Best Famous Poker Players

Poker is the world’s most famous and preferred casino game. Millions of people spend hours and thousands of dollars playing it online. As the saying goes, “the house never loses,” but there are professional pokers who have mastered the art of beating the casinos on their own game.

Call it luck, but the following 8 players have a knack for online poker and have won hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Daniel Negreanu – $5,796,958

Embed from Getty Images

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT) are considered one of the most lucrative poker tournaments in the world. Daniel Negreanu is a renowned Canadian poker player who has won six WSOP bracelets and two WPT championship titles.

Back in 2014, Negreanu was rated the best poker player of the decade by Global Poker Index. In 2021, Daniel Negreanu, currently the GBPoker brand ambassador, reported a net winning of $600,000 from the 2021 poker tournament.

In 2021, his average return on investment was around 22.5%. He spent $2.6 million and earned back $3.2 million from different poker tournaments. Between 2013 and 2021, he won $29 million, and the total cost of buy-ins is well over $17 million.

Gerard Pique – $658,155

Embed from Getty Images

Who would have thought that Gerard Pique could be successful as a professional footballer and poker player? Gerard Pique is a Spanish football player who has played for the Barcelona La Liga football club since 2008.

In 2014, he made his debut at the World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas. He won his first online poker game in 2011, but it wasn’t much and thus didn’t get much media coverage. “I love to compete in many situations and like to compete against the best players in anything, in this case, poker,” Gerald told PokerNews in 2016.

His highest poker win came in 2019 when he finished in the second position and won €352,950 in a Single-Day High roller whose entry fee was €25,000. Shortly after, his success lured his teammate Arturo Vidal to also start playing online poker.

Dan Bilzerian – $36,626

Embed from Getty Images

Dan Bilzerian is one of the controversial poker players whose earnings have been questioned by many poker enthusiasts. He is best known for his rattling confidence and decisions to participate in some of the world’s largest tournaments, such as Omaha poker.

Dan started playing poker in 2007 at Lake Tahoe casino. He learned the ropes and quickly moved up the ranks after participating in a series of high stake games. Since then, Dan has made some baffling comments about his success in poker, leaving many with more questions than answers. In a recent interview, he said he made $50,000,000 from poker alone. To date, this information has not been confirmed, and some think he uses such comments to chase clout.

The only verified information is that he took part in the WSOP Main Event in 2009, where he won €36,626 and was ranked position 180th. Shortly after his claims were refuted, Dan is said to have retired from public poker games and now focus on private games. He now enjoys playing private poker games and tournaments against celebrities and entrepreneurs.

Tony Cascarino – $595,809

Embed from Getty Images

Like Gerald Pique, Tony Cascarino is a professional football player who played as a striker for several French and British clubs. After retiring from competitive football, Cascarino tried his luck in poker and quickly became a pro. At some point, he used WSOP free chips to get the hang of the game before using real money to play.

Between 2004 and 2021, Cascarino won different amounts from different poker tournaments. His total earnings from the poker are estimated to be approximately €595,809. One of his largest winnings came in Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, where he wagered £3,000 and won $283,412. 

To date, Cascarino has participated in more than 23 live poker tournaments and is ranked position 39 among all poker players in Ireland. 

Fatima Moreira De Melo – $561,847

Former Dutch hockey player Fatima Moreira De Melo also has a hidden skill and talent, poker. Her love for poker was nurtured through competing against friends and family members in house poker games. At the time, she didn’t plan to go pro in poker until she retired from professional hockey.

Fatima joined Team PokerStars and represented the team in a series of competitions. Before leaving the team, she was featured in episode 5 of season 1 of Shark Cage TV. Her net worth from playing poker is estimated to be around $561,847. Below is an overview of her winnings in different WSOP tournaments.

  • 18th position in 2017 Pokerstars Championship Prague – $35,400
  • 16th place in EPT Barcelona 2012 – $42,573
  • 9th place in Master Classics of Poker 2009 – 48,772
  • 2nd place in UKIPT Isle of Men 2013 – $96,649

Fatima is a multi-talented athlete with the potential to replicate her remarkable success in hockey by participating in WSOP tournaments.

Brazilian Ronaldo – $45,760

Embed from Getty Images

Brazilian Ronaldo is another notable professional football player who quickly discovered he had a special skill in poker after retiring from competitive football. In 2015, he won $42,180 in PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) held in the Bahamas.

Ronaldo shocked many when he defeated experienced poker players to finish the tournament at position 26th out of 816 players. Globally, he is ranked position 734th and has won approximately £35k from different poker tournaments held across the globe.

In one of the interviews, he said, “I love poker because it’s a competition which I like. Since I retired from football, I still enjoy it a lot to compete. So it’s the same feeling as a football match. It’s great to compete.”

Teddy Sheringham – $329,475

Embed from Getty Images

Teddy Sheringham is an England football player who couldn’t resist the urge to participate in the famous World Series of Poker. The tournament attracts both professional and novice online poker players globally.

Shortly after retiring as a football player for high-level teams such as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, he transitioned into a manager. He also started to take a liking to poker and participated in several tournaments.

The 2010 WSOP circuit was his biggest poker tournament, where he finished in position 5 out of 384 players. His practice before the tournament paid off as he made it to the tournament’s final table, dubbed “€5,000 No Limit Hold ’em Main Event of EPT Vilamoura,” held in 2010.

At the time of writing, Teddy Sheringham’s total earnings from poker are estimated to be $329,475. His best live cash win is $118,346.

Michael Phelps – $7,304

Embed from Getty Images

Michael Phelps, a multiple Olympics swimming gold medalist, enjoys playing high stake poker like other athletes we reviewed in this article, such as Gerald Pique and Brazilian Ronaldo. Michael started his online poker journey by playing on $1 – $2 level tables to learn the ropes soon after he gained confidence and leveled up. Today, he takes part in a high stake weekly online poker game with a buy-in of $25,000 per game. 

In a recent interview, he said, “I love to play, it’s fun, it’s exciting. It was more something so that I could have time to myself. I could relax, I could be myself, and I could have fun. It’s a place where I can be me. I’ve met some of my best friends at a poker table. Some of the kids I’m always with, who I talk to every day.”

Final Thoughts

Online poker is one of the most thrilling casino games you can participate in today and make money. These eight celebrities are among the best poker players, and you can challenge them today. Be sure to learn the game and tricks to increase your chances of winning. Good luck!

 

Share this article:
you may also like