Biggest online poker winners 2017 mlb

Poker has evolved into one of the most popular card games of all time. While it was earlier primarily played for recreational purposes amongst friends, it is now a full-blooded competitive sport and has also emerged as the biggest form of gambling all over the world.

The World Series Of Poker has taken the ‘sport’ to the next level, with a main event held every year, along with several smaller tournaments, promising millions of dollars to potential winners. The WSOP has created many instant millionaires and has inspired thousands of players from around the world to take up Poker professionally.

Texas Hold ’em is undoubtedly the most popular Poker variant, and majority of the biggest winners in history have become rich while playing that.

  • Did you know that the total prize pool for the 2012 WSOP Event crossed the $ 80 million mark ?
  • Can you believe that Antonio Esfandiari pocketed more than $18 million by winning just one Poker event ?
  • Ever wondered who are the biggest winners in Poker history ?
  • Do you want to be inspired by stories of professionals overcoming all odds to win mega sums of money ?

Well fret not, as we have compiled a definitive list of the top 10 biggest single event Poker winners to inspire you.

3 Top 10 Stories of 2017, #3: Doug Polk Wins One Drop and the Internet; 4 Top 10 Stories of 2017, #4: PokerGO Changes the Way WSOP is Consumed; 5 Top 10 Stories of 2017, #5: Online Poker Advances. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom and Timofey ‘Trueteller’ Kuznetsov, both legendary high-stakes grinders, along with ‘BERRI SWEET,’ top the 2017 online poker charts with more than $1.4 million in profits. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom is one of online poker’s biggest winners in 2017.

1. Antonio Esfandiari – 18.3 Million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0RPJ8Gi3Jg

Nationality : Iran
Winning Amount : 18,346,673
Total Prize Pool : $42.6 million
Date : 3rd July 2012
Event : 2012 WSOP Event #55 – The Big One For One Drop

Aptly nicknamed ‘The Magician’ , Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most well known Poker players in the world, and for a valid reason. Antonio managed to win the largest ever cash prize for one Poker tournament when he pocketed a staggering $18.3 million at the 2012 WSOP The Big One For One Drop event, which was held to benefit the One Drop Foundation. Not only that, Antonio is actually a former professional magician, widely known for his unusual tricks with poker chips.

The event had a huge total prize pool of $42.6 million, and even the runner up received a cool $10.1 million, not the worst way to lose is it ? The event saw more than 48 millionaires try their luck, including 28 professional Poker players and some of the very best in the business participated as well.

2. Daniel Colman – $15.3 Million

Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $15,306,668
Total Prize Pool : $37.3 Million
Date : 29th June 2014
Event : 2014 WSOP Event #57 – The Big One For One Drop

23 year old Dan Colman overcame 41 other professional Poker players to take home a staggering winning prize of $15.3 million, in June 2014. This was the second largest sum of money ever won by a single player in a Poker tournament. He also became popular on social media for showing absolutely no signs of joy after winning the massive amount.

Famous as an online Poker professional, Colman trusted his guts and brought his skill set to the actual tables at the 2014 WSOP – The Big One For One Drop event, a charity organization, which eventually managed to raise $4.6 million to provide clean water in developing countries. The total prize pool of this event was #37.3 Million.

It was fate that led Colman to that day, as back in 2012 he had actually contemplated leaving Poker for good and applying for college. However he messed up his applications and eventually decided to give Poker another shot.

3. Elton Tsang – $12.2 Million

Nationality : China
Winning Amount : $12,248,912
Total Prize Pool : $27.4 Million
Date : 29th October 2016
Event : 2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza

Chinese professional Poker player Elton Tsang made the world sit up and notice when he bagged the third largest cash prize in a single Poker tournament, and the largest cash prize awarded in a Poker tournament held outside the USA, when he won a mammoth $12.2 million at the 2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza.

Born in Canada, Tsang is currently based in Hong Kong, and has been using his newly acquired wealth to accumulate property and other investments. He defeated 25 other players on his way to winning the big tournament, which had a total prize pool of $27 million, with each player buying in with $1million each.

