Since the 1800s, poker has been a popular game among gamblers who frequented Mississippi river boats and New Orleans saloons. The game has come a long way from its origins with a 20-card deck to the 52-card pack we know today. Over time, poker has earned its status as the king of card games.
In 1969, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) was launched, marking a significant moment in poker history. The WSOP quickly gained immense popularity, and as the prize pot grew, so did the payouts for the winners. Four of history’s top five biggest poker wins occurred at the WSOP.
Today, we regularly witness players winning millions of dollars in poker tournaments. To give you a sense of the size of these payouts, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest poker wins in history. So let’s dive into these million-dollar-filled pools!
#3 Elton Tsang – $12,248,912
Elton Tsang Ka-wai, a Chinese Canadian poker player, is highly respected as one of the top Asian players in the game. He achieved iconic status in the international poker community due to his massive win of $12,248,912 in 2016.
On October 14, 2016, Tsang’s luck was in as he emerged victorious in the exclusive No Limit Hold ’em Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, which featured just 25 players. This remarkable win made the Hong Kong resident the third-highest earner in poker history, with a payout exceeding $12 million. Now times have changed, and you can play from home directly from your cell phone to a mobile online casino.
#2 Daniel Colman – $15,306,668
Daniel “Dan” Alan Colman is a professional poker player from Holden, Massachusetts, not to be confused with Hold’em. Colman is a disciple of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which has brought him his most significant achievement to date, earning him a place among the most prominent poker winners.
Although Colman primarily focuses on online poker, he has demonstrated his abilities in live tournaments, winning an impressive $15,306,668 in the 2014 WSOP. At 24, Colman defeated poker legend Daniel Negreanu heads-up during the WSOP’s Big One for One Drop event in 2014. He has since earned a total of $28,925,058 in live earnings.
#1 Antonio Esfandiari – $18,346,67
Antonio Esfandiari, a professional poker player from Iran, holds three WSOP bracelets and has earned the top spot on the list of the biggest poker winners. In one of his WSOP victories, Esfandiari won an incredible $18,346,673, the largest cash prize in poker history. Many people want to win at least a small part of these impressive amounts, so players worldwide are trying to choose the best online casinos.
To achieve this remarkable win, Esfandiari had to outsmart 47 other competitors in the 2012 Big One for One Drop No-Limit Hold ’em tournament. However, Esfandiari’s success continued further. In the same year, he won his third bracelet at the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe, cementing his status as one of the game’s top players.
