Poker is a game of skill, determination, strategy and of course, a little luck. It’s an exciting game and the best players can make big bucks if they learn the subtle ins and outs such as when to bluff, when to bet big and when to fold.
Professional poker players can make a fortune if they play their cards right. In fact, the best players in the world have earned tens of millions of dollars over the course of their career playing in major events all around the world.
Here is a look at the five richest poker players in America today and, if your curious, you can learn a little more about Pokerstars promotions for players in New Jersey while you read. These guys have made a fortune playing this game we all love because of their talent, daring and skill.
5. Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu started playing poker at an early age and decided to turn professional when he turned 21.
Negreanu loves a challenge and thrived on beating older and more experienced players early in his career to make a name for himself.
He has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles since turning pro in 1995. Negreanu is the only player to be named the World Series of Poker Player of the Year twice having accomplished that in 2004 and 2013.
In 2014, the independent ranking service Global Poker Index named Negreaunu it’s top Poker Player of the Decade.
His daring style and the fact that he started his career at a young age helped earn him the nickname, “Kid Poker.”
Thus far, he has won more than $42 million in prize money over the course of his career and he’s not done yet.
4. Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson has been playing poker for more than 50 years and it one of the game’s all-time greatest players. He has won the World Series of Poker twice and was inducted into the World Poker Hall of Fame in 1988.
Brunson wrote what may be the most famous book on poker, Super/System which he self-published in 1978. The book helped give ordinary players insight into the way elite players make their money.
Brunson’s poker career started off humbly. He and his friend Dwayne Hamilton began playing illegal games in Fort Worth, Texas. A lot of these games were run by gangsters and Brunson later told stories about having a gun pointed at him or being beaten up and robbed if he won big.
He gradually earned his way into bigger and more prestigious games and started playing against professionals.
Brunson is such an iconic poker player he has two Texas hold’em hands named after him. These took place back in the mid-1970s.
The self-described action junkie retired from tournament poker in 2018 but remains one of the wealthiest and most successful players in the history of the game.
3. Chris Ferguson
Few poker players have seen as much as Chris Ferguson who reached the pinnacle of the poker world, stumbled and then returned to the top of the game. Ferguson has won six World Series of Poker events in his career which started when he was 10 years old.
Ferguson uses a mathematical formula to maximize his odds. His long hair and beard have earned him the nickname “Jesus” in poker circles.
Ferguson has perfected the poker face. In fact, he often remains completely motionless during hands of poker so opponents have no way of reading his expression or body language to determine if he has a winning hand or not.
Ferguson was investigated by the US Department of Justice in 2011 but the case was dismissed two years later and “Jesus” was back to his winning ways at the poker table.
His career tournament winnings exceed $8.9 million with more than $6 million coming in Word Series of Poker cashes.
2. Phil Ivey
Ivey is a daring poker player who has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and one World Poker championship in his career. He started playing in the 1990s by using a fake ID to play in Atlantic City against older competitors. Early in his career, he was given the nickname, “The Phenom” back in 2002 when he won three World Series of Poker bracelets. The nickname stuck because of his youth and his ability to compete against older, more experienced players.
“All In” magazine named Ivey their Poker Player of the Year in 2005 and again in 2009.
The 43-year-old California native should have many years of competition ahead of him and has also been described as “The Tiger Woods of Poker.”
Ivey is one of the top players in the year and should remain that way for many years to come.
1. Dan Bilzerian
Dan Bilzerian has led an exciting life. He is an actor, poker player and Internet personality. His larger than life persona has earned him the nicknames “Blitz” and “Instagram’s Playboy King.”
Bilzerian was born into a wealthy family. His father was a corporate takeover specialist and corporate raider who provided Bilzerian with a trust fund to get his life started. He later attended the University of Florida where he double-majored in criminology and business.
Bilzerian loves to play for high stakes and has won as much at $10 million at a poker table in one night.
Bilzerian is still just 39 years old and loves to take risks. He’s been playing at the World Series of Poker Main Event since 2009. He has also appeared in films such as “The Equalizer,” “Lone Survivor” and “War Dogs.”
He also briefly announced that he was going to run for president of the United States back in 2015, but he later dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump.
Bilzerian is daring, bold and you never know what he may decide to do next. That certainly has helped him be successful at the poker table and elsewhere in life.
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