People who win millions of dollars playing poker are talked about on TV, radio and all other media. Some people envy them, others are happy for the lucky ones, but there are people who, following the example of the winners, start playing poker.

Poker tournaments are regularly held around the world, and one or more millionaires are becoming more numerous. But who in the history of poker took home the biggest win? And what is it, the biggest win in poker. Let's look at the ten biggest poker wins.

10th place – Ryan Riess (USA) – WSOP Main Event 2013 – $8,361,570

In 2013, the dream of the young American Ryan Riss came true; he not only entered the largest poker tournament, but also won it with dignity.

For his winnings, the young man received $8,361,570. Incredibly, at the age of 23, Ryan became the owner of eight million dollars. Where do you think he spent his money? Did you buy an expensive car, a house, or spend most of your winnings on drinking and entertainment? No, the guy invested in major organizations and became a shareholder in brands such as Apple, Facebook and Disney. Ryan is also a co-owner of the Union Pacific railroad company.

9th place – Greg Merson (USA) – WSOP Main Event 2012 – $8,531,853

In 2012, a 24-year-old American named Greg Merson won $8,531,853. Luck smiled on the guy and he won the famous WSOP Main Event poker tournament. When the winner was awarded a cash prize and a gold bracelet, he could not hold back his tears and sobbed out loud.

Greg became a winner not only of the tournament, but also of himself. Shortly before participating in the competition, the guy gave up drug addiction and alcohol. The young man spent his winnings on his family and participation in closed cash games in Baltimore. By the way, Greg spent $500 on himself, buying clothes with this money.

8th place – Joe Cada (USA) – WSOP Main Event 2009 – $8,547,042

A completely ordinary guy from the Midwest, at the age of 21 he became a millionaire and won $8,547,042. Joe Cada started playing poker very early, because his mother worked as a dealer in a casino. Until the guy reached adulthood, he played poker online and earned almost half a million dollars. After Joe turned 21, he began taking part in live games. In a short time, the young man spent all his earned money, so he did not have enough money to participate in the WSOP Main Event tournament.

The entry fee for Kad was made by sponsors, who, after the guy won, received $2 million each. In addition to the winnings, Joe received one million dollars from the PokerStars company for the fact that, shortly before participating in the tournament, he signed a contract with the poker room and represented it at the tournament.

The guy spent his winnings on buying a house in Las Vegas and opening his own business.

7th place – Pius Heinz (Germany) – WSOP Main Event 2011 – $8,715,638

In 2011, a young German, Pius Heinz, won a poker tournament and received $8,715,638. Previously, the guy had never participated in such large tournaments. Often, he played poker with friends and online. After his triumphant victory, 22-year-old Pius said that he did not like playing “live” and at home on the computer - he felt much more confident.

It is unknown what the guy spent his winnings on; he chose not to disclose his future plans. After the victory, practically nothing is known about Heinz; he “went into the shadows.”

6th place – Jonathan Duhamel (Canada) – WSOP Main Event 2010 – $8,944,310

Another young millionaire who was lucky enough to win the WSOP Main Event is 23-year-old Jonathan Duhamel. In 2010, the guy won $8,944,310.

The guy is an ardent hockey fan; more than once, he missed major poker tournaments due to the fact that he flew to hockey matches. Following his victory, Jonathan donated $100,000 to the Children's Foundation Montreal Canadiens to help poor children. To this day, Duhamel is the largest sponsor of this organization.

However, in 2011, an unpleasant thing happened to the young man: when he came home, he discovered that the gold bracelet of the Poker Champion, the personalized watch donated by the tournament organizers and the remaining winnings were gone. Fortunately, everything stolen was quickly returned to the owner. The police figured out that the guide to the thieves for Jonathan's wealth was his girlfriend. She believed that the young man was giving her too “cheap” gifts.

5th place – Peter Eastgate (Denmark) – WSOP Main Event 2008 - $9,152,416

A native of a small Danish town, Peter Eastgate became interested in poker from an early age. In his youth, the guy wanted to build an economic career, but by the will of fate, he chose a career as a poker player.

In 2008, Peter won $46.3 thousand in poker, and thanks to this winning, he was able to pay a fee for participation in the WSOP Main Event. In the final of the tournament, Eastgate beat the Russian and received $9,152,416 for first place. After the victory, the Dane did not stop and continued to play poker.

For today, Peter Eastgate has taken a break from poker.

4th place – Martin Jacobson (Sweden) – WSOP Main Event 2014 - $10,000,000

In 2014, professional poker player Martin Jacobson won the famous poker tournament. For his victory in the WSOP Main Event, the 27-year-old Swede received $10,000,000.

