With a new year upon us, it is only natural to begin contemplating which poker players will have a stellar year on the felt in 2024. While established crushers are sure to continue adding to their legacies this year, there is always a long line of young, hungry up-in-comers looking to make a name for themselves in the poker world. Just like last year, I am excited to share my list of the top ten poker players to watch in 2024.
Did your favorite poker player make the list? Check out the article below and find out!
Daniel Negreanu
A player who needs no introduction, all-time great and Poker Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Negreanu returns to our list of the top poker players to watch heading into the new year. Despite being in the game for nearly three decades, Negreanu is still a force to be reckoned with as he maintains his godlike reading ability while also adapting to modern poker strategies. An “old school” player who consistently shows he can still compete at the highest level, Negreanu’s motivation to add to his legacy seems to grow more intense with every passing year.
Will 2024 be a Bounce Back Year for Daniel Negreanu?
If you are one of the nearly 800,000 poker fans subscribed to Daniel Negreanu’s YouTube channel, you likely saw his video in which he shared how he lost over 2 million dollars playing poker in 2023. Having had his first losing year since 2017, Negreanu has shared how he looks to change his approach to poker tournaments moving forward. Clearly, the adjustments are already working, as Negreanu shipped one of the first tournaments of the year hosted by PokerGO for $218,000!
Already well on his way back from the losses he sustained in 2023, we anticipate even more success in 2024 for Kid Poker.
Artur Martirosyan
#2 on Russia’s all-time money list, Artur Martirosyan has already accrued over $14 million in live tournament winnings and looks to add to that total in 2024. With two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, a World Poker Tour (WPT) title, and multiple European Poker Tour tournament wins to his name, Martirosyan is an established crusher which, much like Daniel Negreanu, has already secured a tournament win in 2024.
Winning not just one but two $10,000 buy-in events at PokerGO’s Last Chance series, Artur has already accrued over $400,000 in winnings in the new year and will likely add to that number in the coming months.
Bin Weng
In 2023, at times it seemed like Bin Weng was simply buying into final tables. Scoring 3 cashes for over $1,000,000, winning a WSOP Circuit Main Event, and handily winning the Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year award, Weng established himself as a household name on the poker tournament scene. As every poker player knows, the variance of poker tournaments can be unforgiving, with downswings eventually coming for even the best players. Will Weng continue his winning ways in 2024, or will fortune falter for one of poker’s newest stars? Win or lose, the natural talent of Bin Weng makes him a poker player you must watch throughout this year!
Nacho Barbero
One of the biggest crushers on the America’s Cardroom pro team, Jose Ignacio “Nacho” Barbero is a seasoned tournament player and currently stands as Argentina’s #1 all-time money winner ($17,000,000 in career winnings). With poker skill rivaled only by his swagger, Barbero is a favorite amongst poker fans and looks to build on his successful poker campaign in 2023.
Regardless of where his travels take him, Barbero crushes poker tournaments. It did not matter what country or even continent he was in, Barbero made $1M+ cashes look easy. Winning $1.5 million by finishing 4th in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event and securing over $5.8 million in various Triton Super High Roller Series events, Barbero finished 2023 with nearly $9,000,000 in live tournament winnings. Will Barbero eclipse eight figures in 2024? Time will tell!
Chris Brewer
Overcoming the unfortunate title of being one of the unluckiest professional poker players, Chris Brewer showed the world in 2023 that if you maintain mental fortitude and commit yourself to poker, the game will reward you in the long run. Winning not just one but two bracelets at the 2023 WSOP, Brewer pulled off his greatest poker achievement to date when he won the $250,000 buy-in WSOP Super High Roller for $5.3 million. Cementing himself as one of the world’s most skilled players and taking his poker career to new heights, Brewer not only succeeded on the felt in 2023, but entered the realm of coaching.
Becoming PokerCoaching.com’s Newest Coach
With a willingness to share his vast poker knowledge with fellow players who look to master the game, Chris Brewer joined Team PokerCoaching and became the site’s newest coach. Contributing lessons and advanced strategies to our recently released Advanced Cash Game Course, Brewer has already made his presence felt within the PokerCoaching.com community. It goes without saying: we are incredibly excited to have Chris as a part of our team, and can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in 2024!
