The Top Poker Players in the World Right Now

The rise of online gaming in recent years has seen virtually every type of casino game attain popularity. The number and range of people playing those games far exceeds that of any time in the past.

Research into the online casino industry consistently shows that slot games enjoy the most popularity. That is because they are fast and easy to play and come with quirky themes like the ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus slot.

However, other types of casino games also have their fans. Poker is one example and people like poker for very different reasons to slots.

They prefer the game because of its psychological depth and complexity. Many of them have discovered it by watching the best players on television or live streams.

In this article we will look at the stars that are inspiring people to play poker.

Bryn Kenney

More than one poker website has ranked this US player as the absolute greatest. There are different ways of determining that, from who has earned the most money to the number of World Series of Poker bracelets won.

Kenney has just one of those, which puts him well below other star players, but he deserves his place at the top of the list due to his career earnings. The 36-year-old has won a total of $56.4 million at the poker tables and no one can really argue with that.

Since securing his very first tournament money finish in 2007, Kenney has been raking in the cash. There have been 32 money finishes at the WSOP, which account for much of his staggering earnings, but his most lucrative result was a $20,563,324 win in the Triton Million.

He has plenty of time to add more WSOP bracelets, but his winnings are enough to rank him among the very best whether he does or not.

Phil Hellmuth

For those who consider professional poker greatness to be measured in WSOP bracelets, Hellmuth is the absolute best. He has won an astonishing 16 of them during his career, which is way in front of his nearest competitor.

Not much is known about his life outside of poker, but he seems singularly dedicated to it. He has made several appearances on the High Stakes Poker game show and written books on the subject as well as articles for the magazine Cardplayer.

The first of his WSOP bracelets came in 1989, at the No Limit Hold’em World Championship. The most recent was won two years ago during the No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw.

Hellmuth has earned 186 money finishes in his career so far and the 58-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.

Justin Bonomo

Bonomo is the player with the second highest earnings from his poker career. So far he has made over $53 million at the tables.

It was a mighty $10 million win at the WSOP five years ago that propelled him up those rankings. That year was the finest of his career to date, with 10 victories in key tournaments, including the Macau Super High Roller Bowl and May Aria Super High Roller Bowl.

That level of performance clearly marks him as one of the greatest players in poker history. To now, the 37-year old has secured 55 money finishes and three WSOP bracelets and he started young.

He competed in his first tournament aged just 19 and reached the final table, finishing in fourth place. That sort of thing draws people to poker because it shows that even new players can do well as long as they know the game.

Bonomo lives in Las Vegas, at Panorama Towers, which is a popular haunt of poker players. He is known to be polyamorous.

Phil Ivey

Ivey is one of several players who have won 10 bracelets at the WSOP, but at 46 years old, he definitely has a chance of many more. He has also made it to the final table of nine events on the World Poker Tour.

His career stats have led other players on the circuit to describe him as the finest all-round poker player and he is clearly held in high esteem. If there is one thing that is missing from his resume it is an out-and-out win at the WSOP, with seventh being his best finish to date.

He has won an event on the World Poker Tour, claiming the LA Poker Classic in 2007 and there is time for more tournament victories. As the youngest player in poker history to get to 10 WSOP bracelets, his legacy seems pretty secure already though.

Ivey’s other interests include golf and following the Houston Rockets and LA Lakers.

It is players like these who are encouraging those who watch professional poker to start playing themselves.