends from very different eras. Some built reputations in dangerous old-school cash games, others collected WSOP bracelets, and modern high rollers have pushed tournament earnings into territory earlier generations could barely imagine.
Any ranking of the best poker players of all time is subjective. Results matter, but so do longevity, versatility, cash-game skill, quality of competition, and influence outside one tournament series.
Who Are the Best Poker Players of All Time?
Poker has produced exceptional players across generations, countries, and formats. Some have built their reputations through major tournament victories, while others earned recognition in demanding cash games or by mastering several poker variants. There are players remembered for a remarkable peak and others whose strength lies in staying competitive for decades. Choosing the best poker players in the world therefore takes more than counting trophies or comparing prize money. Different careers reveal different kinds of excellence, and no single statistic captures them all.
With so many strong candidates, a ten-player selection inevitably leaves out notable names:
Stu Ungar, Chip Reese, Johnny Moss, Antonio Esfandiari, Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, and Adrian Mateos are among those who could feature in another version of this list.
Their absence does not diminish their achievementsGive more weight to a particular era, cash-game reputation, or recent tournament performance, and several of those names could move into the selection.
For ourtop 10 best poker players of all timeWe have brought together established legends and modern high-stakes specialists. We considered major titles and recorded results alongside longevity, versatility, and influence on the game.
These ten careers offer a broad view of poker greatness, from players who helped shape its foundations to those who have raised the standard of modern competition.
#01
All-time poker players
Phil Ivey
- Born
- Riverside, California, 1977
- Age
- 49
- Poker career
- about 31 years
- Live winnings
- about $56.1 million
Ivey has 11 WSOP bracelets, a WPT title and success across Hold’em, Omaha, Stud and draw games. Many elite players still give him a serious claim to best poker player in the world because tournament records tell only part of his story. His reputation was built just as strongly in nosebleed cash games.
#02
All-time poker players
Daniel Negreanu
- Born
- Toronto, Canada, 1974
- Age
- 52
- Poker career
- roughly 30 years
- Live winnings
- about $60.7 million
Negreanu combines longevity with eight WSOP bracelets, two WPT titles and Poker Hall of Fame membership. He won the prestigious Poker Players Championship in 2024 and another bracelet in 2026. Beyond results, his table talk, hand-reading style and huge media presence helped make professional poker accessible to mainstream audiences.
#03
All-time poker players
Phil Hellmuth
- Born
- Madison, Wisconsin, 1964
- Age
- 62
- Poker career
- around 40 years
- Live winnings
- about $31.6 million
Hellmuth owns a record 17 WSOP bracelets. He won the 1989 WSOP Main Event and later added the 2012 WSOP Europe Main Event. His emotional personality gets plenty of attention, but maintaining elite tournament results across several decades is the stronger reason he belongs near top of any top 10 best poker players discussion.
#04
All-time poker players
Doyle Brunson
- Born
- Longworth, Texas, 1933
- Died
- 2023, aged 89
- Poker career
- more than 60 years
- Live winnings
- about $6.18 million
Brunson won 10 bracelets and consecutive WSOP Main Events in 1976 and 1977. Tournament money alone badly understates his career because much of his reputation came from private and high-stakes cash games. His book Super/System also changed how serious poker strategy was taught.
#05
All-time poker players
Johnny Chan
- Born
- Guangzhou, China, 1957
- Age
- around 68 to 69
- Poker career
- nearly 50 years
- Live winnings
- about $8.8 million
Chan owns 10 WSOP bracelets and won consecutive Main Events in 1987 and 1988. He came remarkably close to a third straight title in 1989, finishing runner-up to Hellmuth. His televised presence and famous appearance in Rounders helped connect pre-boom poker history with a newer generation.
#06
All-time poker players
Erik Seidel
- Born
- New York City, 1959
- Age
- 66
- Poker career
- about 40 years
- Live winnings
- about $49.3 million
Seidel reached his first major final table in the 1988 WSOP Main Event and is still competing at elite level decades later. He has 10 bracelets, a WPT title and Poker Hall of Fame membership. Few careers show consistency across changing poker eras as clearly as his.
#07
All-time poker players
Justin Bonomo
- Born
- Fairfax, Virginia, 1985
- Age
- 41
- Poker career
- about 21 years
- Live winnings
- about $65.6 million
Bonomo became one of defining super high roller specialists of modern poker. His three bracelets include victory in the 2018 $1 million Big One for One Drop, worth $10 million. Results across live and online environments keep him firmly among best pro poker players of his generation.
