There is a lot of money to be made playing poker. Many of the game’s best players have climbed the ladder and made millions on the live and virtual felt in the world of poker tournaments. Let’s take a look at the top ten best poker players of all time, based on tournament earnings. Honorable mentions. First, a shout-out to numbers 11–20! However, many will still agree that Vanessa Selbst is the greatest female poker player of all time. You can see more about her career and wins on the WSOP website. Highest tournament finishes: World Series of Poker – 2nd; World Championship of Online Poker – 1st; World Poker Tour Championship – 2nd. Chris Moorman is the best online poker tournament player in the world, amassing a record $13,751,801 at the time of this writing. Moorman is also has 25 triple crowns, which involves winning three online multi table tournaments with at least a $10k prize pool in a seven day span.
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Defining the world’s top poker players is hard because there are so many variables that go into the matter.
First off, most poker pros specialize in either live cash games, online cash games, live tournaments, or online tourneys.
You also have to look beyond just earnings because some players can climb the all-time winnings list with a few big scores.
Then there’s the matter of whether somebody is still actively playing and improving their game.
But while a lot of factors go into deciding the best poker players, some pros stand out above others no matter what games or format they play.
That being said, here’s a look at the 33 best all-around poker players in the world today.
Not even 25 years old, Fedor Holz has rapidly ascended to the top of the poker world thanks to a flurry of big tournament finishes.
The German began a torrid pace in May 2015, when he final tabled two EPT Grand Final high rollers for a total of €667,300.
The same year, he would go on to finish third in the $10k NL Hold’em 6 Handed Championship $268,463, 25th in the WSOP Main Event $262,574, and first in the $100k WPT Alpha8 High Roller $1.59m.
Holz kicked 2016 off by winning the $200k WPTN Triton Super High Roller along with $3,463,500, then finishing runner up in the $300k Super High Roller Bowl $3.5m.
Not finished yet, Holz won the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop and $4,981,775. Just two months later, he won the €50k EPT Barcelona High Roller along with €1,300,300.
It’s difficult to weigh high rollers over a long, steady stream of poker results. But given Holz’s impressive results at such a young age, it’s hard to deny his talent and $20.3 million in livewinnings.
Dan Cates is a great example of perseverance in poker.
Working at McDonald’s and playing online poker on the side, he busted his bankroll several times before making a breakthrough. This breakthrough came in the form of a $5 million profit in 2009.
Since then, Cates has remained a consistent winner in high stakes online cash games, proving both his longevity and ability to keep up with the competition.
Playing under the name ‘w00ki3z,’ Cates led everybody with over $2.8 million in online cash game winnings in 2014. He has $11.5 million in career online winnings at the time of this writing.
A regular in the top 5 of the Global Poker Index GPI rankings, Dan Smith is a top 5 player on my list too.
What helps Smith consistently stay among the GPI’s top players is his mix of outstanding regular and high roller tournament results.
Regarding the latter, Smith has finished: first in the 2012 Aussie Millions $100k High Roller $1m, first in the 2012 EPT Barcelona €100k High Roller €962,925, second in the 2013 Aussie Millions$25k Challenge $243,567, third in the 2015 WSOP $10k PLO Championship $269,564, first in the 2016 Aria High Roller $285,200, third in the 2016 WSOP $25k PLO High Roller $487,361, and second inthe 2016 WSOP $111,111 One Drop High Roller $3.1m.
In all, Smith has $15.1 million in live winnings at the time of this writing.
Daniel Negreanu has plenty of pursuits outside of poker, namely being the face of PokerStars. Nevertheless, he still finds time to hit the felt and rack up cashes.
Negreanu is the biggest tournament winner of all time with over $32.6 million in earnings.
One reason why the Canadian tops the live tournament winnings list is because he’s consistently earned cashes since 1997.
Some of Negreanu’s biggest recent scores include: third in the 2015 WPT Alpha8 $100k High Roller $640,103, 11th in the 2015 WSOP Main Event $526,788, first in Shark Cage Season 2 $966,000, andsecond in the 2014 WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop $8.3m.
