Doyle Brunson Photo
1 Doyle Brunson aka texdolly
Doyle Brunson is the number one cash game player in the world. He has built an empire from his winning in the “Big Game” in Las Vegas. He resides as the “God Father” of poker and is one of the most respected cash game players of all time. He has stood the test of time and has come out on top despite all his times going bust early in his career. Doyle is adept at all forms of poker, especially limit mixed games. He wrote the book on NL aggression, literally. Finally he reached a point where he hasn’t had to look back and reigns supreme at our number one spot. I estimate Doyle Brunson’s bankroll to have exceeded 100 million.
Chip Reese Image
2 David “Chip” Reese
Chip Reese is regarded as the best cash game player of all time by his peers. Chip Reese past away a couple years ago from pneumonia at an early age. Chip was one of the most soft spoken players and met with great respect from his opponents. He often helped out other poker players when they went broke. Chip was adept at all forms of poker and won the inaugural 50k H.O.R.S.E. event. Chip is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and one of the greatest poker players of all time. It is estimated that he won over 40 million in his career.
3 Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss Image
Johnny Moss has been forever immortalized in the poker world as one of the greatest players to have ever lived. As our top two players, Johnny moss was adept at all forms of poker, especially stud versions. Years before any million dollar challenge by Tom Dwan, Johnny had a million dollar heads up match of his own. Johnny played Nick “The Greek” Dandolos in a lobby of a Vegas casino day in and day out and millions were exchanged. Finally Nick gave up after being nearly busted by the great Johnny Moss.
Phil Ivey Photo
4 Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey is regarded by most to be the best all around poker player in the world at the moment. And again like Doyle, Chip, and Johnny, Phil is adept at all forms of poker. Recently, Phil won his 6th bracelet in $2500 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw. He did this Vs people who play Deuce to Seven on a regular basis, showing how adept he really is at different forms of poker. Phil Ivey has some of the best reading skills on poker tells that you can have. With endorsements, Ivey is said to be worth over 100 million dollars.
Stu Ungar Image
5 Stu Ungar
Stu Ungar takes the number five spot of the greatest cash game players of all time do to his ability to read players and his amazing skill on the felt. If Stu did not bet on sports, and was not overcome by his narcotic addiction, he would been alive today and playing in the “Big Game” with Doyle and the rest of the crew. Stu had a genius super human attribute, which would allow him to count a 3 deck blackjack shoe as once noted by Bob Stupak.
Tom Dwan Photo
6 Tom Dwan aka Durrrr
Tom Dwan is only 23 years old, but has won millions at the poker table. the reason why I’m ranking Tom so high is the number of hands he must have played. Tom Dwan has been multi-screening poker tables for years at Full Tilt
and must have played as many hands as Doyle Brunson has in his lifetime, but in a very short time period. Tom Dwan is adept at Pot Limit Omaha and NL Texas Holdem Poker, although he shows promise in other forms of poker.
Jennifer Harman Image
7 Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman is regarded as the best female poker player in the world by her peers and even has a chapter in Doyle’s Super System II. Jennifer has been a staple at the Bellagio in Bobby’s room since it started. She learned to play poker as a child at the age of eight where she would fill in for her dad. I would note that Kathy Liebert is the best tournament female player in the world and Jennifer is the best cash game player.
Sammy Farha Photo
8 Sammy Farha
Sammy Farha may not be the greatest winner in the Big Game, but I rank him at 8 because of his keen instincts
and willingness to gamble. He loves taking on the “young guns” and has taken a quite few out. He would rank in top five if this were the most stylish poker players in the world. When he was heads up with Chris Moneymaker, he stated that if he won the main event he would be even for that weekend.
Chau Giang
9 Chau Giang
Chau Giang is yet another player in the Big Game. He is also Doyle Brunson’s neighbor too, in an affluent neighborhood in Las Vegas. Chau Giang has more of a tight style and is the consummate rock at the table. Chau is no stranger to tournament poker either. Chau Giang is well respected and is commands respect like the great Chip Reese.
Patrik Antonius
10 Patrik Antonius
Patrik Antonius is a newcomer to high stakes poker like his rival Tom Dwan. Both entered the scene around the same time. Patrik is adept at most forms of poker and is an exceptional NL Holdem player. He specializes in PL HO / Holdem / Omaha, but Patrik is no slacker when it comes to mixed games either. He’s made the final table in the inaugural 50k H.O.R.S.E.
Di Dang Photo
11 Di Dang aka Urindanger
Di Dang and his brother are two of the most feared high stakes poker players on Full Tilt Poker. The two share a bankroll and I’m listing them next to each other in the lineup but not favoring one or the other. Di Dang is adept at NL Holdem and PL Omaha. Di Dang is tight aggressive. I place Di Dang and Hac Dang so high in the top cash game players of all time because of their young age and the number of hands they have played. Like Tom Dwan, Hac and Di have played millions of hands and accrued a lifetime of experience.