4. Jamie Gold – $12 Million

Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $12,000,000
Total Prize Pool : $82.5 Million
Date : 29th July 2006
Event : 2006 WSOP Main Event #39

The current president of production of the entertainment company Buzznation, Jamie Gold gained worldwide stardom for his brilliant win at the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

Gold was only one out of a staggering 8773 different players who had purchased the buy in for the event, with the buy-in fixed at $10,000. This led to the largest ever prize pool in Poker history with a staggering total pool of $82.5 million. The prize money was distributed among the top 873 players (top 10%), with the highest amount being $12 million and the lowest amount being $14,597.

Jamie was notorious for his table antics which included showing his opponents some of his cards, and even mumbling strange things while playing, which had almost got him banned several times.

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5. Martin Jacobsen – $10 Million

Nationality : Sweden
Winning Amount : $10,000,000
Total Prize Pool : $62.8 Million
Date : 14th July 2014
Event : 2014 WSOP Main Event

Swedish professional Poker player Martin Jacobsen won the 5th largest single event prize money when he bagged a cool $10 million after winning the 2014 WSOP main event. Born in Sweden but currently residing in London, Jacobsen attained instant stardom following his win.

His win was all the more remarkable because on the second day of the tournament, he actually was placed below the third shortest stack of chips, and managed to make a remarkable turnaround to finish second in the table on the second day. By the third day, he was well in the lead and ended up winning the grand prize. He was widely praised for his gutsy bet-sizing and his impeccable timing, 2 key reasons for his huge victory.

6. Peter Eastgate – $ 9.1 Million

Nationality : Denmark
Winning Amount : $9,152,416
Total Prize Pool : $64.3 Million
Date : 3rd July 2008
Event : 2008 WSOP Main Event

Peter Eastgate, at that time, became the youngest ever player to win a World Series Of Poker Main Event, aged just 22 when he won $9.1 Million in July 2008. With a buy-in of $10,000 , Peter managed to beat scores of other fancied competitors on his way to winning the big one.

The final table lasted two days, with 274 hands taking place over a playing time of more than 15 hours, and at the end of the grueling session, Eastgate finally managed to defeat the experienced Ivan Demidov to win the title.

Having initially qualified for the main event through Ladbrokes’ website, his travel to Vegas for the event was also sponsored by the betting firm, and he was registered as part of Team Ladbrokes.

Eastgate also decided to eventually auction off his WSOP Gold Bracelet, with the amount of $147,000 being donated to UNICEF.

7. Jonathan Duhamel – $8.9 Million

Nationality : Canada
Winning Amount : $8,944,310
Total Prize Pool : $68.7 Million
Date : 9th November 2010
Event : 2010 WSOP Main Event

In the second largest Poker event ever held, more than 7300 different players registered for a shot at a mega winning prize, each with a $10,000 buy in which took the total prize pool of the event to an unbelievable $68.7 Million, the second highest of all time.

After 4 long months of intense poker sessions, a champion was finally crowned in November 2010, as Jonathan Duhamel emerged as the winner of the 2010 WSOP Main Event and won a staggering amount of $8.9 Million.

Duhamel played brilliantly and was pretty much in the lead throughout the event, never looking like slowing down. With his win he became the first Canadian ever to win a WSOP Gold Bracelet, and also donated $100,000 to the Canadian Children’s Foundation, which was the largest single donation the charity organization ever received.

8. Pius Heinz – $8.7 Million

Nationality : Germany
Winning Amount : $ 8,711,956
Total Prize Pool : $64.5 Million
Date : 9th November 2011
Event : 2011 WSOP Main Event

Pius Heinz became the first ever player from Germany to win Poker’s biggest prize when he won the 2011 WSOP Main Event, at the age of just 22. The Cologne born player took home a mammoth $8.7 million after overcoming 6865 different players in this mega event.

Players from over 85 different countries paid the $10,000 buy in fee for this event, taking the total tournament prize pool to $64.5 million.

The final table session lasted two days and Heinz was widely appreciated for his masterful strategies while playing. Among the final 9 players on the final table, Heinz ranked 7th in terms of chips, and still managed to turn it all around and make a remarkable comeback to win against all odds.

The 2011 WSOP Main Event was the most watched Poker event in history, with people in more than 135 countries tuning in to catch the action live.

9. Joe Cada – $ 8.54 Million

Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $ 8,547,042
Total Prize Pool : $ 61 Million
Date : 9th November 2009
Event : 2009 WSOP Main Event

Joe Cada became the youngest ever WSOP Main Event winner when he won the 2009 event at the age of just 21, which is literally the age limit for gambling in the USA.

