Throughout history, many players paved the way for new trends and styles in poker, while others washed away. Whether it is for the money they won or their achievement in top-flight tournaments, we will list today 17 of the top poker players of all time. But what about Kuwait? Are there any known professional poker Kuwaiti players? Keep reading to find out.
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Who Are The Top 16 Poker Players of All Time?
Poker has seen countless players rise and fall throughout its history, but a select few have left an unforgettable mark on the game. From record-breaking champions to strategic geniuses and trailblazers who shaped modern poker, these players have defined what it means to excel at the felt. In this section, we highlight the 16 Top Poker Players of All Time, exploring their achievements, playing styles, and the legacy they’ve left for both live and online poker enthusiasts.
Our Criteria For Ranking Them:
- Amount Won in Total By Playing Poker: Becoming a millionaire by playing poker shows you have insane poker skills and are a mastermind of manipulation.
- Tournament Achievements: Particularly the number of bracelets won playing the top-flight tournament WSOP.
- Is On Poker Hall of Fame: Founded in 1979, the Poker Hall of Fame honors the world’s greatest poker players and is considered the highest honor in poker.
1) Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is the best poker player of all time, holding the all-time record for World Series of Poker bracelets with 17 titles. He is known to throw explosive but theatrical tantrums when he loses. Hellmuth is a master at surviving tournaments and exploiting amateur mistakes of his opponents. He attributes his success to white magic, which is not really magic, but his instinct, psychology, opponent reading, and mathematical skills.
- Born: July 16, 1964
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$30,900,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2007
- WSOP Bracelets: 17 (all‑time record)
- Nickname: The Poker Brat
- Years Active: Mid‑1980s–Present
2) Phil Ivey
Ivey is regarded by his peers as the best all-around poker player and is often referred to as the Tiger Woods of poker. In the 2000s, he was a particularly intimidating opponent due to his terrifying table presence and intense state, and he excels across all poker variants. His hand reading and bluffing skills are legendary, which likely granted him 11 WSOP bracelets.
- Born: February 1, 1977
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$54,400,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2017
- WSOP Bracelets: 11
- Nickname: No Home Jerome
- Years Active: Late 1990s–Present
3) Daniel Negreanu
Negreanu has won the most money playing poker professionally across every one of our list of top poker players. He is the ambassador of the game, known for his extreme friendliness and chattiness. In other words, he is uncanny. Some consider his ability to predict the exact hands of his opponents before making a decision to be supernatural. Another thing he popularized is small pot poker.
- Born: July 26, 1974
- Nationality: Canadian
- Money won: ~$56,000,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2014
- WSOP Bracelets: 7
- Nickname: Kid Poker / DNegs
- Years Active: Early 1990s–Present
4) Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson won the WSOP Main Event back to back in 1976 and 1977, holding the exact starting hand of 10-2. He wrote a book on modern poker strategy called Super/System. He is the godfather of modern poker, introducing aggressive strategies. He passed away in 2023, leaving behind a big legacy.
- Born: August 10, 1933 (died May 14, 2023)
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$6,100,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 1988
- WSOP Bracelets: 10
- Nickname: Texas Dolly, Big Papa
- Years Active: 1950s–2023 (over 60 years)
5) Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel is known for the longevity of his poker career, thus making his way to our list of top poker players of all time. Many pros faded well into the 80s and 90s, but Seidel still stands and currently holds an astonishing 10 WSOP bracelets. Seidel continuously evolved his game. He studies intensely, allowing him to consistently crush the modern generation of mathematical wizards in today’s Super High Roller events.
- Born: November 6, 1959
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$47,000,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2010
- WSOP Bracelets: 10
- Nickname: Sly, Seiborg
- Years Active: Late 1980s–Present
6) Stu Ungar
Stu Ungar won the WSOP Main Event three times (in 1980, 1981, and 1997), but his story was tragic. Throughout his whole life, he battled substance abuse, which started particularly after his mother’s death in 1979. His situation worsened after the suicide of his stepson, whom he loved deeply, in 1989. In the 1990 WSOP Main Event, he was dominating the tournament, and then when it was time to resume, he was nowhere to be seen until he was found unconscious in his hotel room. Ironically, he had won so many chips that even after not proceeding in that tournament, he still finished 9th.
Afterwards came a long period of struggle, to the point where he lost all his money, and his friend fronted him the $10,000 entry fee for the 1997 WSOP Main Event at the absolute last second. Miraculously, Ungar played flawlessly and won his third Main Event title. The success was short-lived, as he blew all the money on drugs again until he passed away a year later.
- Born: September 8, 1953 – Died: November 22, 1998
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$3.6 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2001
- WSOP Bracelets: 5
- Nickname: The Kid
- Years Active: 1970s–1990s
7) Michael Mizrachi
Mizrachi won the WSOP’s prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship an unprecedented three times. He is known for his unpredictable and aggressive style of play and for being able to put pressure on his opponents in complex poker games where reading the board and the players is more important than standard hand charts.
- Born: June 5, 1981
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$17.4 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2025
- WSOP Bracelets: 8
- Nickname: The Grinder
- Years Active: Early‑2000s–Present
8) Chris Moneymaker
If you are an avid poker player, you must have heard of the Moneymaker Effect. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker was an amateur player who qualified for the WSOP Main Event via an $86 online satellite and won the whole tournament, single-handedly sparking the global online poker boom. This historical achievement puts him on the list of top poker players, as it proves your raw talent can get you places. He had the natural composure, timing, and raw bluffing capability to outlast the world’s best pros on the biggest stage.
