It goes without saying that poker is one of the most intriguing and popular casino table games. Enjoy our roundup of the top players and stayers as we pay tribute to the stamina, fearlessness and unbelievable skills of some of the world’s top poker players who drew the online crowds and tasted sweet success throughout lockdown and beyond.
In 2020 the pandemic put an end to live poker tournaments in most parts of the world, and suddenly online poker became the setting for the top-ranked poker players to battle it out. Poker fans stayed glued to their screens as some of the world’s most skilled and coolheaded players raised the stakes and grew the game they love. Playing poker online became a trend that continues to this day. But who rose to the top? From the new breed of young millionaires to the old-school superstars still plying their trade at the highest level, here are some of the best poker players in the world right now.
The rise of the World Series of Poker online
With an array of variations and online formats, poker is no stranger to innovation and technological advancements, although the World Series of Poker may have been once. Having resisted for so long, the World Series of Poker online tournament began in 2020 as a replacement for the postponement of the 2020 land-based WSOP tournament. The success was unexpected and, since then, it has gone from strength to strength with the world’s top poker players participating. Suddenly, it went from a one-off event to an annual occasion bookmarked by poker’s elite and has shown no signs of stopping.
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo – age 35 from Oakton, Virginia – announced himself to the world of poker at the age of 16, and at 21 when he became the youngest player to take part at a televised final table in the European Poker Tour French Open in Deauville, France. His fourth-place finish netted him $40,815 and let his opponents know there was a new (fearless) kid on the scene. Justin Bonomo is one of the world’s richest poker players and also one of the faces of online poker. When the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) moved online for the first time in June 2020, Bonomo took home $1,775,000 and became the first player to win three SHRB titles. In 2021, he took down a $100,000 buy-in high roller at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $928,000.
Erik Seidel
Enter Erik Seidel, now in his sixties, who was winning live tournaments before some of today’s top contenders were born and has watched the game transform in all ways imaginable. This advocate for responsible gambling has lost none of the prowess that saw him scooping an incredible $6.5 million in tournament winnings in 2011. Regarded as one of the top poker players in the world, he has mouthwatering lifetime earnings of $37.7 million and fourth place on the all-time money list for live tournament earnings. Focus and perseverance are the calling cards of this veteran player, who, in 2020, celebrated a decade in the Poker Hall of Fame. He also boasts taking down the Super MILLION$ High Roller event at the WSOP Online series in 2021.
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu should be at the top of everyone’s list when discussing who the top 10 poker players in the world are. With a net worth of around $43 million, there’s no question “Kid Poker” is one of the world’s most famous poker players. A master of the game, his knack for reading his opponents and adapting his playing style is one of the reasons he’s the only one to have claimed World Series bracelets in Australia, Europe and Las Vegas. Negreanu entered the Hall of Fame in 2014, which saw the start of a long-running feud with fellow pro Doug Polk. In 2020, Negreanu publicly accepted Polk’s invitation to a high-stakes grudge match, agreeing to square off at $200/$400 for at least 12,500 hands – the games began with a live session on November 4, 2020. The Canadian pro performed incredibly well at the 2021 WSOP, where he racked up over $1 million in earnings.
Phil Ivey
A longtime poker pro with an estimated $30 million in live tournament winnings, Phil Ivey stayed in the game in 2020, playing poker online, adding to his estimated $20 million-plus in online winnings and reminding fans he can succeed on any stage. He tasted sweet success to the tune of $1.4 million, which included a win and runner-up finish in two $50,000 events in Sochi, Russia. Often referred to as the “Tiger Woods of poker,” the Riverside, California-born 44-year-old now calls Las Vegas home and is considered by some as the best poker player in the world (quite an accolade.) Ivey is famous for keeping his cool when things become rough, and his remarkable capacity for self-control is said to intimidate other players. He secured a live poker tournament title at the Super High Roller Bowl Europe $25,000 buy-in short deck event. He took home the $408,000 first-place prize. A winner in all formats, Ivey has also won millions playing online poker, which cements him as one of the all-time greats!
Bryn Kenney
With a net worth of over $56 million, few would disagree that Bryn Kenney is the world’s top poker player. The year 2020 was the 13th in which the Long Beach, New York native had been growing his bankroll. Fresh from gaining $20.5 million at the Triton Million in 2019 – as runner-up – Kenney celebrated with a January win at the Aussie Millions No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Although his appetite for living on the edge has seen him go broke four or five times, he closed 2020 at the top of the all-time money list, proving that sometimes it pays to be fearless. This courageous approach is reciprocated on the felt as Kenney continues to go for the ultrahigh stakes tournaments. In fact, his net worth ranks at the top. Let’s see if he can hold on to that top spot for longer.
Take a seat with the pros at Borgata Online
Learning about the game of poker and the people who play it goes a long way toward improving your experience of the game. Knowing how to play poker online, what online poker tournaments to play and how to qualify is important for anyone who wants to play online poker for money and rub shoulders with the pros. Simply having a poker hands list and a poker basics crib sheet printed out next to you isn’t going to cut it. Improve your poker tournament strategy by keeping up with these top poker players. Register with Borgata Online today and visit our online poker rooms to get your taste of the online tournament action.
If you’re serious about improving your game, here’s our online poker guide for the next time you enter a live poker tournament.