The 15 most notorious names in poker
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1. Scott Seiver
Scott Seiver is currently the top-rated poker player, according to the Global Poker Index Ranking. Facing pocket aces, Seiver pulled off an unbelievable all-in bluff against opponent (and friend) Tobias Reinkenmeier at the "Big One for One Drop" event.
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2. Phil Ivey
Known as the Tiger Woods of Poker, Phil Ivey is one of the most high-profile figures in the sport. Ivey was the youngest player to win ten World Series of Poker bracelets. Before turning 18, Ivey would sneak into card rooms in Atlantic City under the fake name Jerome Graham.
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3. Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu finished second to Daniel Colman in the 2014 World Series of Poker Big One for One Drop tournament, but that's no reason to feel bad for him. Negreanu won $8,288,001 for second place.
He is the first poker player to be named the WSOP Player of the Year twice.
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4. Phil Hellmuth
An inductee in the WSOP's Poker Hall of Fame, Phil Hellmuth has the most series bracelets with 13. Hellmuth's reputation precedes him. He's known as the "poker brat" because of his poor behavior at the table.
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5. Antonio Esfandiari
"The Magician" Antonio Esfandiari pivoted from card tricks to dominating on the card table. He defeated Sam Trickett for the biggest pay day in poker history at the "Big One for One Drop" in 2012. The poker purse was $18,346,673.
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6. Erik Seidel
A member of the 2010 Poker Hall of Fame class, Erik Seidel owns eight WSOP bracelets and has won more than $20 million playing the sport. Seidel even played poker against Rounders star Matt Damon.
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7. Daniel Colman
Daniel Colman has earned nearly $23 million in his brief poker career. His biggest win came at the 2014 World Series of Poker, where he won a cool $15.3 million. Following the victory, Colman refused to do any interviews saying he doesn't owe poker a single thing.
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8. Dzmitry Urbanovich
The 19-year-old Dzmitry Urbanovich is too young to play in the World Series of Poker, but that hasn't stopped the teenager from dominating. In 2015, Urbanovich became the first player to win four events at a single European Poker Tour event.
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9. Joe Hachem
Joe Hachem emerged victorious in the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. That win earned Hachem $7.5 million, a tournament record at the time. In an infamous 2014 interview, Hachem proclaimed that poker is dying.
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10. Martin Jacobson
Martin Jacobson hit the jackpot by winning $10 million at the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event. Not bad for a former chef turned professional poker player.
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11. Dan Smith
In 2008, Dan Smith took a leap of faith to drop out of college to focus on poker. That has worked out pretty well for the professional player. Smith's six tournament victories in 2012 earned him the Global Poker Index Player of the Year award.
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12. Michael Mizrachi
Michael Mizrachi has won two World Series of Poker events along with two World Poker Tour championships. Mizrachi's brother introduced him to poker by playing at casinos and cruise ships.
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13. Sam Trickett
There aren't many sports where the runnerup walks away with $10 million, but that's the allure of poker. Trickett finished second in 2012 at the "Big One for One Drop." Before becoming a poker star, Trickett was a gas fitter from Nottinghamshire.
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14. Connor Drinan
Connor Drinan has been skyrocketing up the poker rankings since last year. Drinan's famous for losing a hand with pocket aces to Cary Katz, who also had aces, during a 2014 WSOP event.
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15. Mike Leah
Mike Leah was honored by BLUFF Magazine as the second-best poker player in 2014. Leah's career earnings are around $4.5 million.
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