A relatively important question that comes up a lot in sports is, “Who’s the best poker player of all time”? For a long time, people have carried different perspectives on the topic. You see, you can’t measure a poker player by their speed, strength, or stamina. You have to measure them through their wit and how they make their decisions. So, with that in mind, we have created a list of the top 10 best professional poker players of all time. We’ve taken skill into consideration, as well as a few other factors including reputation, bankroll management, and money won. Let’s get started.
10. Patrik Antonius
Patrik Antonius is one of the closest players that you will see compared to Phil Ivey. He is a professional in every sense of the word and he has been dominating live poker games for a while now. As far as online poker games go, he is much respected and has accumulated millions of dollars there. He is one of the more consistent players of this era and he continues to play with the best in the world. As long as Patrik Antonius continues to play professional poker, you can be certain that he will continue to put pressure on other players as well as continue to make a lot of money.
9. Jennifer Harman
Although she is the only female to make it onto this list, she has definitely accomplished a lot in her poker career. She’s been dominating the tables ever since her early 20s and has continued this for over 10 years. She’s not afraid to play with the big boys and she plays relatively high stakes poker on a regular basis. You could argue that she is the best female professional poker player of all time.
8. Stu Ungar
When you think about legendary and you think about poker, it can be difficult not to think about Stu Ungar. He was often referred to as the “idiot savant” of poker. In the 70s, he would dominate table games and there were few players who would be able to keep up with him. Although he had a reputation for losing a lot of money (some say due to being board), his skills were still way above par during that time. He changed the game of poker forever and he will always be remembered as a poker icon.
7. Tom Dwan
Tom Dwan is the epitome of an aggressive poker player, and smart. Some people like to call him the modern day Stu Ungar. He started his career playing poker online when he first discovered Internet poker. From there, he took his time and built a relatively large bankroll. Now, even legendary poker players like Doyle Brunson and Barry Greenstein are giving him the utmost respect when he sits down at a poker table. He is a young, aggressive poker player who will continue to make millions of dollars throughout the course of his career.
6. Barry Greenstein
Barry Greenstein is definitely at the top of the poker food chain. If you were to sit down at a table with him then you would definitely be in for a long ride, and probably lose your money. A lot of people don’t realize just how strong of a player he really is though. He dominated both cash-games and tournaments for many years and even at an old age he is still able to keep up with the faster, younger generation. Respected by many, he will continue to dominate the table and win poker tournaments.