The Top 10 Greatest Poker Players in the World

We count World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, Main Event victories and all-time live earnings to list the top 10 greatest poker players of all-time!

NOTE: There are no gambling links or affiliates in this page, its just about the game.

Each of our entries includes a link to an official WSOP player page or feature for bracelet facts, or a reference to The Hendon Mob for lifetime earnings and event records. This means that hardware and money are both anchored to primary sources, rather than hearsay.

Our top 10 list covers classic legends who built the game and modern high-roller crushers who are setting today’s statistical ceilings. Let’s dive in!

1. Phil Hellmuth

The undisputed bracelet leader, Phil Hellmuth, owns 17 WSOP bracelets. He achieved his breakthrough by defeating Johnny Chan in the 1989 Main Event, and he has continued to add titles across mixed games and no-limit formats.

Beyond the hardware, his deep WSOP cashes and final tables show rare longevity at the game’s flagship series. Love him or loathe him, 17 bracelets is the single strongest objective argument for No. 1 on any all-time list.

2. Phil Ivey

Often known as the most complete modern player, Phil Ivey has 11 WSOP bracelets, second only to Hellmuth. His 11th arrived in the 2024 $10k Limit 2-7 Triple Draw.

Ivey’s résumé spans hold ’em and a suite of mixed games, with a final-table record that illustrates all-around mastery rather than one-format specialisation.

Combine the hardware with two decades of competing in the largest and toughest fields, and you’ll understand why Ivey is No. 2. He’s also one of the richest poker players of all-time!

3. Doyle Brunson

The “Godfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson, achieved 10 WSOP bracelets and helped define the tournament era. His results span decades, including back-to-back Main Event titles in the 1970s.

Brunson’s strategic writings, fearless style and ability to win across changing formats make him foundational to any list.

Crucially, his numbers came when fields were smaller but brutally tough, and he still remained competitive into poker’s boom years, bridging generations on and off the felt.

4. Stu Ungar

Poker’s greatest prodigy, Stu Ungar, is the only player to win the WSOP Main Event three times as a sole entrant champion — 1980, 1981 and 1997. WSOP documents Ungar’s Triple Crown and iconic 1997 comeback, which revived his career and cemented his legend.

Ungar has achieved three Main Event wins and five WSOP bracelets. His peak dominance in both poker and gin rummy explains why many rank his prime as the highest a single player has ever achieved.

5. Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan authored one of the game’s most iconic streaks: back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles in 1987 and 1988, then runner-up in 1989. He holds 10 WSOP bracelets in total.

Chan’s results during poker’s pre-boom era, and his continued presence at series events, make him a permanent fixture among the greats. Few achievements resonate like consecutive Main Event crowns. 

6. Daniel Negreanu

As an ambassador and competitor, Daniel Negreanu has sustained elite results across two decades. For hard numbers, The Hendon Mob lists more than $56.9 million in live tournament earnings, along with career best cash and rankings.

While his bracelet total trails the top of the list, Negreanu’s combination of longevity, versatility across buy-ins and stack of runner-up finishes in massive modern fields secures his place in the top 10 greatest poker players of all-time.

7. Erik Seidel

Erik Seidel blends old-school fundamentals with modern-era results. He has 10 WSOP bracelets and $48 million-plus in live earnings tracked on The Hendon Mob.

Seidel’s hardware comes in across three decades, including recent high-roller titles that demonstrate a continued edge against solver-era fields. Quiet consistency is his calling card — deep runs year after year that keep him high on both bracelet lists and money lists, a rare two-axis résumé.

8. Stephen Chidwick

A model of modern technical excellence, Stephen Chidwick sits near the very top of poker’s earnings tables. He’s achieved $73.7 million in live cashes and a successful career built on consistency across Triton, EPT, WSOP and PokerGO-era high rollers.

PokerNews also chronicled his move into the No. 2 all-time earnings spot during 2025. Chidwick’s edge is style agnostic. He adjusts to stack depths, formats and fields, which is why peers routinely label him one of the toughest seats in any room.

9. Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo helped define the super high-roller boom, and he remains among the career money leaders. The Hendon Mob lists $65.6 million in live earnings and a $10 million best cash.

His 2018 heater across Super High Roller Bowl and WSOP events set single-year benchmarks for ROI at the stakes that now shape the best of the best. Although he’s not at the very top, Bonomo’s baseline of elite final-table frequency keeps his totals in the stratosphere.

10. Bryn Kenney

As of 2025, Bryn Kenney is No. 1 on poker’s all-time money list. He owns the largest single tournament payout on record, the $20,563,324 runner-up prize in the 2019 Triton Million.

Whether or not we use lucrative prize money as our primary yardstick, leading the audited lifetime earnings table and holding the biggest cash ever are unambiguous achievements.

The Top Poker Players of All-Time

All-time poker greatness isn’t measured by just one metric. Hardware at the World Series of Poker proves sustained excellence in huge, mixed-game festival fields, whereas all-time earnings prove repeated success against the world’s toughest buy-ins.

Look across both areas of the game, and we can see a clear picture of the best of the best. From Hellmuth’s 17 bracelets to Bonomo’s pursuit of records on the money axis, our list is a story that spans eras!