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PTAll-Time Money List: Who Are The Richest Live Poker Players at the Moment?
I’ve always been amazed by the fact that some players earned millions of dollars playing poker and making a comfortable living.
While I’ve never really managed to make a six-figure score in a single tournament, I’ve closely followed the ones that did.
Some of the players scored seven-figure prizes, and a handful of them entered the eight-figure club.
Who are these people?
If you’re into poker, the chances are you already know most of them.
In this article, I’ll present the current leaders in the world’s all-time money list (accurate from 14/01/2021).
Let’s check out the poker players who earned the most money by playing live poker tournaments.
Jason Koon
Jason Koon won a total of $31,101,728 in live tournaments and is currently ranked ninth in the all-time money list.
He won the most significant amount of money by topping the HK$1,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em — Short Deck Ante Only 1M, which was part of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro, Budva.
Born in Weston, West Virginia, Koon is currently ranked sixth in the US all-time money list. Even though he was active in many WSOP events, he still doesn’t have a gold bracelet.
Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey is currently 9th on the all-time money list, having earned a total of $31,101,729 .
2020 saw Phil Ivey finally settle $10M Edge-Sorting Case which will be of a relief to this legendary player and will be hoping 2021 will be the year for his redemption.
Fedor Holz
Born in Germany and currently residing in Austria, Fedor Holz is often nicknamed “wunderkind” as he started making outstanding achievements as a poker player very early.
By the age of 23, he had already won a WSOP bracelet, topping the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop and winning $4,981,755.
Holz won his biggest live cash in another WSOP high-roller event in 2018 — the $1,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em — The Big One for One Drop. Even though he ended a runner-up, Fedor managed to win $6 million.
He is ranked number one in the all-time money list in his homeland and eight in the world. His total earnings are at $32,556,379.
David Peters
Ranked seventh in the world and first in Ohio, David Peters is widely regarded as one of the world’s best poker players, with total live earnings at $33,737,541.
Peter won his biggest live cash of $2,699,752 as a runner-up at $196,000 + 4,000 No-Limit Hold’em Triton Super High Roller Series, which was part of the WPT National Philippines.
Stephen Chidwick
Stephen Chidwick is the most popular poker player in the UK. He was born in Deal, England, where he currently resides.
His total live earnings are $34,770,373, and he is ranked sixth in the all-time money list.
Chidwick’s biggest cash was $5,368,947 and came after he ended fourth at the £1,050,000 No-Limit Hold’em — Triton Million for Charity (invite-only), which was part of Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London.
Dan Smith
Dan Smith is a professional American poker player who is currently ranked fifth in the world’s all-time money list, with $36,742,718 in live cashes.
He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has the opportunity to occupy the number one all-time money spot in the state.
Smith’s biggest live cash is $8,765,628, which he won after finishing third in £1,050,000 No-Limit Hold’em — Triton Million for Charity, an event that was part of Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London.
Erik Seidel
Born in New York, NY, Erik Seidel is the fourth-ranked player in the all-time money list, with a total of $37,748,125 earned so far in live tournaments.
Despite being one of the best poker professionals of all time, Seidel isn’t actually ranked first in New York. That title belongs to Bryn Kenney, whom we’ll talk about below.
Seidel’s biggest live cash is $2,472,555, which he won in 2011 in A$250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, part of the 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. He is also one of the most successful WSOP players, holding eight bracelets at the moment.
Daniel Negreanu
Nicknamed “Kid Poker,” Daniel Negreanu is the most popular player in the world at the moment, with $42,053,307 in live cashes.
Despite his popularity, he is still ranked third in the all-time money list, below Bonomo and Kenney.
Negreanu occupies number one spot in Canada’s all-time money list, and his best live cash is $8,288,001, which he won in 2014 WSOP after finishing a runner-up at $1,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em — The Big One for One Drop.
Negreanu won six WSOP gold bracelets.
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo became one of the highest-ranking on the list after scoring more than $20 million in a single year (2018).
Right now, he has amassed $49,128,107 in live cashes, and his biggest one is $10,000,000, which he won by taking down the 2018 WSOP $1,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em – The Big One for One Drop.
A bit more than a month before that, he topped a $300,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, which was part of the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl, and won $5,000,000.
Bryn Kenney
Bryn Kenney is the ultimate leader of the all-time money list, with $56,403,505 in live tournament prizes.
His biggest live cash landed after finishing second at the 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series event — £1,050,000 No-Limit Hold’em — Triton Million for Charity. He won $20,563,324 in that event and cemented his first position on the list.
Final Thoughts
Even though the top ten list looks like this at the moment, that may change in the future. I don’t believe we’ll soon see many new faces, but some of the best players may change their position depending on their future success. However, I wouldn’t exclude new players entirely. After all, Justin Bonomo was one such new face.
Wow Bryn Kenney is number 1 … I had always thought “Kid Poker” was the top dog
Phil Ivey must have been minted back in the day, swear he hasn’t been on circuit much after the whole Borgata saga