While Jens Kyllönen kicked his poker career off with a win in the 2009 EPT Copenhagen Main Event $1.12m, he’s become much more famous for his online exploits.
The Finnish pro has nearly $5.4 million in online cash game winnings at the time of this writing.
The bulk of his profits came in 2011, when he earned over $3 million. But ‘Jeans89” continues to win, earning over $1.2 million in 2015 and ’16 combined.
Former stock broker Erik Seidel is a true poker legend, starting his poker career in the 1980s at New York City’s Mayfair Club.
Seidel’s first major tournament was the 1988 WSOP Main Event, where he finished second place to Johnny Chan and scooped $280,000. The final hand of this tourney appears as a scene in the 1998movie Rounders.
Seidel hasn’t slowed down since then, earning 8 WSOP gold bracelets and over $30 million in live tourney winnings — second only to Negreanu.
Seidel’s career winnings have been accelerated by big years in 2011 $6.5m, 2015 $5.1m, and 2016 $5.1m.
Ben Sulsky learned poker on a spring break trip to Mexico, reading books and playing online hands during his downtime.
The man known as ‘Sauce123’ has since become one of the biggest winners in online poker history with $4.4 million in profits.
One thing that makes Sulsky impressive is that he continues winning against the world’s toughest players.
A poker pro’s pro; Ike Haxton has earned success in both the live and online poker realms. He has $2.4 million in online cash profits and over $12 million in live tournament winnings.
Haxton’s live career started off very well when he finished second in the 2007 PCA Main Event $861,789. He expanded his bankroll by finishing second in the 2009 WSOP 40th Anniversary tournament$1.17m.
Other big finishes for Haxton include taking fifth in the 2013 GuangDong Asia Millions $1.31m, second in the 2014 Aussie Millions $250k High Roller $2.53m, and second in the 2014 Aria Super HighRoller $813,394.
Earning his first tournament cash in 2010, Tom Marchese has quickly become one of the biggest ever tournament winners with $15.5 million.
What’s amazing about Marchese is his consistency in high rollers, notching 10 six figure cashes in 2016 alone.
The biggest finishes of Marchese’s career include: second in the 2014 WPT Alpha8 $1.57m, first in the 2014 Aria $100k Super High Roller $1.31m, and third in the 2014 Summer High Roller I $1.47m.
If Phil Hellmuth sees this list, he’d quickly argue that he should be No. 1.
Perhaps Hellmuth is underrated because he draws so much flack for his incessant whining, blowups, and self-aggrandizing nature.
But through it all, Hellmuth’s poker talent shines with a record 14 WSOP gold bracelets and $21 million in tournament winnings.
One of the most recognizable faces of the Poker Boom, Patrik Antonius continues to be relevant in the online scene.
The former High Stakes Poker regular has won more money than anybody in online poker history with $15.9 million.
He earned $3.4 million in 2013/14 and continues to test his skills against the top online grinders.
After starting his poker career off with a win in the 2008 EPT Sanremo Main Event €869,000, Jason Mercier continues adding big cashes and wins to his resume.
Some of the Florida based poker pro’s most notable accomplishments include: second in the 2014 Super High Roller $1.62m, first in the 2013 EPT Grand Final $1.46m, and first in the 2011 FiveDiamond World Classic $707,767.
Mercier doesn’t show any signs of slowing down since he won two gold bracelets and cashed 11 times at the 2016 WSOP.
While Brian Rast has always been a good poker pro, he entered a new stratosphere in 2016.
Not only did he take down the WSOP $50k Poker Players Championship $1.3m, but he also won the $500k Super High Roller Bowl and $7,525,000.
These are just a couple highlights from a career that also includes the following finishes: first in the 2011 WSOP $50k Poker Players Championship $1.77m, sixth in the 2012 WSOP $1 million BigOne for One Drop $1.61m, first in the 2013 Five Diamond World Classic $1.08m, and third in the 2014 WPT Alpha8 $755,370.
Dan Colman will always be remembered for two things: 1 his anti-poker rant, and 2 a magical year in 2014.
Both things coincided at the 2014 WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop, which Colman won along with $15,306,668. Afterward, he said that poker is a “dark game” that he doesn’t owe anything to.
