Millions of people play poker. For some, it’s a good way to relax, unwind and have fun; for others, it’s a surefire option for a steady income. Most novice players see poker as a way to make a living. However, they need to turn pro in order to take part in one of the big tournaments, win it and collect the prize money. Let’s take a look at the five players with the most winnings to understand how much richer you can get if you get into poker professionally.
Peter Eastgate
Peter Eastgate, from a small Danish town, started playing Hold’em as a teenager. He managed to win the 2008 Wsop Main Event, the main event for him at the time. Although the Dane had to spend around $100,000 to enter it. In the final one-on-one game, lasting more than 4 hours, he defeated the champion Demidov. After the two-day battle, Peter was more surprised than delighted with his victory and the $9,152,416 win.
Martin Jacobson
The 27-year-old Swedish player won the 2014 Wsop Main Event and claimed the $10 million prize pool. His professional career began in 2008. Since then he has won over $14m in poker, moved to the English capital, got an education, but hasn’t become arrogant or stopped playing. The Swede hopes to take part in at least one more major tournament where he hopes to compete for big prizes.
Jamie Gold
In 2006, 8,773 players competed in the Wsop Main Event for more than $82.5 million in prize money. Amazingly, the American was incredibly lucky throughout the tournament, always getting the right card and becoming the winner of $12 million. After this big win the fortune left him. He did not have any more such successes. In addition, Jamie had to sue his sponsors and ended up giving away half of his winnings.
Daniel Coleman
The total prize in the 2014 The Big One for One Drop Wsop tournament was $37333338. To enter the battle, you had to make a contribution of $1 million. The winner of this year’s event was Daniel Coleman. The American was 24 years old when he beat big-name rival Daniel Negreanu. Coleman became the winner of $15306668. At the end of the tournament, he said that poker is a tough game.
Antonio Esfandiari
The American won a fantastic $18346873 in The Big One for One Drop Wsop tournament on July 3, 2012. To this day, no one has been able to beat him.
Prior to playing poker professionally, Antonio Esfandiari was a simple magician. He performed under the magical alias Magician. Perhaps it was not just luck, but also magic that helped him win the poker tournament. Interestingly, no one considered the American the favourite. At the very beginning of the tournament, they predicted Antonio’s exit. However, fortune was on his side. He was in fourth place after the first day of the tournament, and on the second day he became chip leader by chip count. During one-on-one play, Antonio defeated Sam Trickett to become the record holder for the most money won.
