Who Are The Top 10 All Time Leading Poker Money Winners?

The world of poker is big business. The top players regularly scoop seven-figure sums when triumphing in a tournament, boosting their bank balance significantly and propelling them higher on the all time money list. Prizes worth millions are now almost monthly events in the poker world.

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Want to learn about the highest earning poker players of all time? Or perhaps you’re looking to find the poker tournaments offering the biggest prizes? Either way, you’ll find exactly what you want when you keep reading this page…

Who’s on the List?

You’ll find some of the greatest poker players of all time on this top ten ranking list, however it is skewed towards those who have played more recently. This is because prizes are getting bigger and bigger, plus the list we used to compile this page, from the Hendon Mob Poker Database , is not inflation adjusted.

Please note that this list only takes into account tournament winnings. These include results both online and offline. The Hendon Mob Poker Database has regular daily updates, and all figures are correct at the time of writing.

Bryn Kenney

Number one on this list is Bryn Kenney, who catapulted himself to the top by scooping over $20 million at the 2019 Triton Million for Charity, held in London. He won this money despite coming second, benefiting massively from a deal made with the eventual winner, Aaron Zang, who won just over $16.5 million. Kenney has also won many other large events, plus is regularly seen on televised poker shows. Overall, he has won over $65 million.

Justin Bonomo

In second place is another American, Justin Bonomo. He triumphed at the 2018 Big One for One Drop tournament, winning $10 million, just months after winning $5 million at the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas. Amazingly, he also won just under $5 million a couple of months before that, at the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl China in Macau. To say 2018 was a successful year for Bonomo would be a massive understatement. His total winnings are just under $62 million.

Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is the most famous poker player of all time. He has built his total winnings to over $51 million throughout a long career, which has included winning massive prizes at the 2014 Big One for One Drop and the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas, finishing second in both events. He has won over $1 million in six other events throughout his career.

Erik Seidel

Erik Seidel has won nearly $43.5 million in his lengthy career. Unlike the players above him on the list, he’s never scooped a ginormous prize, instead building his money by consistently placing well in tournaments. His biggest win came in 2011 at the Super High Roller event at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, where he finished first.

Dan Smith

Hot on Seidel’s heels is Dan Smith, who has won just over $45 million in tournaments. He’s another player to have benefitted handsomely from the Triton Million event, winning $8 million for finishing third in 2019. Also, he finished third at the Big One for One Drop in 2018, winning $4 million in the process.

Stephen Chidwick

Stephen Chidwick is the highest earning European on this list. The Englishman has won over $51 million, with his biggest prize of over $5.3 million coming when he came fourth in the 2019 Triton Million. He has won six other prizes in excess of $1 million, including at the $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha event at WSOP 2019.

David Peters

Taking seventh spot is David Peters. Earnings-wise, he has raked in nearly $44 million over his career, with his biggest cash coming when he came second in the 2016 Super High Roller Series at the WPT National Philippines. He’s won over $1 million in 10 different tournaments, which include the Super High Roller NLH event at WSOPE 2018 and the 2015 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas.

Fedor Holz

The second European on this list is Germany’s Fedor Holz, who is most famous for winning the High Roller for One Drop tournament at the WSOP 2016 and earning nearly $5 million. However, his biggest prize came when he finished second in the Big One for One Drop at WSOP 2018, for which he won $6 million. Overall, he’s won just under $39.5 million.

Jason Koon

Jason Koon has won over $51 million throughout his poker playing career. His biggest ever prize was over $3.5 million, when he finished first at the No Limit Hold’em event in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro in 2018. He also won nearly $3 million at the No Limit Hold’em event at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju in 2019.

Steve O’Dwyer

The last name on this list is Steve O’Dwyer, who has won over $38 million. His largest ever win came when he won the Super High Roller 8 Handed event at the PCA 2015, winning nearly $1.9 million in the process. He also won the Super High Roller event at the 2014 APPT Asia Championship of Poker, as well as over $1.6 million for winning the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final in 2013.

Where Are the Other Big Players?

You might have noticed that there are a number of big names missing from the list. Phil Ivey just missed out on a place, coming in at number 11, closely followed by Daniel Colman in 12 ^th . Phil Hellmuth is down in 21 ^st, while Antonio Esfandiari, who won the first ever Big One for One Drop, is in 15 ^th place on the list.

The highest placed woman on the list is Vanessa Selbst, who is way down in 68 ^th place, showing that poker really needs to do something to be more inclusive of women. Phil Laak, one of the most popular players around, is even further down the list, coming in at 377 ^th, with just over $3.8 million in winnings. In his defense, he’s better known as a cash game player.

The Biggest Poker Tournaments

When you look through the list of the all time leading money winners, you’ll notice that the top names have often won big prizes at two tournaments – the Triton Million and the Big One for One Drop. Despite offering a huge prize, no winner of the WSOP Main Event is in the top 10, which could reflect the luck needed to progress through a field of thousands of players to win the title.

Triton Million

The Triton Million is a new tournament on the scene, having only taken place once, in 2019. It was won by Aaron Zang, however he earned less than second-placed Bryn Kenney. This is because Zang made a deal while in second place, and after making the deal, mounted a comeback to finish first. Bryn Kenney’s win of over $20 million is the largest ever prize handed out at a poker tournament.

Big One for One Drop

The Big One for One Drop started in 2012 and is one of the most exciting recurring events on the calendar. Entry is $1 million and over 10% of the entry fee goes to the One Drop Foundation. The biggest prize ever handed out at this tournament was given to Antonio Esfandiari, who scooped over $18 million for winning the 2012 tournament.

WSOP Main Event

Finally, there’s the most prestigious title in all of poker – the WSOP Main Event. Along with a priceless bracelet, the winner of this tournament can expect to add millions to their bank account, with the largest ever prize being $12 million, won by Jamie Gold in 2012. The same tournament also saw the highest ever prize pool at a tournament, worth over $82.5 million.

The Poker All Time Leading Money List