The biggest poker wins.
The game of poker has taken over millions of people. For some, this is a kind of relaxation, for others – an opportunity to tickle their nerves, and for others – a stable income. Many novice players, after reading fiction or watching a movie about players, decide to join this game. For them, the main motive is the desire to increase their wealth.
To become a professional poker player and to be able to take part in a major poker tournament with a large prize pool requires not only desire and effort, but also considerable financial investments. After all, learning poker, participating in competitions, and getting a positive monetary result require significant financial investments.
While the prize is of paramount importance for beginners, for experienced players poker is becoming more than just a sport, but a way of life. The fact of victory, demonstration of their game and intellectual superiority over other participants is important for them.
The World Series of Poker is recognized as a kind of world championship among poker players. There are a lot of people involved in this series, and therefore a large buy-in provides an opportunity to form a large fund and guarantee a big win in poker. High roller competitions are also held within the framework of the tournament. Fewer players participate in them, but the entry fee can be up to $ 1 million. Therefore, the sums for the winners are also considerable.
10th place – Ryan Riess (USA) in the WSOP Main Event 2013 with a prize of $ 8,361,570
10th place – Ryan Riess (USA) in the WSOP Main Event 2013 with a prize of $ 8,361,570
American Ryan Riess managed to get to the final tournament of the WSOP in 2013 and immediately became a real discovery of the world of poker. After becoming the winner of the competition, he received a total of 8,361,570 dollars. For the American, such a win in poker was a bit of a surprise, but he happily showed off the huge bundles of bills.
To a certain extent, the victory changed Riess’s life. If earlier he burned all his savings not only in games, but also in various amusements, then after winning in 2013, he acted more wisely. The winner did not buy yachts or expensive cars, but prudently invested in shares of Apple, Disney and Facebook. This allows you to receive an annual guaranteed profit. But in other tournaments after the winning streak, Ryan does not participate so willingly. Since 2013, he has not had any serious winnings.
Big winnings in poker – 9th place – 2012 WSOP winner Greg Merson (USA) with $ 8,531,853
The winner of 2012, 24-year-old US citizen Greg Meerson, received about the same amount as Riess. For all our attitude towards poker players, it was impossible to remain indifferent to the loud sobbing of the winner. Having received the champion’s bracelet and huge stacks of money, Meerson could not believe his happiness. But on the way to the top, he had to experience a lot of shocks, but the victories began before 2012. The American managed to overcome alcohol and drug addiction and devote time to studying the lessons of experienced players.
Having calmed down from the shock after 10 minutes, Greg told the whole world that he was never able to mentally prepare for the series and the finale. And it simply cannot be done. Winning over $ 8 million in poker didn’t spoil the guy. Part of the money, of course, was then used for private tournaments in Baltimore, but he spent only $ 500 on himself – that’s exactly what his new clothes cost. The rest went to the family.
Big winnings in poker – 8th place – Joe Cada (USA), winner of the 2009 WSOP final, $ 8,547,042
This young winner achieved success at the age of 21. However, his path to the top was not too easy. He became accustomed to gambling as a teenager, as Joe’s mother worked as a croupier in a casino. For 5 years, he went to success, starting with cards, and then continuing with games in Texas Hold’em online. The result was not bad – the bankroll amount was $ 500,000. After reaching adulthood, the guy switched to live tournaments, but did not achieve success and lost all his savings.
Before the start of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Joe Cada had absolutely no money to buy. Two sponsors helped shape the entry buy-in and provided the player with $ 4 million. Also, the guy signed a contract with, which guaranteed $ 1 million in compensation for representation.
The real winnings in poker were less than $ 8,547,042 received, as half of that money went to repay debts to sponsors. However, the remaining amount was enough to buy a house in Las Vegas and start your own business.
Big winnings in poker – 7th place – Pius Heinz (Germany), winner of the 2011 WSOP final with a prize of $ 8,715,638
In 2011, a young German of 22 years old managed to get the main prize in the amount of 8,715,638 dollars. Before this tournament and its final part, he was not known to the world, as he preferred online tournaments. In them, however, Heinz achieved good results – 700 thousand dollars in prize money. In games with friends and online tournaments, he learned skills and learned from the experience of strong players.
The young winner is also supported by the fact that Pius managed to correctly build his strategy for playing poker. He used his available finances to play tournaments with guaranteed winnings. For example, he took part in a series in Las Vegas, where, with a buy-in of $ 1,500, he received a prize of $ 80,000. And then he invested the money in the main tournament.
Arriving at the 2011 WSOP Final, he had a signed contract with PokerStars in his pocket. The received prize of 8,715,638 US dollars did not greatly affect the young man. According to him, he still prefers to participate in games at online tables.
