Poker is one of the most popular card games, and some players are renowned as the best in U.S. history. To determine who they are, you need to look at their achievements and winnings. Here are four of the best players, including the ‘grandfather of poker’ and the ‘Poker brat.’
Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson was born in 1933 and played poker professionally for more than 60 years. He died in 2023 at the age of 89. He started playing seriously in Fort Worth, Texas and said it was like playing in the old West when violence was rampant. He won 10 WSOP tournaments. He also won the world championships in 1976 and 1977 and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988. During his career, he won over $6 million in live earnings.
Brunson wrote a book called Super System about poker strategies. He believed that the secret of success in poker was good recall and an understanding of people. This book had a lasting impact on players who still use the strategies to improve their performance when playing mobile casino games like poker.
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a legendary poker player named ‘the grand old man of poker.’ He started off as a Texas road gambler, playing in backroom poker games. He was the winner of the first-ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 1973. During his career, he won nine WSOP bracelets, including three Main Events.
In 1979, he became the first player to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It’s difficult to say how much he won during his career, but it could have been as much as $9 million. He died in 1995 at the age of 88.
Phil Helmuth
Phil Helmuth is an American poker player born in 1964 who has won a record of 17 WSOP bracelets. He won his first bracelet in 1989 when he was 24 and became the youngest player ever to win the Main Event. In 2023, he won his 17th WSOP bracelet. This took his recorded poker career winnings up to almost $30 million.
Helmuth acquired his nickname as ‘The Poker Brat’ for his rants about the dubious plays of his opponents and bad beats. His unorthodox style and provocations make him a controversial character, but there is no doubt about his poker skills. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2007 and has authored several poker books such as Play Poker Like the Pros. He also has online courses where he teaches how to play poker. Today, you can take many free online courses or paid ones to learn how to play this popular card game.
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo is one of the top earners in poker. He was born in 1985 and has already won 18 major tournaments since 2016. His lifetime earnings currently exceed $60 million. At 14 years old, he began racking up wins playing Magic: The Gathering. Many Magic pros would take their skills and switch to poker, where they could win big prizes at poker tournaments.
Bonomo used the money he made from selling his Everquest character as his first poker bankroll. In 2005, he was the youngest player in a televised final table at the EPT French Open 2005. At the time, he was only 19 years old. Part of what makes a true champion is to remain calm under pressure. He acquired this skill by competing at the highest level from an early age.