#08
All-time poker players
Bryn Kenney
- Born
- Long Beach, New York, 1986
- Age
- 39
- Poker career
- about 22 years
- Live winnings
- about $90.8 million
Kenney currently leads poker’s all-time live tournament money list. His largest recorded score came from second place in the 2019 Triton Million, worth more than $20.5 million, and he has two WSOP bracelets. By 2026 his recorded cashes had moved beyond $90 million.
#09
All-time poker players
Stephen Chidwick
- Born
- Deal, England, 1989
- Age
- 37
- Poker career
- about 19 years
- Live winnings
- about $79.9 million
Chidwick has become a benchmark for modern tournament excellence. He owns two WSOP bracelets and has accumulated nearly $80 million while regularly facing extremely strong high-roller fields. His quiet image hides a highly technical game respected by other professionals.
#10
All-time poker players
Fedor Holz
- Born
- Saarbrücken, Germany, 1993
- Age
- 33
- Poker career
- about 14 years
- Live winnings
- about $50.7 million
Holz reached elite level unusually fast. His 2016 run alone produced more than $16 million in live cashes and included a WSOP High Roller for One Drop bracelet. He has two bracelets, major online titles and a lasting role in poker education, even after reducing his playing volume.
Best Female Poker Players of All Time
Women have produced elite results in open fields, cash games, high rollers and mixed formats for decades. The best female poker players should be judged by same broad standards as everyone else, while their role in expanding representation around poker also deserves recognition.
Women in poker
Vanessa Selbst
- Born
- Brooklyn, New York, 1984
- Age
- 42
- Poker career
- about 20 years
- Live winnings
- about $11.95 million
Selbst won three open-field WSOP bracelets and became the only woman to reach No. 1 in the Global Poker Index rankings. Her aggressive, analytical style made her one of most feared tournament players of her era, regardless of gender.
Women in poker
Kristen Foxen
- Born
- St. Catharines, Canada, 1986
- Age
- 39
- Poker career
- about 20 years
- Live winnings
- about $19.2 million
Foxen has pushed women's tournament records into a new range. She owns six WSOP bracelets, won multiple GPI Female Player of the Year awards and finished 13th in the 2024 WSOP Main Event. Her 2026 $25,000 High Roller bracelet further strengthened her place among best female poker players of all time.
Women in poker
Jennifer Harman
- Born
- Reno, Nevada, 1964
- Age
- 61
- Poker career
- around 40 years
- Live winnings
- about $3.0 million
Harman's tournament totals do not capture her real standing. A two-time bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer, she spent years competing in some of highest-stakes mixed cash games in Las Vegas. She also contributed strategy to Super/System 2 and became an important model for later female professionals.
Women in poker
Liv Boeree
- Born
- Kent, England, 1984
- Age
- 42
- Poker career
- about 21 years
- Live winnings
- about $6.7 million
Boeree won the 2010 EPT Sanremo Main Event and a WSOP bracelet in 2017. She remains the only woman to combine an EPT Main Event title with a WSOP bracelet. Her later work around probability and decision-making also carried poker thinking into a much wider audience.
Women in poker
Maria Ho
- Born
- Taipei, Taiwan, 1983
- Age
- 43
- Poker career
- about 21 years
- Live winnings
- about $5.54 million
Ho has built a long tournament career with deep WSOP runs and final tables around the world. She entered the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018 and became equally recognizable as a commentator and broadcaster, giving her influence well beyond tournament results.
What Makes a Poker Player One of the Greatest?
Ranking best poker players requires more than sorting a spreadsheet by prize money. Modern buy-ins and huge high-roller fields make direct financial comparisons with older eras especially misleading.
| Factor 🌟 | Why It Matters 📋 |
|---|---|
| 🏆 Tournament Success and Major Titles | WSOP bracelets, Main Events, WPT, EPT and major high-roller victories show performance under pressure. |
| 💰 Career Poker Winnings | Large earnings demonstrate repeated deep runs, although cashes are not the same as net profit. |
| ⏳ Longevity and Consistency | Staying competitive for decades is harder than producing one exceptional season. |
| 🃏 Skill Across Different Poker Formats | Hold’em alone does not reveal full versatility. Mixed games, Omaha, Stud, draw poker and cash games add weight. |
| 📢 Influence on the Poker World | Strategy writing, broadcasting, teaching and cultural impact can change the game long after one tournament ends. |
That is why the highest earner is not automatically greatest player, and player with most bracelets does not automatically win every comparison either. Different eras reward different strengths. This selection blends measurable results with reputation, adaptability and contribution to game. There will never be one universally accepted answer, which is part of what makes debates about best poker players so interesting.
