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The Top 10 Tournament Poker Players

There are many great tournament poker players, and deciding who is actually the best tournament poker player is a greatly debated subject.

Profiting at Poker have sat down and thought about exactly who should be in the top 10 tournament poker players list. We have put together a quick video counting down the top 10.

If you’d prefer to jump straight into the top 10 tournament poker players list, take a look below:

10. Ted Forrest

Ted Forrest is a very underrated player who wouldn’t always appear in a top 10 list. Those who have followed his poker tournament career will know he definitely deserves a place in the top 10.

Forrest has 6 WSOP bracelets to his name, including one in Razz during the 2014 WSOP where he beat Phil Hellmuth in an epic heads-up battle. What makes Forrest’s tournament record so amazing, is that of his 6 WSOP bracelets, only one of them is in No-Limit Hold’em. His other 5 come in varying forms of poker showing his all-round skill at the poker table. Forrest is very feared in the poker community.

9. Johnny Moss

Many regard Johnny Moss as one of the greatest tournament poker players of all time. While he earned the respect of his peers by dominating poker in the 70s, tournament fields were much smaller than they are today. This fact has pushed Moss down a few places.

Moss has 9 WSOP bracelets, 3 of which were main event wins. His 1970 win was down to a vote from his peers who decided he was the worthy champion.

8. T.J. Cloutier

T. J. Cloutier has always specialized in tournaments throughout his poker career.

Cloutier has won 6 WSOP bracelets in his poker career, and while he is known for his success in No-Limit Hold’em, only one of his bracelets are at that game.

Cloutier has never been crowned the main event champion, but he has finished in the top 5 an amazing 4 times in the championship WSOP event.

Cloutier has also authored or co-authored 5 books.

7. Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is one of the most marketable poker players, and that doesn’t happen overnight. Negreanu has been extremely successful on the poker circuit.

Negreanu has had a recent surge of success in his quest to become the best poker tournament player.

Negareanu has 6 WSOP bracelets including winning the main event of the WSOP Asia Pacific in 2013. On top of his WSOP bracelets, Negreanu has two WPT titles to his name.

Negreanu will surely make his way up this list if he continues playing at his current level.

6. Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is one of the most feared players at the poker table. Players dread being seated at his table as he can accumulate chips with no effort at all.

While Ivey has been caught up in multiple gambling-related casino legal battles, his reputation at the poker table is second to none.

At the time, Ivey was the youngest player to accumulate 3 WSOP bracelets (at just 26), and currently has 9 to his name. He is currently 4th in most WSOP bracelets behind Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth. Ivey also has a WPT title to his name.

5. Erik Seidel

Similar to Ted Forrest, Erik Seidel has flown under the radar for most of his tournament life. Many are surprised to find out that Seidel has more than $20 million in tournament winnings to his name and is currently 4th in the all-time money list.

Seidel has 8 WSOP bracelets in a range of poker formats. He has made 35 WSOP final tables including finishing runner-up to Johnny Chan in the 1988 main event. This was Seidel’s first ever major poker tournament.

Seidel has also won a WPT title.

4. Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson, often referred to as The Godfather of Poker, is a legend of the game. There is no-one who would doubt that.

Brunson has 10 WSOP bracelets to his name, which is equal second, behind only Phil Hellmuth. While Brunson picked up most of his bracelets in the 70s, he continued his success into modern times which is something many of the ‘old-timers’ were unable to do.

Brunson will always be remembered as a legend of the game.

3. Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan also has 10 WSOP bracelets, most of which have come in forms of Hold’em.

Johnny Chan has been arguably involved in the greatest tournament poker run in history. Chan won the WSOP main event in 1987 and 1988 and looked to be the first person to win three straight in 1989 until a man by the name of Phil Hellmuth got in the way. His WSOP main event dominance in the late 80s will never be eclipsed.

Chan was inducted to the poker hall of fame in 2002.

2. Stu Ungar

Stu Ungar is arguable the best player to ever play the game. His mind worked like no other, and was able to dominate the game with ease. His death denied poker fans an extended look into his success, but he left his mark.

Another player who dominated in the 80s, Ungar won the WSOP main event in 1980, 1981 and 1997.

Ungar has success outside of the WSOP too, when he won Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker in 1984, 1988 and 1989. This tournament was regarded as more prestigious than the WSOP, as every big name in the game would participate.

Ungar entered the poker hall of fame in 2001.

1. Phil Hellmuth

Saying Phil Hellmuth is a character at the poker table is an understatement. However, this does not take away from his enormous skill and amazing success in poker tournaments.

Hellmuth holds the most WSOP bracelets with 13 to his name. The 49 year old is arguable the best tournament player in the world, and his record at the WSOP is indisputable. As of June 2014, Hellmuth has cashed in 100 WSOP tournaments. Of those 100, he has made the final table 50 times. Of those 50 final tables, he has collected 13 titles with numerous 2nd place finishes.

The only doubt that was cast over Hellmuth’s legacy was that the majority of his success from from Hold’em. Hellmuth finally put his critics to bed in 2012 when he won a bracelet in Razz.

Hellmuth holds two WSOP main event bracelets. One in 1989 when he denied Johnny Chan his third consecutive title, and a WSOP-E championship victory in 2012.

Hellmuth was inducted into the poker hall of fame in 2007.

Hellmuth has the #1 spot very secure right now, and it will be hard to see anyone achieving what he has achieved, particularly with increasing poker tournament fields.



Do you agree with this list? We’d love to hear your comments below.

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