- Born: November 21, 1975
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$8.3 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2019
- WSOP Bracelets: 1
- Nickname: None widely used (famous for his story)
- Years Active: 2000s–Present
9) Bobby Baldwin
Bobby won the WSOP Main Event in 1978 at the age of 28, the youngest player to win at that time. He possessed a brilliant strategic mind and was highly disciplined and analytical in a world where most players rely purely on gambling instincts. The famous high-stakes cash game room at the Bellagio, “Bobby’s Room” (now Legends Room), was named after him.
- Born: February 6, 1950
- Nationality: American
- Money won : ~$2 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2003
- WSOP Bracelets: 3
- Nickname: The Owl
- Years Active: 1970s–1980s
10) Johnny Moss
“The Grand Old Man of Poker” was the winner of the very first WSOP in 1970, at the time a cash game event, in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers. He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in 1971 and 1974. He is considered one of the top poker players simply because he was among the very first to rise to fame.
Moss was particularly famous for playing head-to-head with mob boss Benny Binion. Some may consider it an act of foolishness to beat a mob boss like that, but Moss was so good that Binion said what is now one of the most famous poker quotes to him: “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”
- Born: May 14, 1907 Died: December 16, 1995
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$1.2 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 1979
- WSOP Bracelets: 9
- Nickname: The Grand Old Man of Poker
- Years Active: 1940s–1990s
11) Phil Laak
Phil Laak is known for his highly entertaining, eccentric TV table antics and his signature look: a hoodie pulled tight over his head with sunglasses to hide his physical tells. He also holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous poker session (115 hours). However, beneath this clownish persona is a deeply mathematical mind.
- Born: September 8, 1972
- Nationality: Irish‑American
- Money won: ~$3.8 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2023
- WSOP Bracelets: 1
- Nickname: The Unabomber
- Years Active: 1990s–Present
12) Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright is a real trailblazer for women in poker. She well earned her place as one of the top poker players of all time, being the first woman to win an open WSOP event and remaining the only woman to ever reach the final table of the WSOP Main Event (finishing 5th in 1995).
- Born: February 16, 1954
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$>1 M+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2007
- WSOP Bracelets: 3
- Nickname: None widely used
- Years Active: 1980s–2000s
13) John Juanda
A quiet, highly respected professional who has amassed five WSOP bracelets, an EPT title, and tens of millions in winnings consistently over three decades. He is known for his calm demeanor and never plays emotionally after losing. His emotional control, paired with his deep analytical skills, makes him one of the top poker players of the present day.
- Born: July 8, 1971
- Nationality: Indonesian
- Money won: ~$26,543,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2015
- WSOP Bracelets: 5
- Nickname: JJ, Luckbox
- Years Active: 1990s–Present
- Other Titles: EPT Main Event champion (Barcelona).
14) T.J. Cloutier
He was a towering and dominant presence in the 1990s and early 2000s tournaments. He is famous for his deep WSOP Main Event runs and huge bankroll swings, partly due to his love of playing craps. Cloutier was one of the top tournament specialists of his time. He had a “sixth sense” for tournaments, knowing exactly when to switch from tight to aggressive play to collect chips.
- Born: October 13, 1939
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$10,475,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2006
- WSOP Bracelets: 6
- Nickname: T.J.
- Years Active: 1970s–2000s
- Other Achievements: Four deep finishes in WSOP Main Event top 5.
15) Layne Flack
Nicknamed “Back-to-Back Flack,” he earned this by winning WSOP bracelets in both 1999 and 2002. He sadly passed away in 2021. He had a fast, loose, and aggressive style that overwhelmed opponents and trusted his instincts to dominate No-Limit fields.
- Born: May 18, 1969 Died: 2021
- Nationality: American
- Money won: ~$5,079,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2022
- WSOP Bracelets: 6
- Nickname: Back-to-Back
- Years Active: 1990s–2021
16) Patrik Antonius
A Finnish legend, Antonius is famous for his calm, stoic look and for being one of the biggest winners in online high-stakes cash games. He has incredible emotional control and mathematical skill, playing balanced ranges that make him very hard to read and almost immune to pressure in multi-million-dollar pots.
- Born: December 13, 1980
- Nationality: Finnish
- Money won: ~$29,300,000+
- Hall of Fame: Yes — 2024
- WSOP Bracelets: None
- Nickname: PA, Black Lotus, The Finn
- Years Active: 2000s–Present
What About Kuwait Poker Players?
There is one notable poker player from Kuwait. He is not considered one of the top poker players of all time, but he is popular. Salman Behbehani, a DJ from a wealthy Kuwaiti family based in California, has won over $3,384,336 playing poker professionally. He was convicted of being in possession of a large quantity of substances. He initially faced up to nine years in prison, but the court settled at six years.
Apart from Behbehani, there are other notable poker players from Kuwait who have made decent earnings playing competitively online. However, it is difficult for Kuwaitis to enter major tournaments like the WSOP or any live event in the U.S. or Europe, mainly because of the legal restrictions on gambling in Kuwait. With that said, here are eight notable Kuwaiti players with decent earnings from playing poker online professionally.
| Player Name | Earnings |
| Nasser Al Mujaibel | $257,490 |
| Ghanim Dashti | $197,298 |
| Saoud Aldeghaishem | $100,760 |
| Salah Alsayegh | $81,863 |
| Kuwait Ali Jamal | $35,606 |
| Hamed Muhammed | $31,681 |
| Abdulaziz Aleisa | $26,715 |
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