Surely this isn’t the case, though, because Colman has collected over $26 million in live tournaments.
Some of his other big cashes include: first in the 2014 EPT Grand Final €100k High Roller €1.54m, second in the 2014 EPT Barcelona €100k High Roller €843,066, first in the 2014 SHRPO Main Event$1.45m, first in the WPT Alpha8 London £600,000, and third in the 2015 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop $1.54m.
Doug Polk is a triple threat, known as a great coach, live tournament player, and online cash grinder.
He has almost $700,000 in online cash profits along with $5.07 million in live tournament winnings. Polk’s largest tourney cashes include: fourth in the 2014 Aussie Millions $100k High Roller$770,237, first in the 2014 Super High Roller $1.65m, third in the 2015 Aussie Millions $250k High Roller $807,709, and second in the 2015 WSOP $10k Six Handed NL Hold’em Championship $406,261.
Polk relies on his successful resume when coaching other players and releasing training videos. He’s also an avid YouTuber and Twitch streamer.
Known as “The Grinder” because he never gives up in a tournament, Michael Mizrachi’s never quit attitude has earned him over $15.3 million in live tourneys.
His first big score came in the 2005 WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event, where he finished first and collected $1,859,909. Mizrachi quickly added another WPT title in the 2006 Borgata Winter Open$1.17m.
Other big cashes for Mizrachi include: first in the 2010 WSOP $50k Players Championship $1.56m, fifth in the 2010 WSOP Main Event $2.33m, and fifth in the 2012 WSOP $50k Players Championship$1.45m.
Scott Seiver is another tournament player who consistently finds his way to the GPI’s top ranks. He kicked off his successful career by winning a 2008 WSOP $5k NL hold’em event along with$755,891.
Other impressive cashes by Seiver include: first in the 2011 Five Star World Poker Classic $1.62m, first in the 2012 PartyPoker Premier League V $500,000, first in the 2013 PCA $100k Super HighRoller $2m, second in the 2013 WPT Alpha8 London £509,600, and second in the 2014 EPT Grand Final €25k High Roller €509,600.
At the time of this writing, Seiver ranks sixth all time with over $21.7 million in live cashes.
Having accumulated over $11.83 million in live winnings, Vanessa Selbst is regarded as the best female poker player of all time.
She’s one of the top poker players period and has many notable cashes to back this up.
Some of Selbst’s career highlights include: winning a 2008 WSOP $1.5k PLO event $227,933, taking first in a 2010 NAPT Mohegan Sun tourney $750,000, first in the 2010 Partouche Poker Tour MainEvent €1.3m, first in the 2011 NAPT Mohegan Sun $450,000, first in a 2012 WSOP Six Handed 10 Game tourney $244,259, first in a 2013 PCA High Roller $1.41m, and first in a 2015 Super High RollerCelebrity Shootout $1m.
In addition to her poker acumen, Selbst is also a civil rights lawyer and graduate of the Yale School of Law.
Although he’s been a successful poker player for a while, David Peters has really come on recently, earning $2.93 million in 2014 and $6.85 million in 2015.
Some of the Toronto’s big recent scores include: first in the 2015 EPT Malta €10k High Roller €597,000, fifth in the 2015 $500k Super High Roller Bowl $1.5m, second in the 2016 WPTN Philippines$200k High Roller $2.3m, and first in the 2016 Asia Championships of Poker High Roller $629,868.
Once regarded as the best all-around poker player in the world, Phil Ivey’s image has taken a hit in recent years.
The reason why Ivey’s reputation dropped is because he’s lost $8.7 million in online poker since Black Friday Apr 15, 2011. But Ivey was such a big winner before this that he still has $10.4million in overall online profits.
Add in the fact that he’s currently sixth all time in live tournament winnings with $23.86 million, and it’s not hard to still see him among the top 20 players.
Nevertheless, with Ivey concentrating on business interests these days, his game has slipped from its once dominant form.
While John Juanda started playing live tournaments in the mid-1990s, he didn’t experience any big successes until the early 2000s.
One of his most notable wins includes taking down the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event and earning £868,800.
