WSOP: A Guide to the Pro Poker Players
The World Series of Poker tournaments have produced and shone the light on some stellar poker pros. We've put together some biographies of major legal poker names for you to get their stats and learn their tricks. On this page you'll find out about the following top players:
- Martin Jacobson
- Daniel Colman
- Phil Hellmuth
- Antonio Esfandiari
- Phil Ivey
What’s the World Series of Poker?
The world’s best poker players can be found on the World Series of Poker (WSOP), competing for money, bracelets and bragging rights at any number of the tournaments hosted around the world.
2014 WSOP main event champion Martin Jacobson
Sweden’s Martin Jacobson won the 2014 main event on the World Series of Poker (WSOP), netting himself a tidy $10,000,000 for his trouble and catapulting himself up the all-time money list in the process. The 27-year-old Jacobson likes to play no-limit hold’em and was training to be a chef before he moved into the lucrative world of professional poker. Jacobson has won a total of $11,223,987 on the WSOP, with his main event victory accounting for most of that and earning his only WSOP bracelet so far.
2014 Big One for One Drop Winner Daniel Colman
It only takes one big win to put a professional poker player on the map, and that came for American Daniel Colman at the 2014 Big One for One Drop tournament. Colman won more than $15,000,000 at that event, putting him atop the 2014 WSOP money standings and changing his life in an instant. Born in 1990, Colman is one poker’s hottest young stars and has career WSOP earnings of $15,465,578. Colman is based in Holden, Massachusetts, and has also enjoyed huge success as an online poker player.
All-time leading bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth
Known on the circuit as “the poker brat”, Phil Hellmuth holds the record for most bracelets won on the World Series of Poker, with 13. A hotheaded, emotional player, 50-year-old Hellmuth won the 1989 main event on the WSOP and has also won the main event Europe for an unprecedented double. His career WSOP earnings are $12,512,800 and he now lives in California. Hellmuth went to college for three years, before deciding that a life playing professional poker was the better option and ceasing with his studies.
All-time WSOP money leader Antonio Esfandiari
Born in Iran, Antonio Esfandiari started out wanting to be a magician, before professional poker came calling. He leads the all-time WSOP money list with over $21,000,000 in career earnings and has won three bracelets along the way. By far the most notable victory of his career came at the 2012 Big One for One Drop, which saw him collect $18,346,673 in prize money. Known as “the magician”, Esfandiari entertains crowds with his fast-fingered “chip tricks”. The 35-year-old is a natural entertainer, and has appeared on several television shows – including a cameo performance on the hit TV series Entourage.
High stakes master Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey’s bio at the WSOP describes him as “arguably the best poker player in the world”. It’s a title his collection of 10 bracelets attests to, though his career earnings of $6,165,620 is less than several others have managed. Ivey’s last victory came at the 2014 Eight Game Mix tournament, which saw him collect $166,986 in prize money. The 38-year-old has a reputation for going bold and playing for high stakes, which makes him an obvious fan favorite. He’s been called poker’s answer to Tiger Woods and had launched a number of business initiatives off the back of his hugely successful career to date. In addition to his WSOP winnings, speculation suggests Ivey has won huge sums on the FullTilt poker website over the years. In 2008 alone, it’s estimated he won around $7.3 million there.