Phil Ivey is widely considered the best poker player of all time – a player who has dominated cash games, tournaments, and mixed games at the highest stakes for more than two decades, winning 11 WSOP bracelets and tens of millions across every format he has played.
I have competed in events alongside most of the players on this list, and what separates the truly elite from everyone else is not just technical skill and poker strategy – it is the ability to adapt and perform at the top year after year, through changing game conditions and increasingly tough competition.
Ranking the best poker players of all time is genuinely difficult. Career earnings, WSOP bracelets, cash game dominance, and longevity all matter, and no single metric captures the full picture.
On this list, I considered players across all three areas of the game – live tournaments, high-stakes cash games, and online poker – and weighted both peak performance and sustained excellence over time. Here are the ten players I consider the best to have ever played the game.
- How We Ranked the Best Poker Players of All Time
- #1 – Phil Ivey
- #2 – Daniel Negreanu
- #3 – Andrew Robl
- #4 – Jason Koon
- #5 – Isaac Haxton
- #6 – Tom Dwan
- #7 – Patrik Antonius
- #8 – Erik Seidel
- #9 – Bryn Kenney
- #10 – Phil Hellmuth
- Honorable Mentions: Legends Who Almost Made the List
- Best Poker Players: Frequently Asked Questions
How We Ranked the Best Poker Players of All Time
Ranking the best poker players requires combining several different measurement frameworks, because no single metric tells the full story. Tournament earnings favor players who compete frequently in high-roller events with large prize pools – a recent development that inflates the numbers of modern players compared to legends from earlier eras.
WSOP bracelets count in favor of players who specialize in tournaments specifically, leaving out some of the greatest cash game players who barely competed at the Series. Global Poker Index rankings measure only recent performance, telling you who is playing the best poker right now rather than across a full career.
For this list, I weighted four criteria together. First, longevity – players who have competed at the very top of the game for more than a decade, not just a single hot run. Second, versatility – the ability to compete and win across multiple formats, not just in one specific game type.
Third, peak performance – moments of dominant, sustained winning at the highest stakes available. Fourth, adaptability – the ability to evolve strategy as the game changes. The players who score highest across all four of these criteria are, in my view, the best poker players the game has ever produced.
I have had the chance to observe and compete alongside several players on this list at major tournaments. The thing that consistently separates them from strong players who never quite reach the elite tier is the speed of adjustment. When something stops working, the best players in the world recognize it faster and correct faster than anyone else at the table.
Quick Reference: Best Poker Players at a Glance
| Player | Career Tournament Earnings | WSOP Bracelets | Primary Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Ivey | $40M+ | 11 | All-formats versatility |
| Daniel Negreanu | $52M+ | 7 | Live tournament reads |
| Andrew Robl | $5.6M+ (televised only) | 0 | High-stakes cash games |
| Jason Koon | $72M+ | 0 | High-roller tournaments |
| Isaac Haxton | $47M+ | 0 | GTO-based tournament play |
| Tom Dwan | $6M+ (televised only) | 0 | High-stakes cash games |
| Patrik Antonius | $17M+ | 0 | High-stakes cash games |
| Erik Seidel | $45M+ | 10 | Multi-decade tournament consistency |
| Bryn Kenney | $80M+ | 0 | High-roller tournaments |
| Phil Hellmuth | $30M+ | 17 | Exploitative tournament play |
Tournament earnings from Hendon Mob database. Cash game figures for Robl, Dwan, and Antonius reflect televised results only – estimated private game earnings for all three are significantly higher.
#1 – Phil Ivey
- Age: 49
- Nickname: No Home Jerome
- Specialty: High-stakes cash games
- Live Tournament Winnings: $41 Million
Phil Ivey is an absolute legend of the game and is widely considered to be the best overall poker player in the world.
Dating back to the 1990s, Phil Ivey has been dominating poker in its various forms, ranging from cash games to tournaments and from No Limit Texas Hold’em to Limit Mixed Games. Ivey has won 11 WSOP bracelets – adding his 11th in 2024 – and accumulated over $40 million in tournament winnings, even while barely playing any tournaments for the better part of the last decade.
Away from the tournament tables, Phil is known as a proficient gambler who has won millions, finding an edge in every type of gambling there is.
Ivey is a regular in the biggest cash games in the world and a staple of the prestigious Triton Poker Tour, where he continues to win titles and big money on a regular basis.
No Home Jerome, as he is often called since his early days in poker, continues to battle it out with the best players in the world despite being considered an “old school player.”
Ivey’s game and approach have changed over the years, but his incredible charisma and talent for sniffing out what his opponents are thinking continue to make Phil Ivey one of the most feared poker players on the planet.
If you want to talk about the best poker players in the world, no conversation can be had without “Tiger Woods of Poker” being mentioned.
#2 – Daniel Negreanu
- Age: 51
- Nickname: Kid Poker
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $52 Million
Canadian poker player of Romanian descent, Daniel Negreanu, is widely recognized as one of the best poker players in the world by his peers and fans alike.
