The Biggest Poker Wins of All Time
Ever since poker events started to be broadcast live on television, the popularity of them among the public has skyrocketed. Some people just love to watch them, while others want to actually compete.
It is these real-world and online poker tournaments where the really big prize money is won. The skilled players often come away from competing in them with thousands of dollars in hard cash.
They attract people who make their living as professional poker players, so the standard of play is very high. That makes them gripping to watch and lucrative to win.
Here are some of the all time biggest successes that people have enjoyed while playing top-level poker.
Bryn Kenney – 2019 Triton Super High Roller Series
What is remarkable about this is not just the amount of money that Kenney walked away with, but also the fact that he pocketed it for coming second! This tournament had 54 top class players and a total $65 million prize pot.
Kenney was not the winner – that honor went to Aaron Zang. However, when the two players locked horns in the nail-biting final game, Kenney’s total number of chips was roughly four times higher.
The two agreed to divide the pot and Kenney walked away with a cool $20 million-plus thanks to his superior number of chips. That is the largest win ever and puts him in the professional poker record books.
Jamie Gold – 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event
Jamie Gold is a highly regarded professional poker player and it is wins like the one he enjoyed at the 2006 World Series of Poker that earned him that rep. This is the poker tournament that is regarded as the most prestigious of all and Gold walked away with the Main Event prize that year.
The tournament took place in Las Vegas, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and it was certainly worth the journey for the player from Malibu. His win brought him $12 million as well as the champion bracelet and wrote him into the history of pro poker.
These days he works for Buzznation, a company that produces the World Series of Poker tournament.
Antonio Esfandiari – 2012 World Series of Poker Event 55
has slipped a little into obscurity in the decade since then.
He is still playing poker professionally, but has cut back significantly on the number of tournaments that he competes in. Of course, with wins as big as this one, he doesn’t exactly need to play these days.
He had to see off 48 other competitors for the prize and buy his way into the event with more than $100,000. It was the first time that The Big One for the Drop had been a part of the World Series of Poker, but it proved such gripping entertainment that it has become a regular feature.
Esfandiari was still ranked in the top 20 all-time money winners until fairly recently, although he has since dropped out of it. The $18.35 million he won in 2012 ensured a place in the annals of pro poker though.
Hossein Ensan – 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event
As the top poker showcase of all, it is not surprising that the Main Event at the World Series of Poker has produced more than one of the biggest wins. In 2019, it was the German professional Hossein Ensan who took the headlines by winning from a total field of 8,569.
The latter stages of this event saw him coming up against seasoned tournament winners like Zhen Cai and Garry Gates – but he was able to push them into third and second place respectively.
His prize for doing so was a check for $10 million to take home. Prior to going professional he had struggled to make a living as a waiter and driver among other things.
It is safe to assume that he will not be going back to any of those jobs in the future.
Aaron Zang – 2019 Triton Super High Roller Series