Kristen Foxen
A staple of the high-stakes tournament scene, Kristen Foxen is capable of winning any poker tournament she chooses to enter. When it comes to Foxen, the resume speaks for itself, as the Canadian pro has accumulated over $8,000,000 in live tournament earnings throughout her career. Winning her fourth career WSOP bracelet in a $888 buy-in online poker tournament in 2023, Foxen became the first female poker player to reach four bracelets. Along with making WSOP history, Foxen also made GPI history as well, winning her fourth GPI Player of the Year award. The consistency in which Foxen finds success on the felt makes her one of the best pros in the game, do not be surprised if “Krissy B” has a career year in 2024.
Danny Tang
Heading into 2023, high stakes tournament pro Danny Tang already had $12,000,000 live tournament earnings to his name. By the end of the year, Tang had taken his career earnings and nearly doubled it. Finally securing his first career win in a Triton Super High Roller Series event, Tang would win three additional Triton events in 2023, with each victory being worth over $1,000,000. By the end of 2023, Tang had won over $11,000,000 and further established himself as a fixture in the high-roller tournament scene.
Whether it be in Triton tournaments or in other high roller events around the world, we look forward to seeing Tang do what he does best in 2024.
Phil Hellmuth
Another year meant another WSOP bracelet victory for everybody’s favorite poker player: Phil Hellmuth. Love him or hate him, it cannot be debated: Hellmuth is the greatest World Series of Poker player of all time. Now, whether that means he is the overall GOAT is up for debate, but if you ask Phil, the answer is easy.
The WSOP GOAT
Winning his 17th career WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty event, the Poker Brat furthered his standing as the poker player with the most career WSOP bracelet victories. Well ahead of the next closest players (Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan, and Doyle Brunson are all tied for second with 10 WSOP bracelets each), it is unlikely anyone will ever surpass Hellmuth and his 17 bracelet victories, but will his total reach 18 in 2024?
While Hellmuth can be found competing in other poker tournament series around the world, there is no question the summer WSOP is what he prioritizes the most. Whether he is competing in no-limit hold ’em or dealer’s choice, the 1989 WSOP Main Event champion is able to use his white magic in whatever game he chooses to play. For the second straight year, I highly recommend keeping an eye on Phil Hellmuth.
Justin Saliba
Despite already having success as a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, PokerCoaching.com coach Justin Saliba came into 2023 motivated to have a breakout year. Having had a number of close calls competing in tournament series in Las Vegas and around the world, Saliba finally secured his first major live tournament win when he took down a $10,000 buy-in event at the 2023 PokerGO Cup. Along with claiming his first major live tournament win, Saliba also scored his largest cash to date, raking in $690,000 for his third-place finish in the 7-handed $63,600 buy-in event at Triton Super High Roller Series – London.
Growing into his role as a regular on the high roller tournament scene, Saliba is nowhere near satisfied yet as he looks to take his career to new heights in 2024. While I may be bias, I know it won’t take long for Justin to achieve a new “high score”, and add more hardware to his trophy case in the process.
Ren Lin
No gamble, no future!
Not only did Chinese poker pro Ren Lin continue to be a favorite amongst poker fans in 2023, he also smashed it on the felt! Cashing for over $5,000,000 in live poker tournaments this past year, China’s second all-time money leader achieved victories in the $50,000 buy-in WPT Alpha8 event as well as at the 2023 U.S. Poker Open.
Along with being an elite Texas Hold’em player, Lin is also a killer in the Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) streets as well. Competing in a number of high roller PLO tournaments all around the world, Lin won over $1.1 million from PLO alone, with his biggest score coming from his runner-up finish in the $25,000 buy-in event of the PokerGO PLO Series ($352,750 score). Whether he has two, four, or five cards at his disposal, Ren Lin’s charisma and skill make him a player worth watching in 2024.
Honorable Mentions
- Mike Holtz: WSOP.com Player of the Year
- Brock Wilson: High-stakes crusher and PokerCoaching.com Coach
- Chris Moorman: Online MTT crusher who is coming off a $2,000,000 score at the WPT Championships
- Jesse Lonis: Young high-stakes crusher who continues to turn heads and collect trophies
- Cherish Andrews: Mid-stakes crusher and former GPI Female Poker Player of the Year
- Ian Matakis: 2023 World Series of Poker Player of the Year
Conclusion
With poker having a resurgence in recent years, more and more sharks continue to emerge on the scene. Since this list only has ten spots, I am sure plenty of readers will say a player or two were robbed of a spot. Are there any poker players you think deserve a spot on this list? Let me know in the comments below, and if you see any of the above players at your poker table this year, be ready to bring your A-game!
