When it comes to the best poker players of all time, there are some big names on the list. Some of the biggest wins of all time are Hossein Ensan, who scooped $10,000,000 in 2019; Jamie Gold, who played his way to $12,000,000 in 2006; and Elton Tsang, who snagged The Big One for One Drop $12,189,918.
But new players come to the table or websites like 888 every year to show off their skills in the hopes of walking away from the table with a win to beat the biggest and the best.
Each year, just like in other sports, players can be ranked by their play, winnings, and in some cases, even just how they play. And, just like other sports, the same names often top the best players’ lists.
So who is on the list of the top poker players in 2022?
Fedor Holz
Fedor Holz is one of the youngest poker players to make the list of the top players in 2022, being just 23 years old. But by the summer of 2016, Holz had a reputation for being unbeatable – and news travels fast when you are on that type of streak.
He snagged his first WSOP bracelet and won three times in the Aria Super/High Roller tournament and the European Poker Tour.
Fedor’s bankroll is stacking up due to his exceptional second-place cash finish in 2018 Big One for One Drop, which netted him $6 million. Whether or not he keeps his attention on poker, he has paved the way for upcoming players everywhere.
His biggest win is $6,000,00 at the No Limit Hold ’em – The Big One for One Drop WSOP.
Dan Smith
You might be more familiar with Dan’s nickname, Cowboy Dan. He’s a New Jersey native, and poker fans will know of his big scoop $2 million win at the Bellagio Super High Roller in 2014. In 2019 for a third-place position in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, scooped $8.7 million.
Dan is now a regular at all of the super high roller tournaments, including Macau, Australia, London, and Las Vegas. What is Dan perhaps most known for? He appears more comfortable playing at higher stakes, and his highest winnings and results come from tables with the biggest buy-ins.
Dan’s biggest win was a hefty $8,765,628 million in London.
Justin Bonomo
If you’ve heard the name Justin Bonomo but can’t quite place it, it might be that when he was only 16, he put a $500 deposit on Paradise Poker and turned it into $10,000 with relative ease.
It is not that; then it might be the record-breaking spree in 2018 that saw him finish the year cashing over $25 million! While some poker players are more likely to be seen at an in-person event, Bonomo is just as likely to be seen at the Super High Roller Bowl Online events too.
Justin Bonomo’s biggest win was 2018 The Big One for One Drop WSOP $1,000,000 buy-in – walking away with $10,000,000.
Bryn Kenney
A gamer for life, Bryn swapped his Magic: The Gathering for poker in 2007, although you’ll probably find him playing more than a few non-casino types of games! Kenney achieved his first SWOP bracelet in 2014 and has won some of the biggest prizes since then.
In 2019 he won three prizes worth over $1 million, then went on to bank $20.5 million at the Triton Million in the same year.
Kenney is a force to be reckoned with but what is most impressive is that he consistently walks away with multiple millions.
His big wins include the 2019 Montenegro Triton Poker Super High Roller Series – $2,713,859, the 2019 Jeju Triton Super High Roller Series – $3,062,513 and his most significant win to date, Triton Million for Charity – $20,563,324.
Erik Seidel
Erik has been on the poker circuit long before there were online poker rooms and started to gain recognition in 1988 when he finished second in a WSOP Main Event. What makes this incredible is that his knockout hand was used in the cult classic Rounders.
Erik now has multiple WSOP bracelets and is in the Poker Hall of Fame. A career-high for him was in 2011, when he won over $6.5 million; two of those wins were just days apart. Although Erik was playing poker at tables before it was popular online, he has a range of high-value wins playing online poker now too.
Erik’s most significant wins include $2,222,222 in Monte Carlo at the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. $2,400,000 in Las Vegas at the Super High Roller Bowl and $2,472,555 at the Aussie Millions Super High Roller in Melbourne.
There are plenty of big names that are making live poker games exciting, and each year more professionals join the ranks.