In an interview, Martin admitted that he was 100% confident in his victory; during the tournament, he felt confident and calm.

On this moment, the man lives in London and continues to play poker.

The amazing thing is that since 2008, the Swede has managed to win more than $14.8 million in poker.

3rd place – Jamie Gold (USA) – WSOP Main Event 2006 - $12,000,000

Third place among the ten lucky winners is taken by an American named Jamie Gold. In 2006, he managed to win $12,000,000.

This winner was remembered by everyone for a long time, because during the tournament, his opponents simply hated him - at the poker table, Jamie behaved too defiantly. In addition, the participant was lucky like no other - during the game, over and over again he received exactly the cards that Gold needed to win.

After winning the tournament, numerous friends of Jamie Gold sued him, trying to win at least a small part of the twelve million. The scammers interpreted the lawsuits in their own way: they allegedly prepared the American for the game and entered into an agreement with Jamie for half of the winnings if the guy won.

2nd place – Daniel Coleman (USA) – The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2014 - $15,306,668

To participate in The Big One for One Drop WSOP tournament, each participant must pay an entry fee of $1 million. Therefore, it is not surprising that the 24-year-old American won $15,306,668.

The fight for the main prize lasted more than three days, with many tournament participants literally “gnawing” at the victory. But Fortune smiled on Daniel.

After the victory, the guy for some reason refused to communicate with journalists, saying only one phrase: “Poker is a dark and cruel game.” Apparently, the man’s victory was very difficult.

1st place – Antonio Esfandiari (USA) – The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2012 - $18,346,873

Looking at the amount of $18,346,873, it’s simply hard to believe that this is a cash prize for winning a poker tournament. However, this is true, and this is exactly the amount that American Antonio Esfandiari won in 2012 in The Big One for One Drop WSOP tournament.

To date, this is the largest poker win in the history of the world.

Before winning the tournament, Antonio made a living by performing card tricks and pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Maybe it was these skills that brought the man such a win.

Looking at the names of all these lucky ones, we can conclude that poker is indeed a very profitable and worthy game. So, don’t waste time, and perhaps in a few years, your name will top the top ten “Biggest Wins in Poker.”

The history of poker knows a huge number of cases when even simple poker fans became millionaires in an instant. There are indeed many such examples, and winners who suddenly became owners of multimillion-dollar fortunes can be found all over the world. And it is precisely about such outstanding people who, thanks to their charisma, skills and abilities, were able to win huge gambling sums, that I would like to talk about.

One of the most big wins occurred on October 26, 2006. It was on this autumn day that the Full Tilt poker room hosted the famous game of such a well-known type of poker as Texas Hold'em without limits. The blinds in this game ranged from $500 to $1,000. And it was in one of the hands that a player named Tom Dwan received pocket kings when another poker player named DI Dang began the game with two aces in his hands. And on a flop of 9-5-4, players laid out all the money they had without any hesitation. At the same time, it was Di Dang who won the final victory in the game, whose aces in his hands played absolute seniority in the game. The result of the game is an unconditional victory and a winnings of 723,938 US dollars. It is obvious that this game will go down in the history of world poker.

Another stunning example is Tyson Marks, who is better known on the Internet under the nickname “POTTERPOKER”. Several years ago he managed to become the owner of a fortune exceeding $2,200,000. Moreover, he won them without even leaving home, as he took part in virtual poker in a tournament from PokerStars. In order to become the owner of such a fortune, the player had to beat 2,442 opponents and also make a buy-in of $5,200. Fortunately, everything ended in a triumphant victory, and the player received an amount that he will spend for many years to come.

But the most impressive win can be called Jonathan Duhamel's victory at the WSOP tournament. This victory went down in the history of world poker forever. Moreover, the player won almost $9 million. True, this win also cannot be called the largest, since shortly before this, another player named Peter Eatsgate won a little more than $9 million, and James Gold in 2005 became the owner of $12 million.

To summarize, it must be said that all these victories are far from the limit. Obviously, there will be more stunning winnings and more impressive jackpots many times in the history of poker. This means that each of you will soon be able to become one of these lucky ones. The main thing is to believe in yourself and not spare money on buy-ins, which can bring many times greater profits. That’s why it’s worth following all the world’s largest tournaments, because you can become a millionaire without even leaving your home! Fortunately, the numerous virtual tournaments with huge jackpots held today provide such opportunities!

It's no secret that people earn not just huge, but downright mind-boggling amounts of money playing poker. In just one evening you can turn from an average gamer into a star, legend and millionaire. Cards are the world in which staggering money is spinning and anyone who shows attention, patience, ingenuity and strict mathematical calculation can earn it.

