Biggest Online Poker Winners

The biggest online poker winners have gone from obscurity to worldwide stardom in the blink of an eye, whether by striking it big in a tournament, accumulating a jackpot or simply crushing the competition. Today, we’re unpacking their stories .

The Biggest Online Poker Players in the UK

According to public data supplied by Statista, as of May 2022, the undisputed UK leader in online poker earnings is Stephen Chidwick, amassing a total of $39.18 million from open and invitational events. Through the ‘Gambling Act of 2005’, online poker became legal in the Kingdom, determining a surge in traffic on dedicated platforms and the rise of even more talented players. Here are the most impressive ones :

Name: Liv Boeree

Olivia Boeree or Liv Boeree is a former professional poker player from the UK, currently known as a television presenter and host of the Win-Win podcast. She has one of the most impressive track-records in terms of performance, and is currently among the top ten female poker players in the world by all-time winnings.

Liv Boeree is a WSOP (World Series of Poker) and European Poker Tour (EPT) champion, making her the only female poker player in history to achieve both. Her most amazing feat was winning €1,250,000 on April 21, 2020 at the European Poker Tour main event held in San Remo, Italy. In 2020, it was estimated that her total live tournament earnings exceed $3,800,000.

Name: Stephen Chidwick

Born in Deal, Kent, Stephen James Chidwick is nowadays one of UK’s biggest online poker winners. His total earnings from various competitions, such as the World Series of Poker, High Rollers, WPT and ETP Championships are a whopping $59,186,554 and still growing. His lifetime live earnings are yet another impressive $34,390,806, whilst his biggest cash win ever is $5,359,504, obtained in the High Rollers tournament.

Although a worldwide sensation today, James had humble beginnings. An avid poker player since he was 18, he became famous in 2008 after winning a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’Em event for $88,760 at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Rumor has it that James accumulated his bankroll by participating in freeroll tournaments, and he’s known for using various aliases like “stevie444” and “TylersDad64” on online card rooms. Now this is a man we’d love to learn how to play poker from!

Name: Sam Trickett

Another one of the top online poker winners from the UK is Sam Trickett, a professional player from East Retford, the UK. He was originally meant to become a football player, but a fateful event determined him to change careers and turn to poker, namely a knee injury. He is most known for winning the 2011 Aussie Millions A $100,000 High Roller event for A $1.5 million. Additionally, he is a famous runner-up in the Big One for Drop competition, coming second to Antonio Esfandiari and winning over $10 million.

We’d also classify Trickett as among the most dedicated players of high stakes poker online, as he came in second in 2010 in the WSOP A$5,000 No-Limit Hold’Em competition, earning $505,725. His preferred poker variation is No Limit Hold’Em, as this is the game that brought him the most impressive prizes throughout his career. However, despite this amazing success, he has never won a WSOP bracelet. His total live earnings exceed $21,772,840, and his best live cash prize is $10,112,001.

The Biggest Online Poker Players Rest Of The World

According to World Metrics’ industry statistics, if the same development pace is maintained, the global online poker market is on track to reach $4.6 billion by 2027, after being valued at $2.9 billion in 2020. This legendary card game is particularly popular in the US, Brazil, Canada and France, but thanks to the technological advancements, the biggest poker winners come from all jurisdictions and walks of life.

Name: Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player of Romanian origins. His outstanding knowledge of the game, clear mind and ability to strategize live have brought him seven World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Poker Tour (WPT) championship titles. He was also recognized by the Global Poker Index as one of the best players of the previous decade, and he currently ranks 38th in the same index. Daniel’s total recorded earnings are around $52,995,756, and a large chunk of that is represented by WSOP winnings ($22,538,085).

Daniel was also nicknamed ’Kid Poker’ after he became the youngest poker player to obtain a WSOP bracelet. He achieved this in 1998 when he was only 23, winning the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’Em event.

Name: Phill Ivey

Are table games also your number one choice when playing on the top online casinos? Then our next contender’s story will surely impress you. Phill Ivey is, undoubtedly, one of the high stakes poker biggest winners, his total recorded earnings exceeding $46,165,301. He is recognized by the community and other pros alike as the best poker player of all time and was even inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017. So far, Phillip has won 11 WSOP bracelets and one World Poker Tour title.

A truly versatile professional, Phillip has earned over $44 million in live tournaments alone, and has mastered numerous poker variations, including 7 Card Stud, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo and Hold’Em. What makes him particularly inspiring is his focused, controlled demeanour and high adaptability to different poker formats and variations.

Name: Maria Ho

Last but not least in our list of all time online poker winners is Maria Ho, a Taiwanese-American poker player and famous TV host. According to her own admissions in a public Reddit post, Maria developed a love for poker back in college , when she showed up uninvited to a match at a friend’s home and effortlessly defeated all the other participants. Since then, she has increased her stakes gradually playing at local Indian casinos, then moved up to the pro leagues, eventually participating in her first WSOP competition in 2005.

Maria has total recorded earnings of $4,722,499 and more than half of this amount was achieved in WSOP competitions (around $2,149,436), and World Poker Tour participations ($753,184). She is an expert player of No-Limit Hold’Em, as this is the variation that brought her international success. Maria has been inducted in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018. She was also featured on The Amazing Race, an American reality show, alongside another poker player, Tiffany Michelle.

The largest cash of her career was recorded in 2011, when she was a runner-up in the WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’Em event. Although she came in second, she still won a sizable $540,020.

Our Online Poker Tips

As we mentioned previously, because poker is a game of skill, it allows the development of complex strategies that can boost your winning chances. This is in stark contrast to other casino games like roulette and blackjack, where luck is the primary deciding factor. If you want to learn from the pros, the best way to do so is by analyzing what they do and trying to follow similar steps, such as:

Conclusion

What separates the biggest online poker winners from the rest? We’d argue it’s a mix of personal traits like the ability to handle group competition and a healthy dose of determination. However, above all, it’s the sheer love of the game that trumps everything. The beginners of today could become the pros of tomorrow, if they remain patient, follow in their heroes’ footsteps and apply our handy poker tips!