Big winnings in poker – 6th place – Jonathan Duhamel (Canada), WSOP Main Event 2010 – $ 8,944,310
The Canadian Duhamel managed to get almost 9 million dollars in 2010. The young 23-year-old player purposefully walked towards victory in the final battle. He regularly took part in various tournaments, receiving good prizes. This has given him confidence throughout his career as a poker player.
In addition to poker, Jonathan was terribly passionate about hockey. He often sacrificed a tournament at the table in favor of watching a hockey match of his favorite Montreal Canadiens team live. He came to the final event of the WSOP Main Event 2010 as the chip leader and retained the title until the final victory. He used his winnings in poker wisely and generously – $ 100,000 was transferred to the accounts of the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.
But in the guy’s personal life, not everything went so smoothly. In 2011, his apartment was robbed – the winner’s bracelet, personal watch and part of the prize were stolen. Hot on the heels, the police solved the crime – the gunner turned out to be Jonathan’s girlfriend, who was unhappy with her lover’s too small gifts.
5th place – Peter Eastgate (Denmark) in the WSOP Main Event 2008 with a prize of $ 9,152,416
A native of a small town in Denmark, Peter Eastgate was fond of Hold’em as a teenager. Of course, he did not plan to connect his life with the game, but at some point that is exactly what happened.
Participation in tournaments did not bring big prizes, so the chances of participating in the main tournament were minimal. In 2008, he managed to win the Ladbrokes Promotional Tournament – the money he received helped pay for the buy-in, flights and accommodation during the tournament. The amount of expenses was rather big – $ 100 thousand.
More than 7 thousand participants could not get in the way of reaching the final battle. Heads-up pitted Peter against champion Demidov. The game competition between them lasted more than 4 hours, as a result of which the Danish guy was able to take over. The two-day battle exhausted the guy a lot. He could not rejoice at the victory and showed more surprise. Thus, he won $ 9,152,416 in poker.
4th place – Martin Jacobson (Sweden), WSOP Main Event 2014 with a prize of $ 10,000,000
Dreaming of becoming a chef, Martin Jakobson managed to win the 2014 Main Event. The Swede is a professional player who has earned the respect of the press and his fans. Despite the fact that according to him he was confident of victory, Martin never acted overly arrogant.
Throughout his professional career, the 27-year-old Swede has won over $ 14 million since 2008. He now lives in London. Once educated, he never quit poker. Martin constantly participates in tournaments and hopes that in the future he can get another big prize.
3rd place – Jamie Gold (USA) in the 2006 WSOP Main Event with winnings of $ 12,000,000
The 2006 event is distinguished by the largest prize pool – more than $ 82.5 million. The number of participants was 8773 people. In such circumstances, Jamie Gold’s success seems incredible. And in many ways it was. For the entire tournament, he was mercilessly criticized for being overly arrogant. But the biggest problem was associated with the American’s incredible luck at the table. During the distribution, Gold received only the card he needed. And at the end of the tournament, he no longer had such successes. This feature has raised suspicion among many players and media representatives.
Jamie Gold’s success was also overshadowed by the conflict between him and his sponsors. He began his participation in the team of film industry stars. One of the American’s friends promised to provide advertising support from movie stars. However, the plans were thwarted, and the case soon went to trial. The plaintiffs required the winner to split the poker winnings. The parties reached an agreement, and according to rumors, Gold was forced to give up half of the prize money.
2nd place – Daniel Coleman (USA), The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2014 with a prize of $ 15,306,668
The Big One for One Drop tournament as part of the WSOP series in 2014 generated a prize pool of $ 37,333,338. The peculiarity of the tournament is that 10% of the buy-in is automatically sent to charity, and the administration does not withdraw rake. Participation in the battle requires a contribution of $ 1 million. The winner in 2011 was American Daniel Coleman, who won $ 15,306,668 in poker.
In a three-day competition, fate brought the 24-year-old Coleman to Daniel Negreanu. The famous adversary could not resist. Coleman managed to get the main prize. After the victory, the American showed little joy and said that poker is a very brutal game.
1st place – Antonio Esfandiari (USA), The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2012 with winnings of $ 18,346,873
On July 3, 2012, in the WSOP High Roller, Antonio Esfandiari managed to pull off a record prize that could not be beat until now.
Before becoming a professional poker player, Antonio worked as an ordinary magician under the magic pseudonym Magician. It is unknown whether magic or luck helped the American. However, the fact remains that no one considered him as a serious rival, he was predicted to be one of the first to leave the tournament.
Fate decreed otherwise – at the end of the first day, he took the 4th place in the number of chips, and in the first hours of the second day of the tournament he made it to the chip leader. Sam Trickett was defeated in heads-up.