12 Hac Dang aka Trex313
Hac Dang aka Trex313 is the other half of the Urindanger / Trex313 duo. Hac Dang had a deep run in the 2009 WSOP and if I’m not mistaken took a bad beat by Phil Ivey late in the tournament. But this is not a tournament post, Hac is part of the Dang brothers who dominate online poker at the highest stakes. These brothers truley build up their bankroll, and graduated to the highest stakes, in a short period of time.
Barry Greenstein Photo
13 Barry Greenstein
Barry Greenstein is an adept mixed game player, but in an exceptional NL Holdem cash game player and tournament player. Barry is so adept at cash games that he was able to donate his tournament winnings to charity giving him the nickname “Robinhood of Poker”. Barry constantly evaluates his opponents and keeps track of their tendencies. He reminds me of Cal Ripkin Jr., who would document all the pitches thrown to him by different pitchers on his laptop. Barry’s roll runs deep and his love of asian poker babes runs deeper.
David Oppenheim photo
14 David Oppenheim
David Oppenheim is one of the most adept high stakes limit mixed game players in the world. David often plays in Larry Flynt’s big stud game with Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey.
Larry’s game is rival to Bobby’s Room and has since moved from Larry’s house to Larry’s Hustler Casino. Playing often in Larry’s game, make him one of the most feared stud players in the world.
Howard Lederer Photo
15 Howard Lederer
Howard Lederer is known to be the greatest living limit holdem player in the world right now. Howard was a member of the “corporation” which was led by Doyle Brunson. Andy Beal, a billionaire from Texas, took on members of the Corporation heads up in limit holdem. Howard and the corporation heads up matches between Beal , was the subject of the book by Micheal Craig called Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King. This is the largest cash game to have taken place with blinds of 100k 200k at one time. Howard is said to have won 7 million in one day for the corporation. Howard has had a tournament chip on his shoulder for some time until recently he made 2 final tables in the WSOPE. Howard is most likely Doyle’s aire apparent to being the Godfather of poker.
Gus Hansen Photo
16 Gus Hansen
Gus Hansen is undoubtedly thing swingingest poker player to play poker in the world, and I’m not talking about swinger cruises or something kinki like that. I’m talking about his massive swings in online poker. At moments he seems like genius and other moments he seems like a borderline calling station. Gus is no stranger to 6 million dollar swings in a month or two making him the most volatile skilled poker player to date. I believe only Archie Karas has had biggers swings than Gus Hansen.
Archie Karas Photo
17 Archie Karas
Archie Karas has won and lost more money than probably any player in the history of poker. Archie is regarded as the best razz player in the world in cash games. Archie is the most reckless skilled poker player to date. Archie is from the old school and has had a net worth of over 40 million at one point.
18 Nicholas Andreas Dandolos aka “Nick the Greek”
Nick Dandolos is famous for taking on the great Johnny Moss, in the most famous heads up game until “The Corporation” took on Andy Beal. Dandalos was also known for his philanthropy to the educational system. Nick The Greek was one of the original poker degens and would even get treated at the table by paramedics before getting up and leaving. Nick was highly skilled at all forms of poker and
was the best on the east coast. However, he met his match VS our number 3 spot, Johnny Moss, in a an epic 5 month marathon heads up game.
Nicky Frangos Photo
19 Nicky Frangos
Nicky Frangos is known as the best known stud cash game player in the world. Nicky’s stomping ground is Atlantic City.
Matt Glantz Photo
20 Matt Glantz
Matt Glantz is known as one of the strongest poker pros on the East coast if not the world. Matt also does exceptionally well in poker tournaments with large buy-ins. Matt Recently won the High Rollers event in England.
Honorable mention
Danny Robinson
Danny was Mike Sextons mentor and Danny came from the home games of Ohio with Chip Reese. Danny was adept at seven card stud.
Freddy Deeb
Freddy won the 50k HORSE which is an indicator of a top cash game player. With it’s slow blind structure and mixed games, the 50k almost simulates high stakes action. It might even be better, since you can’t rebuy and the buy-in costs as much as a nice BMW.
Daniel Negreanu
I may had made a mistake by putting Daniel in the honorable mention category and not in the top 20. I think Daniel is highly skilled and adept at all forms of poker, but I categorize him as a tournament player.
Daniel Alaei
Daniel Alaei is one of the strongest cash game players out there. Daniel has made numerous appearances on High Stakes Poker with the other high stakes regulars. Daniel plays a poker style similar to Elky.
Walter Clyde Pearson
“I’ll play any man from any land any game he can name for any amount he can count.”
Puggy Pearson was one of the greatest cahs game players of all time during the era of the Texas Rounders. Although he wasn’t from Texas, he hung out and played with them quite a bit. Ironically Puggy was the originator of the “freezeout” which is now known as tournament poker.
Amarillo Slim
Amarillo will go down as one of the greatest players of all time. Amarillo was part of the original Texas Rounder who
shared bankrolls and traveled all around Texas, and then made their way to Las Vegas.
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