Poker has become somewhat of a phenomenon this millennium, with both online casinos and television coverage helping to greatly boost its popularity.
It has proven to be a great way for many poker aficionados to make a living from, and in the case of the five players in our list, a very healthy living too.
Here are the current top 5 in the world, according to the Hendon Mob:
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Bryn Kenney
Originally a competitive player when it came to the Magic: The Gathering card game, Bryn Kenney made the transition to poker to play his first live money game when he was just 20 years old in 2007.
The New York native may have been relatively unknown heading into 2019 but then had the year of all years. First, Kenney won $3,062,513 at the No Limit Hold’em – Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju 2019 Main Event in March, over $4 million in Montenegro from two events in May, and then a staggering £20,563,324 at the Triton Million for Charity Event in London, England in August last year.
Bryn Kenney’s live tournament earnings now exceed $55,000,000.
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Justin Bonomo
‘ZeeJustin’ as he’s known online was only 19 years old when he featured on a televised final table back in 2005 and has gone on to make quite a name for himself in the decade-and-a-half since.
12 months ago Justin Bonomo was actually top of the all-time live tournament money list before being overtaken by our current leader. Regardless, 2019 wasn’t such a bad year for the 35-year-old as he took home a cool $ 3,248,728 at the Short Deck Main Event in London.
Justin Bonomo has earned over $49,000,000 from live tournaments to date.
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Daniel Negreanu
Arguably the most famous name on our list and someone who could write the perfect book on how to play poker. Daniel Negreanu is the only two-time World Series of Poker Player of the Year, having won in 2004 and again in 2013, and the first player to make a final table in each of the three WSOP bracelet-awarding locations (Las Vegas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific).
What hasn’t the Canadian done in poker? He also has six WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour championships.
Daniel Negreanu’s live tournament earnings to date are as high as $42,055,853.
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Erik Seidel
A winner of eight WSOP bracelets and a sole World Poker Tour title, Erik Siedel is the oldest entrant in the top five at 60. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, perhaps the 2010 Poker Hall of Fame inductee was always destined to be a star at the table.
His first major tournament dates back to 1988 where he was runner-up at the World Series of Poker Main Event. His dominating run would come a couple of years later, winning his first WSOP bracelet in 1992 until his eighth in 2007.
Still going strong, Erik Seidel has accumulated $37,748,126 from his live tournaments to date.
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Dan Smith
Originally from New Jersey, Dan Smith shot up the all-time rankings at the Triton Million for Charity Event in London last August where he placed third, taking home a cool $8,765,628 in prize money.
Prior to that, the 31-year-old has won several titles during his career, including a World Poker Tour championship and an event at the Aussie Millions.
Dan Smith has racked up over $36,000,000 in live tournament earnings over his career.