People who managed to get the biggest winnings in poker become role models for many gamers. They are envied, they are put on a pedestal, the tactics and strategies of their game are studied by heart. These are real professionals who seem to have managed to do the impossible. So who are these winners and are their rewards really as big as they say?

Winners and their fees

The biggest winner in poker was Antonio Esfandiari. One day he managed to win 18 346 873 American dollars. An ordinary earthly person cannot even dream of such a sum in a “horrible” dream. The money is truly huge, however, Esfandiari managed to get it simply by playing cards. In 2012, at The Big One for One Drope tournament, he won the largest reward in the history of poker. Until today, none of the gamers have managed to earn more.

Magician and his profits

Before becoming a professional Texas Hold'em player, Antonio went by the name Magician and made his living by pulling rabbits out of hats. It is possible that Esfandiari's mastery of the art of card tricks helped him masterfully read his opponents' hands. In any case, not a single poker player on the planet has yet managed to get a larger prize than the one that went to this guy.

This gamer regularly participates in the biggest card competitions. Once he was even seen in an episode of a Hollywood movie.

Daniel Colman

Daniel Coleman from the United States also managed to earn one of the biggest winnings in poker. He was lucky enough to become the owner 15 306 668 conventional units. He received this money from The Big One for One Drope competition. The peculiarity of this tournament is that no more than fifty players participate in it, and the entry fee is one million US dollars. As a rule, the people who play here are very rich businessmen or ordinary players whose buy-in was paid by their sponsors.

Daniel belongs to the second group of poker players, since some of the buy-in was paid by his comrades. Colman managed to beat Daniel Negrianu himself in the finals of the competition, which ensured his victory and more than 15 million dollars. Having become a winner, Colman did not give any interviews to journalists and simply left the official award ceremony.

Jamie Gold

One of the biggest winnings in poker also belongs to the American Jamie Gold, who managed to make money on cards 12 million dollars. In 2006, this gamer became the winner of the WSOP Main Event. Almost all spectators of this battle remembered the triumphant for the rest of their lives, since he became far from an ordinary opponent.

On the outside, he seemed chatty and constantly smiling, and he entertained the television audience as best he could. But on the final board he tried to piss off his opponents. According to the rules of playing cards, such behavior is acceptable, although many gamers consider it unacceptable.

His opponents also disliked him because he was always incredibly lucky on the river and in some unimaginable way, when all-in, he regularly got the right element.

Gold's victory was homeric. However, after the triumph, his comrades filed a lawsuit against the gamer. They claimed that the guy promised to give them part of his fee. Jamie denied this information and, naturally, did not pay any money.

Martin Jacobson

The gamer from Sweden also has almost the biggest winnings in poker. 10 million Martin Jacobson earned US dollars in 2014. Then the man became the winner of the WSOP Main Event. True, it is difficult to call this triumph luck or luck, because for Martin, cards are not a hobby or entertainment. This is work for him. This success is not the only one in Jacobson’s career.

Throughout his life, the Swede managed to win many tournaments and in 2017, his total prize money reached 15 million conventional units. And as a child, the guy dreamed of becoming a chef...

Peter Eastgate

There is also a player in Denmark who was lucky enough to get perhaps the biggest win in poker. In 2008 Peter Eastgate won 9 152 416 dollars . Poker has been the guy's main hobby since childhood. At the age of 22, Peter won the title of the strongest gamer, defeating his opponents at the World Series of Poker.

To become a participant in the competition, Eastgate needed to get money to pay the buy-in, but then he did not have the necessary funds. But luck was on this player’s side from the very beginning, and on the eve of the competition he managed to win a small card battle and thus earn approximately 46 thousand conventional units.

At the final board of the World Series of Poker, the guy entered into a single combat with Russian Ivan Demidov. After such a triumph, Pitard left poker and became interested in traveling.

Jonathal Duhamel

One of the biggest winnings in poker went to Jonathal Duhamel. This Canadian got it 8 944 310 American dollars. He earned such a huge amount at the age of 23. At the 2010 WSOP Main Event, the guy showed what success could look like.

However, the public remembered the triumphant not for his victory, but for how he used it. That is, by how he spent the money he earned. Jonathal spent money supporting a children's hockey team.

After stunning success, Duhamel’s life also came with disappointments. Some time after the competition, he realized that he had become a victim of theft: a certain sum and a gold bracelet were stolen from him. Later, the police found the loss and all the property was returned to Jonathal. Along with this joy came another disappointment: the guy learned that the robbers were directed at him by his beloved girlfriend.