Other big scores for Juanda include: second in the 2010 UKIPT London Main Event £545,000, third in the 2012 WPT World Championship $100k High Roller $526,320, fifth in the 2012 Macau High StakesChallenge $1.65m, second in the 2012 WSOP Europe €50k High Roller €600,000, and first in the 2015 EPT Barcelona Main Event €1m.
Aside from earning over $18.8 million in live tournaments, Juanda is also a very good cash player and has played everywhere from Vegas to Macau.
Playing under the screen names ‘Kanu7’ and ‘IReadYrSoul,’ England’s Alexander Millar is one of the biggest online poker winners ever with $4.5 million in profits.
Millar had an incredible run from 2011 to 2013, where he made over $4 million. His play has slowed since then, but Millar remains one of the most feared players in the online nosebleeds.
Another Brit on this list, Sam Trickett had a budding soccer football career before hurting his knee. With little to do because of his ailing knee, Trickett picked up poker and the rest ishistory.
In 2010, Trickett began playing rich businessmen in lucrative Macau based cash games. In an interview, he revealed that he won over £1 million in these games.
But this was nothing compared to what Trickett would do on the live tournament scene in 2011. His biggest 2011 scores include: first in the Aussie Millions $100k High Roller $1.51m, second in theAussie Millions $250k High Roller $1.38m, and first in the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event €1m.
Trickett would follow this up by taking second in the 2012 WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop and earning $10,112,001. In all, he has almost $20.6 million in live tournament earnings.
Hailing from Toronto, Justin Bonomo quickly experienced online success in the mid-2000s. At one point, he was the youngest poker player to be featured at a final table, playing in the 2015 EPTDeauville finals at age 19.
Bonomo has stayed on top of his game ever since, tallying a number of big cashes on his way to over $12.8 million in live tournament winnings.
Bonomo’s biggest scores include: fifth in the 2009 WSOP $40k 40th Anniversary event $413,165, first in the 2012 EPT Grand Final €100k Super High Roller €1.64m, second in the 2013 SHRPO Main Event$1.16m, fourth in the 2015 Aussie Millions $100k High Roller $632,111, second in the 2016 Super High Roller 8 $558,782, and second in the 2016 WSOP $50k Poker Players Championship $801,048.
Chris Moorman is the best online poker tournament player in the world, amassing a record $13,751,801 at the time of this writing.
Moorman is also has 25 triple crowns, which involves winning three online multi table tournaments with at least a $10k prize pool in a seven day span.
While the Brit dedicates the bulk of his time towards online tourneys, Moorman has also experienced success in the live realm too. He finished second in the 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event €800,000,first in the 2014 L.A. Poker Classic $1m, and third in the 2016 ESPT Barcelona Main Event €241,300.
Top Female Poker Players
Steve O’Dwyer’s poker career started off modestly in the mid-2000s, but it’s really picked up over the last several years.
His first big time cash came when he took second in the 2011 UKIPT London Main Event £465,000. He also won the prestigious 2013 EPT Grand Final Main Event along with €1,224,000.
The top moment of O’Dwyer’s poker career came when he won the 2014 Asia Championship of Poker $1.81m in November 2014, followed by victory in the PCA $100k Super High Roller $1.87m in January2015.
Since 2013, O’Dwyer has earned between $2.4 million and $4.8 million every year on the tournament circuit. In all, he has $15.93 million in career winnings.
Phil Galfond is one of the original online poker greats, having battled against the likes of Ivey, Cates, Antonious, and Tom Dwan in high stakes action. Galfond has over $8 million in online cashgame profits throughout his career.
What makes Galfond special beyond his results is that he’s also one of the prominent instructors for training videos.
Galfond’s training videos at Blue Fire Poker offered some of the most innovative strategy that the poker world had ever seen. He eventually left Blue Fire and started his own trainingsite called Run It Once.
The only reason that Galfond isn’t higher on this list is because he doesn’t play as much anymore.
Along with Holz, Ole Schemion is one of several Germans who’ve experienced massive poker success thanks to a heavy mathematical approach.
Schemion’s knowledge of poker math and other strategy has helped him build over $11.4 million in live tournament winnings.