The youngster overcame 6494 other competitors on his way to winning $8.5 million, with the buy in for the tournament set at $10,000, taking the total prize money pool to $61 million. A total of 87 hands were played before Cada managed to defeat heavily fancied Darvin Moon, who still took home more than $5.1 million in winnings.

Even before his mammoth win on the final table, Cada had already been awarded a $1 million contract by PokerStars, a company which sponsored his accommodation as well as a percentage of his buy-ins.

Apart from Poker, Cada is also a professional indoor soccer player. Gambling runs in his family as his mother is a former blackjack dealer.

10. Greg Merson – $8.52 Million

Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $ 8,527,982
Total Prize Pool : $62 Million
Date : 9th October 2012
Event : 2012 WSOP Main Event #61

American professional Greg Merson won an incredible $8.52 million when he overcame thousands of other players to capture the 2012 WSOP Bracelet.

With a final hand consisting of almost 400 hands, one of the most thrilling finales of recent times culminated in Merson’s victory, with runner up Jesse Sylvia also taking home a cool $5.29 million.

Formerly a drug addict, Merson’s story is inspiring as he overcame a lot of financial and psychological hurdles to reach where he is now. He was even ranked as 2012’s WSOP Player Of The Year, after adding the $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold ’em to his title as well.

11. Ryan Riess – $8.3 Million

Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $ 8,359,531
Total Prize Pool : $59.7 Million
Date : 9th 05th November 2013
Event : 2013 WSOP Main Event #62

The then 23 year old Ryan Reiss shocked the Poker World when he finally managed to beat the heavy favourite Jay Farber at the 2013 WSOP Main Event, to take home a stunning winning amount of $8.3 million. The runner up also took home a huge sum of $5.1 million.

Biggest Online Poker Winners 2017 Results

The tournament, which begun back in July, saw a total 6352 Poker players trying their luck out. That number included many poker legends and favourites from around the globe. Reiss was considered as just another young rookie in the game. However, after the first 7 days he emerged as one of the November 9, with the 5th largest stack going into the final round of the tournament.

Reiss gained widespread respect for his gesture of immediately acknowledging the runner up Farber, despite the whole crowd chanting his name wildly.

12. Jerry Yang – $8.25 Million

Nationality : Laos
Winning Amount : $ 8,250,000
Total Prize Pool : $59.78 Million
Date : 17th July 2007
Event : 38th WSOP Main Event 2007

Asian poker legend Jerry Yang enhanced his reputation as one of the best ever with a huge victory at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, when he outsmarted 6358 other entrants on his way to winning a mega prize of $8.25 Million. Already 40 years old during his win, Yang was one of the more experienced players on the card in Vegas.

The buy-in for the tournament was set at $10,000, with more than 6000 entrants buying in, leading to a huge prize pool of $59.7 million. Yang donated 10% of his winnings to various charities and also revealed his plans of sending all 6 of his children to the best universities and set them up for life.

Sean Chaffin

This year's Top Stories are brought to you by the VerStandig Law Firm, LLC. Combining a keen understanding of the gaming world and an equally keen understanding of the law, Mac VerStandig and his colleagues are devoted to fighting on behalf of the poker community and its members.

Biggest Online Poker Winners 2017 Winner

'Chris Ferguson Wins WSOP Player of the Year.'

After 74 events in Las Vegas, 11 tournaments in Europe, and the complete Full Tilt Poker debacle, this is not a headline many in poker world expected – or hoped for. Whatever the case, a year after jumping back into tournament poker on the world's biggest stage, Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson amassed a big run to take the title.

Whatever one thinks of him personally, Ferguson certainly has skills at the table. The winner of the 2000 Main Event, Ferguson was one of the mainstays in poker during the 2000s before Black Friday exposed his company's improprieties and led to a self-imposed five-year exile from poker.

An enemy to the game to many, Ferguson returned to the tables in 2016 and capped a big WSOP run by winning his sixth bracelet in Europe in Event #7: €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. Ferguson took home €39,289 after topping a field of 92, bringing his lifetime winnings to almost $9 million.

In a year that saw him cash in 17 events in Las Vegas and six in Europe, Ferguson made three final tables including a runner-up result in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $151,700 and fourth in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for $150,929.