From time to time, people have a question: who is the owner of the biggest poker winnings in the official history of the game? For several years now (since 2012), this person has been Antonio Esfandiari, an American with Iranian roots.

If we talk about the amount of the prize, it was definitely the largest one-time payment to one player or athlete: $18.34 million! Yes, that's the kind of money you can make by playing poker successfully in just a few hours.

And a significant event happened on July 3, 2012, as part of the largest tournament in the history of the WSOP. 47 of the strongest poker players on the planet took part in it, and the entry fee was simply an incredible amount: one million dollars!

Antonio Esfandiari managed to beat Sam Trickett in a protracted and exciting heads-up match, for which the champion was awarded the largest win in poker history and, of course, a platinum bracelet from the World Series of Poker.

What helped you win?

Probably, the American player was simply lucky, since no one counted him among the favorites to win. There were also obvious skeptics about him, who claimed before the start of the tournament that Antonio Esfandiari would be eliminated after the first few hands.

So underestimating the player’s abilities also helped him achieve his cherished goal and become a champion. He played cards mostly without straining, as if he felt that his finest hour had come!

After the first day of the tournament, Antonio had the fourth-largest stack at his disposal, and an all-in in the second round on the second day made him the chip leader of the final table. The final hand of the heads-up proved incredibly exciting as the American's set of fives held up against Sam Trickett's flush draw.

In an interview after the game, Esfandiari said that he dedicated the victory to his father, who always believed in him and supported him. Even the bracelet they won was given to the parent as a sign of gratitude for their trust.

Such big wins in poker show ordinary people, beginners and fans of the game that anything is possible! Anyone can win a big prize, because a lot here depends on the attitude to win and a little bit of luck!

Poker is one of those card games that attracts attention with its huge winnings. After all, even those who are far from the world of gambling have heard about the multi-million dollar prizes that players received in major tournament series. Such poker players turned from ordinary fans of this card game into wealthy and famous people.

But everyone doesn’t just want to know that some poker players once won several million in one of their tournament competitions. Players who have just begun their ascent in the world of poker want to know their heroes in person and have an idea of ​​the real size of their prize money.

Who got the biggest win in poker? Within what tournament? What was the money spent on? We will talk about all this in this article. Let's start our TOP 10 most successful poker players in the world.

10. Ryan Riess

Our ranking of the players with the biggest poker winnings starts with young Ryan Riess from the USA. When he was 23 years old, he applied to participate in the WSOP 2013 poker series and managed to win such an event. As a result, Rine's prize amounted to a staggering amount for many players - $8,361,560!

Despite his young age, the poker player used the money he won very wisely. Ryan has made very successful investments in such large companies, How Facebook, Apple and Disney. Now the poker player is their shareholder. Rhine also invested money in the railway industry.

9. Greg Merson

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the USA, which is why it is not surprising that players from this country are winning big victories. One of these lucky ones was Greg Merson. He took part in the Main Event 2012, winning the event over his rivals and receiving a jackpot of $8,531,853.

After his resounding victory, Greg Merson cried for several minutes and then could not come to his senses for a long time. The poker player simply could not believe that he had won such a lot of money that was in front of him.

Big wins in poker push many people to change their lives, and Greg was no exception. The poker player recovered from alcohol and drug addiction, bought a huge house for his family and began taking lessons in this card game from past winners. With the remaining money, Greg decided to take part in closed cash games.

8. Joe Cada

Let's continue to announce the biggest winnings in poker, and now we'll focus on another successful player from America - Joe Cada. He became involved in poker from childhood, as his mother worked as a dealer in a casino. At the age of 16, Joe began taking part in online distributions and by the age of 21 he was able to build a bankroll of $500,000.

Then Joe decided to expand the boundaries of his game, which is why he began taking part in live tournaments. But the poker player was unable to do it, which is why he lost almost all his money. As a result, Joe had no funds left for entrance fee at the WSOP 2009. But there were sponsors who paid for his game, and for good reason. After all, Joe won $8,547,042. Of these, each sponsor received 2 million.

However, Joe Cada was not left without money. After all, most of the prize was given to the player. In addition, he received another million from the poker room for playing hands in their branded clothing.

Big wins in poker have improved the living conditions of many players, and Joe is one of them. The poker player bought a house in Las Vegas with the prize money he received. The player plans to invest the remaining amount in his own business.

7. Pius Heinz

The biggest winnings in poker belong not only to Americans, but also to representatives of other countries. One of them is Pius Heinz, a young poker player from Germany who, at the age of 22, managed to win the WSOP Main Event 2011. For this, the player was paid $8,715,638. After such success, the whole world started talking about him.

