Most Famous Poker Players of the World: A Closer Look

As an ardent poker player and fan, there are a few names that you must respect and admire. Here is a list of a few such players. Read on to know more about their poker achievements.

Doyle Brunson

Better known as ‘Texas Dolly,’ Brunson was already a poker legend before the game even hit the mainstream back in 2003. His reputation and resume in the world of poker are unmatched. He is a ten-time winner of the World Series of Poker. He has even bagged two wins in the $10,000 Main Event of the tournament.

He is also one of the most remarkable poker strategy writers from the era before the poker boom. The Super System and Super System 2 publications from his end are still the most famous books on poker of all time.

He announced his official retirement from the game in 2018, after making his final appearance at the final round of the World Series of Poker.

Daniel Negreanu

The most renowned poker player of modern times – Negreanu’s climb to fame started in the poker-boom time of the mid-2000s. He was the face of the famous ‘PokerStars’ for over a decade, right from 2007 to 2019.

The most complete poker database in the world, called the Hendon Mob, has a list of the ‘Most Popular Players.’ Its rankings come from the total number of times the name of a player is clicked from a list on the website.

Negreanu has consistently held the top position on that list. If ‘Texas Dolly’ is an all-time favorite player of the poker fans, Negreanu is the face of modern poker.

Phil Ivey

Similar to Negreanu, Phil Ivey came into mainstream fame with the increasing popularity of poker in pop culture. He was another popular face in all the televised, high-stakes games of the early 2000s. His difference with Negreanu is in his mysterious air.

You can hear Negreanu’s voice and remember his face easily. But the kind of mystique that Ivey has makes him untouchable. You can watch him play for hundreds of hours, but you will still not know what he does when the cameras are not on.

Dan Bilzerian

Though Bilzerian would call himself a poker player, others would question his capability at the poker table. But there is no doubt that he is famous – over 30 million Instagram followers and 1.6 million Twitter followers bear testimony to that. He is one of the poker celebrities of the modern century.

His social media presence tells his followers about a multi-millionaire, extravagant lifestyle. As per his claims, most of his net worth is derived from his skills at the poker table. He is said to have won $10.8 million in one night and a total of $50 million in 2014.

Since most of his poker winnings are from private games, it’s hard to tell how much he won at the table.

Read more: Poker-Hand Rankings Chart (Strongest to Weakest)

Jennifer Harman

You would not see Harman making frequent appearances on modern-day poker TV shows. But she was a prominent face in the TV shows like High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark from the golden era of the game.

She is still respected as one of the foremost players from the early 2000s. She is the female player that all other players look up to in the game.

Vanessa Rousso

The emergence of Rousso in the game of poker came at the same time as the boom in the game. She finished in seventh place and earned $263,625 at the WPT Five-Star World Poker Classic 2006. It marked her rise in the game, and she instantly became the most recognizable face in the game after that.

She gained sponsors like PokerStars and GoDaddy in 2006, along with many other big tournament wins. Her victory at the WPT Borgata Poker Open 2006 was another major milestone. It forwarded her on the way to making over $3.5 million in tournament earnings.

Maria Ho

Ho is one of the most known female poker personas of the present era. Her role as the host of the renowned PokerGO’s Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, and other high-end tournaments put her in the spotlight as one of the faces of the modern-day poker arena.

Her resume at the poker table is no less impressive. She had a career earning over four million, which included many six-figure wins.

Read more: Top 10 Best Poker Tips Tricks & Strategy To Win At Poker

Liv Boeree

The similarity between Boeree and Ho is that both of them have an extensive work resume both on the poker table and in front of the camera.

Her poker career skyrocketed after she had her first victory in the game. This win came back in 2010 at the European Poker Tour Sanremo. Boeree finished first in this tournament and took home €1,250,000.

In the last ten years, she has managed to hold on to her status as the biggest celebrity in the world of poker, which includes a long stretch as the pro at the PokerStars Team.

Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst happens to be another player with a long list of winnings to boast of. Her career full of big scores started back in 2006. It began the kind of resume that has almost $12 million in career earnings as of last year.

She has held on to her success through most of the last fifteen years. She added three seven-figure paydays to her resume back in the 2010s. The biggest win of her career was in the Partouche Poker Tour Cannes Main Event 2010, where she netted a €1,3000,000 payday.

She retired from the world of poker back in 2018, though she continues to make her appearances at the tournaments. Regardless of her retirement, she is still one of the most renowned poker players in this era, with a list of achievements that would make anyone jealous.

So, which of these players inspired you to try poker? And if you keep playing, maybe someday you can win a pretty big prize. Start taking the small steps today.