Daniel came up in poker even before the Poker Boom and was in the right place at the right time when the game exploded, making him an international superstar.
Negreanu has won seven WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles, along with countless other poker tournaments, including the Super High Roller Bowl in 2022, while also coming second in the Big One for One Drop in 2014 for over $8 million.
His claim to glory comes from his longevity in the poker world, where he has been a household name for over three decades, seeing generations of players come and go along the way.
Daniel was one of the most dominant players in the world during the days of the Poker Boom and has remained near the top throughout the years.
While competition has gotten tougher, he was able to stay relevant by adopting new strategies and accepting that a new approach might be needed to beat the very best players of the new generation.
While he has adopted some GTO poker concepts into his game, Daniel remains one of the best at exploiting his opponents’ weaknesses and making the right read at the right time.
#3 – Andrew Robl
- Age: 37
- Nickname: good2cu
- Specialty: High-stakes cash games
- Live Tournament Winnings: $5.6 Million
Easily, one of the most underrated players in the world who deserves a place close to the very top of this list is Andrew Robl.
His limited success in tournament poker comes from the fact he has seldom played tournaments, with cash games being the primary focus of his poker career.
According to available data, Robl has won more than $5 million in his televised cash game appearances alone, good for an incredible $35,000 per hour of playtime.
What’s even more, the rumors have it that this number is a drop in the bucket for the American super-pro, who seems to frequent games with stakes much higher than those he plays on TV.
His aggressive style, ability to make any bluff for any amount of money, and willingness to look people up with slim holdings when he believes he is ahead have made him a feared opponent in any game.
Andrew may be one of the nicest guys you will meet at the poker table, but he plays poker viciously and relentlessly, running over competition time and time again.
While his overall results will forever remain a mystery thanks to the secretive nature of cash game poker, it is clear that Andrew Robl is one of the biggest cash game winners in the world, making him worthy of a place on this list.
#4 – Jason Koon
- Age: 39
- Nickname: NovaSky
- Specialty: High roller tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $55 Million
Jason Koon is one of the best tournament specialists in the world, although his prowess in deep stack cash games is also quite legendary.
Throughout his career, Koon has won more than $55 million playing some of the biggest and toughest poker tournaments around.
He’s won a record ten titles at the prestigious Triton Poker Series, where he constantly competes against the very best tournament players out there.
His achievements in the Series have allowed him to be named Triton Poker Ambassador, demonstrating his elite status in the poker community.
Koon’s consistency as one of the biggest winners on the tournament circuit has earned him a spot on our list of the best poker players in the world, with achievements spanning across different continents and game types.
#5 – Isaac Haxton
- Age: 39
- Nickname: Ike
- Specialty: High-stakes poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $47 Million
Isaac Haxton is a player whose success on the tournament circuit puts him in the poker elite circles despite his lack of high numbers of WSOP and WPT titles.
Instead of those, Ike has been a consistent winner in the biggest buyin tournaments in the world, even conquering the legendary Super High Roller Bowl two times, winning more than six million dollars in those two events alone.
Along with those victories, Haxton has come away as the champion in countless other high-roller events, solidifying his spot as one of the best tournament players around.
Isaac is a part of the new generation of players who base their game on GTO strategies and solver outputs, and he has taken this approach to a new level.
When I coach students who want to understand what elite GTO application looks like in tournament play, I point to Haxton’s approach in deep-stacked high-roller spots – the ability to construct balanced ranges under pressure, not just recall solver outputs from study sessions, is what separates players like Ike from the many competent players who understand GTO in theory but struggle to apply it when it costs real money.
If you want to study GTO-based poker at the highest level, PokerCoaching’s own solver, PeakGTO, is the tool I recommend starting with.
His analytical skills, combined with his ability to pull the trigger in any spot, have made Isaac Haxton one of the most feared players at the tournament felt.
#6 – Tom Dwan
- Age: 38
- Nickname: durrrr
- Specialty: High-stakes cash games
- Live Tournament Winnings: $6 Million
Another player whose tournament results don’t quite reflect his poker skillset is Tom “durrrr” Dwan, whose renown in the poker world comes almost exclusively from his cash game exploits.
The biggest winner in televised cash game history, Tom came up as a young online phenom during the days of the Poker Boom and has remained relevant to this day.
A regular in the Triton Poker Series and the highest cash games in the world, Tom has won millions of dollars playing against both seasoned pros and wealthy businessmen in the Far East and Las Vegas alike.
Tom’s TV appearances are a thing of legend, as he has continually put up a show for his fans and played some incredible hands of poker with millions on the line on live TV.
These days, Tom only plays in games that he believes are good value for him, which is why you won’t see him playing tournaments or random cash games with “low stakes.”
Dwan’s ability to survive the swings and keep playing the biggest cash games around demonstrates his incredible skillset that makes him one of the best poker players who have ever lived.
What makes Tom so dangerous is something I have observed watching and analyzing his hands over many years: he puts opponents in situations they have not prepared for.
