Top US Poker Players to Ever Play the Game

The talk of poker players is a huge part of what really gets fans interested in the game.  Fans all know the big names in poker, the Phil Ivey’s, Doyle Brunson’s, and Phil Hellmuth’s of the poker world.  Every player has a story, but it’s the players like those three that always have their names in the poker news.  Events like the World Series and World Poker Tour will draw a lot of attention, but sometimes what draws even more attention is how the big named poker players are doing at these events.

Online poker is also largely affected by these names.  On some of the online poker sites, the site will have their “poker pros” play in multiple different tournaments in cash games to help draw additional players into the games.  Every fan would love to say that they were sitting at a table online against some of the big names in poker.  You’ll find quite a few poker players that you’ve seen on TV playing in the tournament and cash game action on the virtual felt as well.

The list below gives you a brief intro behind some of the biggest names in both live and online poker.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is possibly the most popular poker player in the world right now.  He draws a following at nearly every event that he plays at as well.  Ivey has won 8 World Series of Poker gold bracelets, and one World Poker Tour title.  He’s also made it to nine final tables at World Poker Tour events.

Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson has played poker professionally for over 50 years, and is one of the most respected poker players in the world.  He has won the World Series of Poker Main Event twice (in a row), and is part of the Poker Hall of Fame.  Brunson has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets in his career, and was the first player to earn $1 million in poker tournaments.

Phil Hellmuth

The “Poker Brat” is one of the most talked about, and popular poker players in the game.  He has won 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, and won the 1989 World Series of Poker Main Event.  He is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame with Doyle Brunson.  The nickname “Poker Brat” came from his personality at the live poker tables.

Daniel Negreanu

Negreanu is a professional poker player from Canada, who has won a total of four World Series of Poker braclets, as well as two World Poker Tour Championship titles.  Negreanu is also known to be one of the smartest, and most talkative poker players in the world.  He has currently ranked second in the all-time poker players’ earning list.

Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen is another professional poker player who is well known for his love of talking up his tables and having a great time.  Nguyen is a five time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner, with his most recent win coming back in 2008 at the $50k H.O.R.S.E. World Championship in 2008.  One stat that’s even more impressive about Scotty that most people don’t know, is that between the years of 2000 to 2004, he cashed in over 100 events total.

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson

You know that you’re a pretty popular guy if most people tend to know you by only your nickname.  “Jesus” has taken down five World Series of Poker bracelets in his years, and even won the 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event.  The most memorable win for Ferguson came back in 2008 when he won the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Dan Harrington

Dan Harrington is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, and took down the World Series of Poker Main Event back in 1995.  The biggest story behind Dan Harrington is the fact that he has won over six million dollars in tournaments in his career, including one World Poker Tour title, and two World Series of Poker bracelets.  Another interesting fact about Harrington?  He’s a cousin of professional golfer Padraig Harrington, and NFL Quarterback Joey Harrington.

Gus Hansen

Hansen is known for his incredibly aggressive style of play, and is all about putting the pressure on his opponents.  Hansen has won three World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelets, and he also won the 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event.  Combined in his career, he has won over $7,200,000.

Obviously these are just a few of the biggest names in poker, and there are quite a few young and up coming stars that will be featured all over the internet, as well as scattered across online poker sites as well.  If you watch the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour, you’ll constantly be able to see new players who are on the rise, and starting to make a name for themselves.  There are multiple different ways to measure the success of a poker player as well.  Some fans will measure it by the number of bracelets or events that the player has won, and others will do it by the amount of money that they’ve won in their career.