The WSOP is one of the major poker events of the year. So many people come to try their hand at these games when the next tournament rolls around. As a result, it is unsurprising that there are some players who could be considered the top WSOP players throughout the years.
Let’s take a look at some of these well-known faces.
Chris Moneymaker
Moneymaker is an incredibly important figure in the world of poker as he helped to popularise it during the poker boom of the early 2000s. He won the 2003 WSOP Main Event, a significant win as he qualified for the game through playing at an online poker site. He has collected numerous other titles over the years, with most of his monetary wins coming from the WSOP. Finally, in 2019, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. His contribution to the game, and the way in which his legacy has influenced it cannot be denied.
Phil Hellmuth
Hellmuth’s first bracelet win came in 1989, and he has followed this up with a further fifteen wins. This last sixteenth bracelet win was in the 2021 WSOP, and helped to push him out even further as the player with the most bracelet wins. He was inducted into the hall of fame back in 2007, and also holds the records for most WSOP final tables at an astonishing 64. Though his attitude gets the better of him, having earned him the nickname The Poker Brat, there is no doubting that he is a top player.
Daniel Negreanu
Negreanu was the youngest to ever pick up a WSOP bracelet when he was just 23, at the 1998 WSOP. This earned him the nickname of Kid Poker. He has since collected a total of six bracelets – including a Main Event win at the WSOP Asia-Pacific – in addition to numerous other titles. With a slew of TV appearances, a pro position at ggpoker.co.uk, and his own Masterclass, there is no denying that he is one of the most active poker players in the community.
Johnny Chan
Chan has ten WSOP bracelets to his name. It might not be quite as many as Hellmuth but it is still incredibly impressive, and he is tied with Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey for bracelet wins. He was the first foreign national to win the Main Event at the WSOP. He has made several appearances in other tournaments too, and has appeared several times on the late-night show Poker After Dark.
Antonio Esfandiari
Esfandiari is ranked as the number one player for earnings in the WSOP. He has cashed in 51 times to the tune of over €22 million. Along the way, he has also picked up three WSOP bracelets and a circuit ring. Known as The Magician thanks to his previous career, he is well-known for playing across a wide variety of tournaments beyond the WSOP. Like others on this list, he also frequently makes an appearance in various poker shows.
These five are some of the most well-known names in poker. They have all done a lot to each advance the game in their own way. Poker is becoming more and more popular with each passing year. Some of the names mentioned here are household names, others are more well-known within the world of poker, but there is no denying that all five have made a major impact on the community. They are all phenomenal players and deserve the recognition that they have received over the years. Hopefully, they will bring a lot more to the game in the future.