Five Of The Largest Poker Wins In Game History

Since the 1800s, when gamblers taking advantage of Mississippi River boats and New Orleans saloons initially became interested in the game, poker has existed. From a 20-card deck to the 52-card pack we know, the king of card games has come a long way.

In poker history, 1969 was crucial. The inaugural World Series of Poker, the biggest poker tournament, was held that year. WSOP has become immensely popular very fast, and as the prize pot increased, so did the payouts to the victors; four of the top five poker victories happened there as well.

Just fifty or so years later, we often see players walk away with millions of dollars. We put up a list of the greatest poker victories in history to give you an idea of the magnitude of poker competitions.

Let us now plunge into those pools stocked with millions of dollars.

The Five Poker Prize Money Wins

As the headline indicated, today we’re going to showcase some of the largest poker wins—the top five, to be exact. The “smallest” victory will be our starting point and we’ll work our way up to the largest single win in poker history. Do you also want to hit the jackpot in poker? Grab the Stay Casino no deposit bonus, and perhaps you will be at the next top.

#5 $10,112,001 Sam Trickett

Sam Trickett opens the list of the top 5 poker victories. When a knee injury ended his professional football career, the English professional poker player began his own in 2005. Trickett was naturally gifted at the game, and it only took him seven years to record what would turn out to be his greatest achievement.

Trickett earned $10,112,001 for his second-place result in the largest WSOP event, Big One for One Drop, on July 3, 2012, losing the heads-up match against Antonio Esfandiari (more about that person a little later).

He became the most successful poker player in British history and a household name back home very quickly. Trickett is 32nd on Hendon Mob’s all-time earnings list with almost $21 million from live games to date.

#4 Jamie Gold – $12,000,000

TV executive and talent manager Jamie Gold appears to play poker mostly for pleasure. And while having fun, he also gets to pocket a few million bucks for the kicks.

Gold’s most famous performance came in 2006 when he defeated Paul Wasicka heads-up to win the WSOP Main Event and pocketed $12,000,000. With more poker tournament final table finishes than all opponents he faced throughout the final rounds combined, it’s understandable that he left with this large amount. Seems like practice makes perfect, particularly when it comes to winning large at poker.

Currently serving as president of production for an entertainment firm, Gold still plays poker daily, mostly in big events.

#3 – $12,248,912 – Elton Tsang

Among other things, his $12,248,912 victory in 2016 helped Chinese Canadian poker player Elton Tsang Ka-wai become well-known as one of the top Asian players and attain legendary status in the game worldwide.

Tsang had a fortunate day on October 14, 2016, as he emerged victorious from the No Limit Hold’em Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, an invitation-only competition included another 25 players. The twelve plus million prize won by the Hong Kong resident is still the third-biggest payout in poker history.

#2 – Daniel Colman, $15,306,668

From Holden (not Hold’em!), Massachusetts, comes professional poker player Daniel “Dan” Alan Colman. He is another WSOP student; the tournament that gave him his largest victory to date and placed him among the greatest poker winners.

Though he is mostly focused on online poker, Colman, also known as “mrGR33N13” and “riyyc225” on the internet, managed to win $15,306,668 at the 2014 WSOP.

Colman was only 24 years old when he edged poker great Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the 2014 WSOP Big One for One Drop. Colman has collected live earnings of $28,925,058 so far.

#1 – Antonio Esfandiari – $18,346,67

Antonio Esfandiari, a proud owner of three WSOP bracelets, claims the title of greatest poker winner. Esfandiari is Iranian by birth.

In the 2012 Big One for One Drop No-Limit Hold’em tournament, Esfandiari won $18,346,673. He faced 47 opponents. Though the huge cash prize was the largest in poker history, Esfandiari won his third bracelet at the World Series of Poker Europe in 2012.

How Can I Take Up Poker and Play in Tournaments?

Though the route to gaining significant money in poker is difficult, they say that money gained is twice as sweet as money earned. Years pass as you develop your poker abilities, and even with a lot of work, there’s no assurance you’ll start making more money than you put in.

However, we can guide you on the proper path: if you’re a newbie poker player, we advise you to visit our how-to-play page, where we go over every move in the game so you can pick up the fundamentals and some jargon.

Play as many hands as you can and practice; maybe one day, yours will rank among the largest poker winnings!

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