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For the last eight years, the largest tournament in the world has been the World Series of Poker Main Event. With the exception of 1992, the US$10,000 buy-in tournament increased in prize pool year-over-year from its start in 1970 until 2007 (the latter a result of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which reduced the number of players winning their seats via online play).

The first tournament to reach a million dollar prize pool was the 1983 WSOP Main Event. The WSOP Main Event of 2004 had the first prize pool of above $10,000,000.

The largest non Hold'em Tournament has been the 2008 WSOP $50K HORSE with a prize pool of $7,104,000 and the first prize of $1,989,120 going to Scotty Nguyen.^[1]

The Big Game is a high-stakes poker cash game played in the 'Bobby's Room', a cardroom named after Bobby Baldwin, at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. In 2010, the game partially expanded to 'The Ivey Room' at Aria Resort and Casino. The table features no-limit and pot-limit games with wagers up to $100,000 per hand. Limit games as high as $4,000/$8,000 are often played but $800/$1,600 is normal. Advanced Cash Game Strategy with kanu7: Alex ‘Kanu7' Miller, who is one of the biggest winners in cash games in recent years, has developed a cash game course in collaboration with Upswing Poker. Retailing at $999, the course contains 36 hours of content so there is a huge amount to sink your teeth into.

Below are the 30 largest poker tournaments with respect to the prize pool in United States dollars and not number of entrants. This list includes live and online poker.

Currently, 14 of the 15 largest prize pools in history have been WSOP Main Events. The second largest prize pool outside of the Main Event is the 2012 WSOP event known as The Big One for One Drop, held from July 1–3. It featured a buy-in of US$1 million, the largest in poker history. Of the buy-in, $111,111 was a charitable donation to the One Drop Foundation, and the WSOP took no rake. All 48 seats available for that event were filled, resulting in a prize pool of $42,666,672, with over 5 million dollars donated.^[2] The second largest pool for any event outside of the WSOP was the 2012 Macau High Stakes Challenge, with a HK$2 million (US$260,000) buy-in plus a rebuy option. The event drew a field of 73, of which 21 made a rebuy, resulting in a prize pool of HK$182,360,000 (slightly over US$23.5 million).^[3]

All of the 30 richest tournaments to date were played in No Limit Hold'em.

Notes[edit]

1. ^Hendon Mob
2. ^Dalla, Nolan (June 30, 2012). 'The Biggest One—World's Most Spectacular Poker Extravaganza Starts Sunday'. World Series of Poker. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
3. ^Peters, Donnie (August 31, 2012). 'Stanley Choi Wins Macau High Stakes Challenge for US$6,465,746'. PokerNews.com. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
4. ^'2006 WSOP Main Event payouts'. WSOP. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
5. ^Hendon Mob
6. ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=541550
7. ^[1]
8. ^wsop.com
9. ^http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/payouts.asp?grid=1352&tid=15673
10. ^ ^abhttps://triton-series.com/triton-super-high-roller-series-london-2019/
11. ^'PIUS HEINZ WINS 2011 WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP'. WSOP. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
12. ^Hendon Mob
13. ^'Level 4 concludes: officially the largest main event in the last five years'. WSOP. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
14. ^Poker News Daily
15. ^pokernews.com
16. ^'2009 WSOP main event prize pool'. WSOP. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
17. ^'Event #68: No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT'. 2015 World Series op Poker Chip Counts. World Series of Poker. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
18. ^Hendon Mob
19. ^'2013 44th Annual World Series of Poker, Event #62: No-Limit Hold'em Main Event'. WSOP.com. Retrieved July 20, 2013. Click on the 'Prizepool' tab for the first prize.
20. ^Hendon Mob
21. ^Dalla, Nolan (July 3, 2012). 'Antonio Esfandiari Pulls Off Amazing Trick by Winning One Drop'. WSOP.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
22. ^Hendon Mob
23. ^[2]
24. ^[3]
25. ^[4]
26. ^Hendon Mob
27. ^Hendon Mob
28. ^Hendon Mob
29. ^Hendon Mob
30. ^Hendon Mob
31. ^[5]
32. ^Hendon Mob
33. ^Hendon Mob
34. ^pokerstarsblog.com

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.

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 : 3^rd 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 : 29^th 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 : 29^th 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 : 29^th 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.

5. Martin Jacobsen – $10 Million

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

Swedish professional Poker player Martin Jacobsen won the 5^th 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 : 3^rd 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 : 9^th 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 : 9^th 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 7^th 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 : 9^th 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 : 9^th 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

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Nationality : USA
Winning Amount : $ 8,359,531
Total Prize Pool : $59.7 Million
Date : 9^th 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.

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 5^th 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 : 17^th July 2007
Event : 38^th WSOP Main Event 2007

Biggest Poker Cash Game Winners Winning

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.