Most players study the common spots. Tom plays the uncommon ones better than anyone, forcing decisions at bet sizes and frequencies that even strong players find deeply uncomfortable.
#7 – Patrik Antonius
- Age: 43
- Nickname: PA
- Specialty: High-stakes cash games
- Live Tournament Winnings: $17 Million
Yet another player who has achieved most of his poker success in cash games, Patrik Antonius, is a somewhat mysterious character and one of the most-liked players in the poker community.
A consistent winner in cash games at the highest stakes, Patrik has made a career out of being a likable character who gains access to the best games around and crushes the souls of his opponents with a smile on his face.
A master of hiding emotions and keeping a poker face, the Finn has an incredible talent for always keeping his opponents guessing and tiptoeing around him.
Much like Dwan and Robl, Patrik has earned a spot on our list of the best poker players with his ability to stay relevant for decades and beat the biggest games in town over extended periods and through downswings and upswings alike.
#8 – Erik Seidel
- Age: 64
- Nickname: Seiborg
- Specialty: High-stakes poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $45 Million
A part of poker’s “old guard,” Erik Seidel remains one of the few players from his generation who is still able to compete with the young guns.
A ten-time WSOP champion, Seidel has made 51 final tables at the Series and even came second in the Main Event back in 1988.
Since then, Erik has been able to compete at the highest level of tournament poker without any breaks, regularly winning events across different stakes, including high-roller tournaments.
His tenth WSOP bracelet was won as recently as 2023, as he showed everyone he still has what it takes to compete with anyone in the world.
Much like the late Doyle Brunson, Erik seems to be intent on playing poker as long as he possibly can and is showing no signs of slowing down with age.
The Poker Hall of Famer has earned his spot on the list of poker’s best players both with his wins and his longevity, and will likely be remembered as one of the best for decades to come.
#9 – Bryn Kenney
- Age: 39
- Nickname: Bryn
- Specialty: High-stakes poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $65 Million
Holding the title of the biggest winner in live poker tournaments ever, Bryn Kenney must be considered one of the best poker players in the world despite the controversy that has arisen surrounding his potential involvement in an online poker cheating scheme.
Whether or not those allegations are true, Kenney has proven time and time again that he is one of the best No Limit Hold’em tournament players in the world.
Having won more than $80 million in live poker tournaments over his career, Bryn still has decades left to prove his worth and truly put his name in the poker history books.
While Kenney’s NLH skills are undisputable, he will need to prove himself in other poker games if he is to truly earn the title of the best player in the world at some point in his career.
#10 – Phil Hellmuth
- Age: 59
- Nickname: The Poker Brat
- Specialty: Poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $30 Million
If you asked Hellmuth who the best poker player in the world was, he would no doubt say it was him! While this may not be entirely true, he certainly deserves a mention as one of the best poker players out there.
A holder of countless records in poker, including the one for most WSOP bracelets won (with 17), Hellmuth has managed to beat tournament poker with incredible consistency for decades.
Phil has won close to $30 million in tournament poker over the years, despite playing fewer high-stakes events than many of his peers.
While his appearances in televised cash games have not been as successful as he often likes to portray, Phil Hellmuth’s ability to outplay his opponents in tournaments, which he refers to as “white magic,” easily gives him a spot on any list of the best poker players in the world, including this one.
I think the underrated element of Hellmuth’s tournament game is his range construction against recreational players – he finds thin value in spots other pros over-fold, and his read-based adjustments in multi-day events are genuinely elite.
His record of 17 bracelets across five decades is not luck. It is the product of a very specific, very refined skillset that happens to work especially well in large-field tournament formats.
If you want to keep exploring this topic, take a look at our list of the best female poker players.
Honorable Mentions: Legends Who Almost Made the List
Limiting this list to ten players means leaving out some of the greatest to have ever played the game. Three names stand above the rest of the honorable mentions.
- Doyle Brunson is the godfather of modern poker strategy. He won the WSOP Main Event back-to-back in 1976 and 1977 – both times with the same hand, 10-2 offsuit – and wrote Super/System in 1979, a book that fundamentally changed how the next generation of players understood the game. Without Doyle, there is no modern poker. He passed away in May 2023 at age 89, but his influence on the strategies every player on this list uses is immeasurable.
- Stu Ungar is widely considered the greatest pure talent the game has ever seen. Three WSOP Main Event titles (1980, 1981, and 1997) put him in a category almost no one else occupies. His ability to read hands and think multiple levels ahead was described by players of that era as something they had never seen before or since. His personal struggles cut his career tragically short, but his impact on the game remains enormous.
- Justin Bonomo holds more than $65 million in career live tournament earnings, making him one of the biggest earners the game has ever produced. His 2018 run – winning the Super High Roller Bowl, the One Drop, and several other major events in a single year – was one of the most dominant stretches any player has put together in the modern era.
I could also make strong cases for Johnny Chan, Antonio Esfandiari, and Fedor Holz. The depth of talent at the very top of this game is something I have always found remarkable, and what sets every player on this list apart is a willingness to study and evolve that most players never fully commit to.
