The Best Professional Poker Players

We have all been at the Friday Night Poker Table, wanting to win the cash that your friends are throwing down and hoping we can look like a pro bettor in the process. Sometimes it works but most of the time, it doesn’t. Being a professional poker player is one of the hardest things in the world and there is a very small number of pro poker players who are consistently successful and make the big bucks. 

There have been movies made about the greats and documentaries about the crooks, but all we really know is that when they are at that table with the game on the line and million dollars at stake, it must be the most intense moments of their lives. There are even professional players who play on online casinos but this article will focus more on the pro poker players who have won big in the major tournaments and haven’t looked back. Here are the best professional poker players ever. 

Phil Hellmuth – The Poker Brat

Phil Hellmuth has more poker bracelets than anyone on the face of this planet. Going lovingly by the “Poker Brat”, Hellmuth has dominated the game for quite a long time. He has played at 57 final tables and had 154 money finishes. Hellmuth is just over 55-years-old and has been one of the most relevant poker players over the last three decades. 

Other players have had some feuds with Hellmuth but it is hard to argue with his resume. He has been one of the top guys in poker and the respect he has earned is deserved. It is also shared by others who agree he is one of the best to ever live. Poker Player Doyle Brunson tweeted this about Hellmuth. 

“I just saw Phil Helmuth has cashed 154times at the WSOP so he has probably entered 200 tournaments. He is the best NLH tournament player in the world, in my opinion.” 

Hellmuth had to be on this list and he certainly deserves to be. 

Johnny Moss- Godfather of Poker 

Anytime someone is named the “Godfather” of just about anything, you know they must be a big deal in whatever it is. That certainly applies to Johnny Moss who is considered the godfather of poker. Moss died in 1995 at age 88 but he was one of the best poker players of the 20th century. Moss owned nine bracelets and had 25 money finishes. 

There were only seven players at that first event at Binion’s Horseshoe in 1970, but his fellow players voted Moss as champion. That is a high honor coming from a bunch of competitive guys. Moss was one of the first greats of the sport and was highly respected throughout the game. 

Moss was a big-time bettor in the casino and off the casino, betting on golf courses and things alike. He probably would have been a massive fan of online casino betting. While he had some cold streaks and was not always a winner, Moss is regarded as one of the top players of all time. 

Justin Bonomo – ZeeJustin 

Bonomo is one of the younger guys that you will find on this list but don’t let his age fool you, he is one of the greatest to ever pick up the cards and lay down the chips. At just 35-years-old, you’ll see Bonomo with his headphones in, sitting at the table ready to win some money. He already has three bracelets at this point and has had 55 money finishes. While he is waiting for a World Series of Poker title, he will certainly get one very soon and should begin racking up titles. 

Bonomo has been able to take down some of the biggest players in the game on his way to becoming one of the top players in the world. He has brought in some of the top money in the game, Bonomo took down the $1 million Big One for One Drop at the WSOP for $10 million.

Bonomo is one of the young hotshots in the game right now and he is taking the poker game by storm. While he may not have some of the merits that go along with the top player titles but it is no doubt that he will have all that and more by the time he hangs it up. 

Doyle Brunson – Texas Dolly 

The 87-year-old Texas Dolly has been one of the legends of poker and his cash game prowess includes lessons learned from old Texas road games and nosebleed games in Las Vegas. Brunson’s tournament success is also unmatched by most – highlighted by 10 World Series of Poker bracelets including the Main Event twice, 1976 and 1977. 

His 10 bracelets are second to only Hellmuth but he is still gunning for the guy nearly 20 years younger than him.  When you think about famous poker players and the guys that are slinging down cards and trying to win money, Brunson is right at the top of the most recognizable players to ever sit at the table. 

Not only does he have an incredible career as a guy who has played poker but he is also an acclaimed author and has written books about poker strategy and how to win the big bucks. If you are trying to win at poker, blackjack, hell, even online casino games, picking up a book written by a legend like Doyle Brunson probably isn’t a bad idea 

Bryn Kenney – Mega Crusher

If Mega Crusher isn’t a poker nickname that incites a little bit of intimidation at the table, I’m not entirely sure what is. Kenny is a veteran at poker tables and televised events and has made quite a name for himself while dealing out the chips and winning the big cash. 

In 2019, he won a pair of Triton high roller events for a total of $3.1 million. The same year he finished runner-up in an insane $1 million Triton event for a $20.5 million payday. With Kenney, it’s massive skills and massive paydays.