Pius Heinz himself believed in his victory and counted on a big jackpot. But after it he said that he didn’t like Las Vegas. There is too much pathos in this city. He is more comfortable being at home with a cup of coffee and in front of a computer monitor. Pius never talked about where he spent the winnings.

6. Jonathal Duhamel

Another young WSOP Main Event winner is Jonathan Duhamel from Canada. He won the tournament series in 2010 when he was just 23 years old and won $8,944,310. However, many people remember Jonathan not for his victory, but for how he spent his big winnings in poker. On them he sponsored the Montreal Canadiens children's hockey team.

But Jonathan Duhamel’s life after winning the tournament also had disappointments. After all, after some time he discovered that he had been robbed. Not only was part of the winnings missing, but also the gold bracelet. Fortunately, the police managed to return it all to the owner. But the joy of this was overshadowed by the fact that his beloved acted as a spotter for the robbers. She felt that Jonathan was not being very generous with her.

5. Peter Eastgate

Now let's move on to Peter Eastgate from Denmark. He was able to win the 2008 WSOP Main Event at age 22 and received a payout of $9,152,416. For him, 2008 became a very significant year and allowed him to take a new turn in his career. So, at first he won several major online tournaments. Thanks to the prize money received as part of them, he managed to raise money to participate in the WSOP Main Event 2008, where he won.

In the final, St. Petersburg competed with our compatriot Ivan Demidov, who took second place of honor.

Today, Peter Eastgate has largely retired from poker. The former player spends his prize money on travel around the world. A poker player likes to visit new places and meet interesting people.

4. Martin Jacobson

For Martin Jakoobson from Sweden, poker became the main source of income from the age of 18. He always took this game seriously and played hands very successfully in rooms. In 2014, he took part in the WSOP Main Event and won one of the biggest winnings in poker - $10,000,000.

However, he did not stop at such a victory. By 2017, he was able to win more than $5,000,000 in other tournaments, and this despite the fact that Martin dreamed as a child not of a career as a poker player, but of working in a restaurant.

3. Jamie Gold

American Jamie Gold became the winner of the WSOP Main Event 2006, and since we are announcing the biggest winnings, it was within the framework of such a tournament series that this player managed to get the maximum jackpot. Jamie's prize was a staggering $12,000,000.

The player was remembered by literally all spectators of this tournament. The fact is that he turned out to be a difficult opponent. In appearance, he was smiling and talkative; he actively entertained television viewers. However, he did not miss the opportunity to piss off his opponents at the final table.

However, such behavior is not prohibited by the rules of such a card game. However, many players find this unacceptable. In addition, his opponents were angry with him because he miraculously always got the card he needed on the river when he was all-in.

Jamie Gold's victory was stunning. But after it, the player was sued by his friends. According to them, he promised them a share of his prize money. However, Jamie did not remember such words, so he did not give them anything.

2. Daniel Colman

Unlike the players listed above, American Daniel Coleman hit a big jackpot outside of the WSOP tournament. He took part in The Big One for One Drop event. It is notable for the fact that the buy-in for it is $1,000,000, which not everyone can afford. Therefore, there are relatively few participants in such a tournament - no more than 50 people.

It is noteworthy that either very wealthy entrepreneurs or ordinary poker players who have good sponsors take part in such a tournament.

Let's say right away that Daniel Colman was not an entrepreneur. Most of the buy-in was paid for by his friends. In the final he competed with Daniel Negrianu himself. Having defeated him, Coleman did not appear at the award ceremony and did not give any interviews, although he hit a very large jackpot - $15,306,668.

However, two days later the poker player explained why he behaved this way. He tweeted that he thinks poker is a very tough and dark game. Daniel stated that there are more losers here. Meanwhile, such people lose their jobs and loved ones because of their love for such a card game, get into debt and often ruin their lives. By leaving the ceremony, Daniel Colman made it clear that he would not advertise poker or encourage people to play it.

1. Antonio Esfandiari

American Antonio Esfandiari also took part in The Big One for One Drop. Here he was able to win more than Coleman. It is Antonio Esfandiari who owns the largest poker winnings - $18,346,873. Despite the fact that 5 years have passed since this poker player’s victory, no one has been able to break his record.

Esfandiari said that from winning such a tournament he received indescribable emotions that he had not experienced before. But he never said what he spent his prize money on.

This is what the TOP 10 players who received the biggest winnings in poker look like. Perhaps, by starting to master this card game now, in the future you will become one of the famous and rich poker players. All in your hands. Good luck!