The Greatest US Real Money Poker Professionals of All Time

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The world of poker is filled with inspiring stories – from the people who put this game on the map to the people who mastered it, to those who taught it to others, to its most iconic and memorable players who – no matter how much they won – were always ambassadors for the game.

Today, we take a look at some of the greatest players of all time in the world of poker and what they did to make this game so great. Poker was once shunned as something that no-gooders would do, but times have changed rapidly. 

 

Chris Moneymaker

Who hasn’t heard of Chris Moneymaker, the man who made it into the World Series of Poker Main Event and walked away a winner with a good, solid seven-figure prize pool to his name? Since that time, Moneymaker has been an ambassador for the game on so many levels. He has continued to enjoy it a lot. Him playing online poker for real money has inspired many to try poker in the first place.

The fact he managed to qualify through an online event gave birth to the professional online scene more or less with people inspired to follow Moneymaker’s example and do their best to conquer the highest echelons of the poker world as well. Not all will be able to replicate his success – granted, but many have found themselves excelling at poker because of Moneymaker and his living legacy. 

 

Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo is another prominent figure in the world of poker. He started out as – surprise, surprise, a Magic: The Gathering player, but transitioned into poker, because he knew he could use his knowledge of cards, probability, and an innate good sense of defeating opponents in the trading card game to also defeat opponents in poker and win money out of it.

Because of how successful Bonomo has become, people have been very keen to try poker as well. His games are legendary and you may not see him win many Main Events as such, but he has been the top dog when it comes to all-time earnings. He has amassed more than $61 million in cash from playing live and his best-ever single-event result is $10 million. 

 

Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson is the late Godfather of Poker. He has been one of the most notable figures the game has had to offer, and although he isn’t the biggest winner of all time in terms of pure poker winnings, he has been one of the game’s most passionate ambassadors. Brunson joined poker in the 50s and he has been very active indeed.

His name is a legend and he was inaugurated into the Poker Hall of Fame as such. Why is Brunson such an important part of the poker scene? This is a good question. First off, he is one of the few players to win a back-to-back WSOP Main Event back in 1976 and 1977. The competition back in the day was not perhaps as fierce but it was there.

The only reason why Brunson’s winnings aren’t bigger is that he basically helps build the community that the game is today. He advocated passionately and was known worldwide, as he would travel to play. He wrote several books, that were called “the bible of Poker” as they allowed players to learn and pick a lot of things for the game and the psyche of a professional player. All in all, Brunson is one of the greatest players to have ever graced this scene. His passing has caused many people sorrow and true poker aficionados’ regret. 

 

Phil Hellmuth 

Whenever there is a big tournament, you can look for one familiar face – this is Phil Hellmuth, a legend in his own right. He is one of the players caught between the old guard and the new talent that has entered the game. His skill, presence, and ability to play competitively in some of the most cut-throat tournaments in the world of poker over the past years have earned him his name, which is one of an absolute legend.

As a player, he has had many successes. He won the WSOP Main Event in 1989 and he similarly won the Main Event in Europe in 2012. Overall, his career has been an exciting one. He has had the occasional spats with other high-profile players which have made his character and personality all that more interesting.

But really, if there is one thing that sets Hellmuth apart, that is not his issues with other players – it’s his ability to play and play competitively, and reliably and offer powerful and exciting games. All in all, Hellmuth is one of the greatest poker players that this game has seen and there is hardly any denying that. 

 

Daniel Negreanu 

The Canadian poker ace Daniel Negreanu is going to go down in history as one of the world’s true poker legends. His successes in the games are many and always the cause of further excitement. He is the only player to have been nominated for WSOP Player of the Year – and win – in 2004 and 103. 

Having amassed a wealth of more than $50 million from playing poker alone, Negreanu is one of the true lodestars in the game with an enviable game sense and exceptional ability to turn a bad hand into a powerful – and oftentimes successful bluff even against players who are of his caliber. 

There has been a lot going on with him of late, as he has been playing actively and weekly in live events. If you are looking for a strong poker role model, Negreanu may just be it.

Of course, the game of poker has produced other talent. Many of the new players who are exceptionally skilled and gifted are not even heard of – just yet, but they are out there and they are eventually coming for the likes of Hellmuth and Negreanu. 




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