Schemion has won the 2012 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event €1.72m, 2014 Aria $100k Super High Roller $1.1m, and 2016 EPT Grand Final €100k High Roller €1.6m, while he’s taken second in the 2016EPT Grand Final €50k High Roller €857,241, and 2015 Aussie Millions $100k High Roller $1.1m.
Michael McDonald experienced poker success at a very young age, winning the 2008 EPT Dortmund Main Event €933,600 at age 18. The Canadian has proven that this wasn’t just a fluke either, earningover $13 million in his career.
The greatest stretch of McDonald’s career came when he took second in the 2014 PCA Main Event $1m, finished second in the 2014 Aussie Millions $100k Challenge $1.34m, and finished third in theAussie Millions $250k High Roller $1.7m — all within a two month span.
While Antonio Esfandiari is known for many things in the poker world, his biggest accomplishment includes winning the 2014 WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop along with $18,346,673.
But as his $27.35 million in career winnings suggest, Esfandiari is more than just somebody who won big in a single event.
Other highlights for Esfandiari include: finishing first in the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic $1.4m, first in the 2010 Five Diamond World Poker Classic $870,124, fourth in the 2014 WSOP $111,111 HighRoller for One Drop $1.43m, and fourth in the 2014 PCA $100k High Roller $575,920.
Known as “The Magician,” Esfandiari has also made several mainstream TV appearances, including I Bet You, Entourage, Freelancers, and Underground Poker.
Jonathan Duhamel went from a little known grinder to a famous pro after winning the 2010 WSOP Main Event and $8,944,310. And unlike many players who got a jumpstart from the WSOP Main Event,Duhamel has shown longevity in poker.
Since winning the 2010 Main Event, Duhamel has managed the following notable cashes: second in the 2012 PCA $25k High Roller $634,550, first in the 2015 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop$4m, and first in the 2015 WSOP Europe €25k High Roller €554,395.
When Viktor Blom burst onto the internet high stakes scene in 2009, he baffled the world’s greatest players en route to over $5.5 million in profits.
Times have been tougher for Blom and he’s gone through a number of wild bankroll swings since then. Nevertheless, Blom has never stopped grinding against top online pros over his career.
Despite being a lifetime loser, I believe that all of the Swede’s upswings show he belongs among the world’s best players.
Starting her adult life as a model and lead singer in a rock / goth band, Liv Boeree switched gears when she was selected for the TV show UltimatePoker.com Showdown. She didn’t win theshow, but it kick started her love of poker.
In 2010, she won the EPT Sanremo Main Event and €1,250,000. Boeree also took third in the 2015 EPT Barcelona €25k High Roller €391,000.
Aside from her poker exploits, Boeree has also appeared on mainstream TV shows like Codex, Golden Balls, BBC Breakfast, Mind Control Freaks, and I Bet MyLife.
This list represents who I see as the world’s top poker players based on their results, current skills, and longevity.
But the poker world never stays still, and new players are always rising up to join the best.
Best Poker For Us Players
The list that you see here will change greatly over the next 5 to 10 years, and it’ll be interesting to see the new faces.
Of course, we can also expect a number of the players featured here to continue their success while adding more winnings and accomplishments.
Women are Taking the World of Poker by Storm – Here are 10 of the Best!
Poker is traditionally dominated by men. Things are changing, with many women bringing their skills to the tables – and in many cases surpassing their male counterparts. While we have yet to see a woman win the World Series of Poker Main Event, many commentators feel this is only a matter of time.
This page covers 10 of the top female poker players. Some dominate cash games, while others are big winners on the international tournament circuit. I am sure that many more women can be added to this list – and that even more are working their way through the stakes at this very moment.
List of the best female professional poker players:
Top Female Poker Players #1: Liv Boeree
Liv Boree Net Worth: $4 Million USD
Source: Wikimedia
To say that Liv Boeree’s tournament record is impressive would be an understatement. She is the only female to win major events on both the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour. Liv also has a WSOP bracelet. This was won in the 2017 10k Tag-Team event (along with Russian Pro Igor Kurganov). Liv has more than $3.5 million in poker tournament earnings at the time of writing.
