More than 150 poker pros already became millionaires all those years of the WSOP. The names below belong to the top 10 money winners in WSOP history and the events that lead to their triumphs.
1.Jamie Gold – $12,067,292
Gold participated in the 2006 WSOP Main event wherein he outwitted the largest playing field in WSOP history and end up getting the hugest pay of all time. He also manages to cash in 3 other events getting a pay of $67,000.
It is quite unattainable that the number of participants in the 2006 WSOP will be attain again due to the UIGEA and the withdrawal of poker sites in the US market. It only means that Gold will be able to hold on his title as the top money maker of all time.
2.Peter Eastgate – $9,152,416
Peter Eastgate is the youngest player to win a WSOP tournament at 22. He also grabbed the 2nd largest payday in the history of poker and manage to advance against every body else except Gold. His win the Main Event is the only cash in he got but it is really a vital piece to place him right here in this list.
It is also believe that Eastgate has a fair chance to gain the number one spot of the money winners of all time due to his young age.
3.Jerry Yang – $8,250,000
Jerry Yang has won the WSOP Main Event in 2007 and only cash in at that particular time. He won the 3rd biggest paycheck in WSOP history.
It is concluded by many that Jerry Yang has a weak expertise in poker making them wrap up that his win is due to luck. Though he lacks the skill in poker, Yang makes it up with a nice personality.
4.Joe Hachem – $7,941,823
He is considered as the one of the finest players to win the WSOP having cashed in 8 WSOP events since winning it; counting 2 final tables where he end up getting the 2nd and 4th place. He also won the WPT Five Diamond in 2007 taking home at least $2 million dollars in the process.
The WSOP event in 2005 where Hachem wins is the first time he participated in the WSOP and it’s also the first place wherein the Aussie chant, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…Oy, Oy, Oy!!!”, was heard.
5.Allen Cunningham – $6,717,791
The first non-Main Event titlist in this list would be Allen Cunningham. He is a player of poker for a long time even he’s only 32 years old because he started at young age. He already won 5 bracelets from poker events and snag at 40 cashes in the WSOP. But his biggest money score cam from his 4th place win the 2006 WSOP Main Event where he won $3 million.
This good natured player may not be included in the list of the most popular names in poker he is certainly one of poker’s excellent poker players.
6.Greg Raymer – $6,487,512
Raymer is the first one to gain from a large field of poker players being the champion of the 2004 WSOP Main Event. He outsmarted more than 2500 players and took home a large prize of $5 million dollars in the process.
The ‘Fossilman’ has proven that he is tough by cashing in 11 events since his big win counting 5 final tables and grabbing the 3rd place of the $40k NLHE tournament in 2009.
7.Ivan Demidov – $6,468,381
The very first man on this list who’s not a bracelet winner is Ivan Demidov. He grabbed 2nd place in the 2008 Main Event and is rumored to be one of the most promising players at present. The Russian native also finished 3rd in the WSOP Europe Main Event at the very same year he place 2nd in the WSOP.
8.Paul Wasicka – $6, 192,711
He’s famous for grabbing the largest brides-maid payday in the history of poker and he’s no other than Full Tilt pro Paul Wasicka. He is also a teacher at the Full Tilt Poker Academy and has a history of 3 other cashes in the WSOP and is one of the few players with a promising poker career.
9.Phill Hellmuth – $6,064,988
Known popularly as the poker brat – Hellmuth won’t be glad that he was outdone by other who he didn’t even know exist. This 11-time bracelet winner only has $755,000 for his largest payday in the WSOP.
He grinds about 75 checks in the WSOP (an all time high); he doesn’t have the same easy huge payday as the others in this list have.
10.Michael Binger – $4,853,748
Michael Binger ended up in 3rd place during the 2006 Main Event and has inaudibly won 19 WSOP cashes. He is one of the unknown top notch players in the poker community.
Binger is a graduate of theoretical physics at Stanford University dealing particle physics. He chooses poker over his profession due to the big pay offered by the game. So you may see him quiet a while in poker tournaments rather than seeing him doing something in the scientific world.