The POY Controversy

The POY race brought plenty of scrutiny in 2017 with players like Daniel Negreanu arguing that the system rewards min-cashes in the smaller buy-in events with larger fields than in the $10,000 buy-in championship events.

'It is much tougher to cash in a 100-player field in a $10,000 event than it is to cash in a large field event that pays hundreds of spots,' Negreanu wrote in a blog post at FullContactPoker.com, in which he recommended improvements to the system. 'It takes roughly three times more play, the structures are slower on day two, and you are also fighting against top notch competition in the championship events when you near the bubble.'

Whatever the case, Ferguson played well within the system and his consistency and his bracelet earned him the title. Certainly many in the poker were steamed with the results.

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The Community's Response

Montreal's Pablo Mariz had an impressive WSOP this summer – notching six cashes including his first bracelet in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker for $1.2 million and a runner-up finish in the $ 1,000 No Limit Hold'em Tag Team event for $46,537. Mariz believes paying a large percentage of the field and POY rules that favor just cashing made it easier for Ferguson to earn the title.

'I think it's a disgrace and a slap in the face of the online poker community,' he says. 'From what I've seen, he had a lot of points from having multiple small cashes, which I think is not the best. A final table should be valued way more.

'I'm pretty sure he plays the same way as 10 years ago, which shouldn't be too optimal. But In live poker where 95 percent of the fields are recreational/bad regs, I guess it's not too hard to sneak in the money a lot – especially when you have a large bankroll which is not even your money from the Full Tilt Poker scam. So overall, I'm not impressed by his performances, nor I hope he gets any congratulations from people that dont know the full story.'

'I think it's a disgrace and a slap in the face of the online poker community.'

Biggest Online Poker Winners 2017 2018


John Monnette made a big run at the WSOP and was in the mix for POY, finishing fifth. He believes the formula for determining the top spot at the WSOP should be revamped.

'I don't have a strong feeling about Chris or his place in the poker world,' he said. 'I do believe that the POY formula is obviously flawed when playing all the small gimmicky tournaments is rewarded. Chris skipped the 50k to play an $888 tournament with unlimited re-entries where you are essentially buying POY points. That isn't a formula that rewards the best overall players, it's a formula that rewards the person who knows who to manipulate the system the best.'

Many players expressed shock that Ferguson is back playing tournament poker and some even favor rules to ban Ferguson.

'I guess it's just frustrating that he has the nerve to even play the WSOP after what he was a part of at Full Tilt,' said longtime tournament pro Blair Hinkle. 'Chris was an owner of a company that screwed over millions of poker players, yet I don't even think he ever apologized. You would think he might have enough self awareness to at least do that. I guess he just doesn't care and that's why he decided to return and in some ways disrespect the poker community.'

Hinkle is one of those who favor a ban on players like Ferguson who have run afoul of the poker world in something as big as the Full Tilt scandal.

'As far as the WSOP goes, I wish that there was some sort of way to police the small percentage of players that have scammed the poker community,' he says. 'I, for one, think he should be banned from poker tournaments. If people want to sit with him in a cash game that is their decision.'

A few in the poker world have been more forgiving including poker legend Doyle Brunson. In July, with Ferguson battling for the title he noted on Twitter: 'I think Chris is a good guy and has done nice things for people that nobody talks about. I wish him well.'

Fourteen-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth posed for a selfie with Ferguson after he won the bracelet in Europe. The Tweet became the scorn or many and Hellmuth received plenty of negative feedback.

Welcome back to the @WSOP winners circle Chris Ferguson!! #ChrisFergusonsSixthWSOPWin #WSOPBraceletHunting… https://t.co/erSts4SOoB

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth)

Hellmuth responded: 'I believe one of the worst things we can do as human beings is persecute innocent people. Also, I believe in forgiveness.'

Some poker players note that Ferguson never asked players for forgiveness after the entire Full Tilt Poker fiasco.

Love him or hate him, Ferguson made waves throughout the summer and into November when he locked up one of poker's most prestigious honors. It was enough to earn him the biggest story of 2017 from the PokerNews staff.

The VerStandig Law Firm, LLC represents poker professionals, sports bettors and advantage players across the United States. The firm assists clients in connection with legal issues including personal LLC formation and operation, tax planning that focuses on gaming deductions and exemptions, casino disputes, and personal matters spanning from divorce to criminal dust-ups.

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