This British poker pro represents PokerStars. Her talents go way beyond poker. Graduating with a degree in Astrophysics, Boeree has a string of TV appearances under her belt. These have included hosting major poker events around the world – as well as non-gambling TV shows. These have included ‘The Mind Control Freaks’ on the Discovery Channel, and even an appearance on the BBC breakfast show.
In addition to her media and poker careers, Liv Boeree started a charity. This is called ‘Raising for Effective Giving’. This charity advises poker celebrities on effective altruism. It has so far donated $6 million to selected charities.
Top Female Poker Players #2: Annie Duke
Annie Duke Net Worth: $9 Million USD
Source: Traderlife.co.uk
Known as the ‘Duchess of Poker’, Annie Duke is an author, business founder and high stakes poker crusher. While her tournament record is formidable, Duke is known for her cash game skills, playing at the very highest levels. Tournament wins include a WSOP bracelet, winning the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions and the 2010 National Heads-Up poker championship. For many years Duke was the leading female money winner at the World Series. That record was recently beaten by Vanessa Selbst.
Like many poker pros, Annie Duke has written strategy / instructional books. These include ‘The Middle Zone’ and ‘Decide to Play Great Poker’. She has also founded a charity ‘Ante Up for Africa’, which raises money for charities which work directly with poor African nations. In addition, Annie co-co-founded the ‘Epic Poker League’ – and co-created the Global Poker Index.
She comes from a poker playing family, her brother is the controversial founder of Full Tilt Poker – Howard Lederer.
Top Female Poker Players #3: Kathy Liebert
Kathy Liebert Net Worth: $6.89 Million USD
Source: Wikipedia.org
Compared to many of the top women poker pros – Kathy Liebert has a lower profile these days. This should take nothing from her amazing track records in the highest stakes poker tournaments. Liebert has more than $6 million in live poker tournament cashes. Her record includes a deep run in the World Series Main Event, eventually busting within sight of the final table in 17th place.
Born in Tennessee, Kathy has a WSOP bracelet from the 2004 Limit Hold’em Shootout event. This is backed up with an impressive six final tables in the World Poker Tour. She was the winner of the 2002 Party Millions. This tournament alone adding a million dollars to her live tournament winnings.
Top Female Poker Players #4: Annette Obrestadt
Annette Obrestadt Net Worth: $3.9 Million USD
Source: Pokernews.com
Annette Obrestadt was known to millions of people via her online poker nickname ‘Annette_15’. This poker pro is the only one on this list from Norway. She shot to fame in 2007 after winning the World Series of Poker Europe – becoming the youngest player ever to win a coveted gold bracelet at the time.
While she has won many other major tournaments, Annette Obrestadt was best known for her online poker achievements. This included the amazing feat of winning a 180 player Sit N Go without looking at her own hole-cards unless faced with an all-in bet.
Things did not always go smoothly for this player. In 2012 she signed with Lock Poker. This site closed down, taking the bankrolls of many players with it. While Annette was not involved in the shady dealings of Lock Poker, she has kept a noticeably lower profile since then.
Top Female Poker Players: #5 – Maria Ho
Maria Ho Net Worth: $4 Million USD
Source: Twitter.com
Maria Ho recently topped an amazing (and ongoing) poker career with an induction into the Poker Hall of Fame. This pro is Taiwanese / America – and has hosting plus broadcasting credits that match her outstanding tournament results.
Over her career, Ho has accumulated almost $3 million in tournament earnings. Her results include an amazing 54 World Series of Poker Cashes. Maria was the last woman standing in the Main Event in 2007, busting out in 38th place. She also has 5 World Poker Tour final tables – and a lot of wins in minor events around the world
While many female broadcasters host televised tournament events, Maria became the first female ‘strategic commentator’ (for season 9 of the Heartland Poker Tour). She also worked for NBC Sports, commentating on the Super High Roller Bowl events.
There is more to this female poker pro than playing cards. Maria Ho has also been involved in pro-level Majong games – and appeared in reality TV shows including The Amazing Race and American Idol.
Top Female Poker Players: #6 – Victoria Coren Mitchell
Victoria Coren Mitchell Net Worth: $10 Million USD
Source: PokerStars.com
The 2nd British female poker pro on this page shares some similarities with Liv Boeree. Both have been involved with online poker room PokerStars. Coren resigned in 2014, after PokerStars opened a casino. She is a regular live poker player at casinos in London and has been a writer in various publications since the age of 14.
Coren was the first woman to win a European Poker Tour event – taking down the televised EPT London in 2006. This was the first of many high-profile tournament successes. Her biggest score was in the 2014 EPT San Remo, taking 1st place for almost half a million Euros. In total Victoria Coren’s lifetime tournament earnings are almost 2.5 million dollars. Her achievements were acknowledged by being indicted into the Female Poker Hall of Fame in 2016.
Like many of the top female poker pros featured here, Victoria Coren has many accomplishments outside of the game. She writes regularly for the UK Observer newspaper, has performed at the Edinburgh Festival and has made numerous TV appearances. These have included hosting many of Europe’s biggest televised tournaments.
Top Female Poker Players: #7 – Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman Net Worth: $15 Million USD
Source: Pokernews.com
A fixture in the highest stakes cash games in Las Vegas, Jennifer Harman also has an excellent track record in poker tournaments. Her first WSOP gold bracelet came in a format she had never played prior to the event. This was the 2-7 Lowball event in 2000. Harman received a 5-minute training session from Howard Lederer before the tournament – and went on to beat seasoned pros. A second WSOP bracelet would follow in 2002 in the Limit Texas Hold’em $5k event.
Like many female poker pros featured on this page, Jennifer Harman has writing credits. These include a prestigious chapter in the 2nd edition of Doyle Brunson’s Super System book. She was inaugurated into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2015.
TV appearances included regular stints on both High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark. She was a member of the pro team at Full Tilt Poker for many years.
Top Female Poker Players: #8 – Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Rousso Net Worth: $6.5 Million USD
Source:Duke Magazine
Vanessa Rousso is the 3rd female pro on our list with a connection to PokerStars. She was a member of their pro team between 2007 and 2015. Known for her distinctive look – a cap, headphones and designer sunglasses – Rousso is a formidable player in both cash games and tournaments. While she has yet to win a WSOP bracelet, her tournament winnings total more than $3.5 million.
Online poker results include a 2nd place finish in the WCOOP main event in 2007. That score alone was worth more than $700,000.
TV appearances have included Poker After Dark. She also appeared in Big Brother in 2015 – finishing in 3rd place. Rousso also became an ambassador for internet hosting giant GoDaddy – and has written for American Poker Player.
List Of Female Poker Players
Top Female Poker Players: #9 – Joanne ‘JJ’ Liu
JJ Liu Net Worth: $3.4 Million USD
Source: Pokerlistings.com
Known as ‘JJ’, Joanne Liu is as well known for her distinctive hats as her poker results. This pro is now a resident of Palo Alto, CA – though was born and raised in Taiwan. Trained as a computer scientist, and skilled in Chinese gambling games, JJ took the poker world by storm in the early 2000’s. She became the highest placed finished in WPT history after finishing as runner up in the World Poker Tour Bay 101 tournament in 2004. She would parlay this success at the WSOP, making a final table.
JJ was inaugurated into the Women’s Poker hall of fame and has over $1.7 million in tournament cashes. This puts her firmly in the top 10 of female tournament pros – not bad for someone who has never played a hand of poker before coming to the US in her 20’s.
Top Female Poker Players: #10 – Vanessa Selbst
Vanessa Selbst Net Worth: $12 Million USD
Source: PokerStars.com
Vanessa Selbst made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2018. She busted out of the Main Event at the World Series running a bluff that many pros considered crazy. This should take nothing from her impressive record at the very top of the game. I suspect if the bluff had worked out, Selbst would have been called a genius!
Selbst is the only woman ever to have held the number one ranking on the Global Poker Index. Her lifetime tournament winnings total a mind-blowing $11.8 million (and counting). She is the 4th woman on our list be involved with PokerStars as part of their team or pros.
Her single biggest score came from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. She won the high-roller event for a cool $1.4 million. Other achievements include three WSOP bracelets – plus back to back scores on the North American Poker Tour.