The World Series of Poker, an annual festival that was first held in 1970, has gradually turned into the world’s most celebrated poker-related event. It not only features some of the biggest prize pools, but also gives both professional poker players and amateurs the chance to win the special WSOP gold bracelets, known to be the most prestigious non-monetary prize in the world of poker.
Every summer, people from all parts of the globe gather together in Las Vegas to demonstrate their skills, try their luck, and add substantial amounts to their poker bankrolls. However, there are a number of players who have proved to be quite good in scooping larger shares of the featured prize pools over the years. And it is not a surprise that those people are topping the WSOP all-time money list, having collected millions of dollars over the course of their career. Here are the five players who have cashed the most in WSOP events.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari ($21,195,821)
A former professional magician turned professional poker player, Esfandiari is clearly a man of many talents. One could not tell whether his magic skills have helped him on the felt, but the Iran-born player is currently topping the WSOP all-time money list with $21,195,821 in career WSOP winnings. Esfandiari has cashed in 37 events so far.
He captured his largest Series cash back in 2012, when he won the $1-million buy-in BIG ONE for ONE DROP event for the amount of $18,346,673 and his second gold bracelet.
Esfandiari won his first piece of WSOP jewelry in 2004, when he topped the field of a $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event for $184,860. In 2012, the player triumphed in a WSOP Europe €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event for his third bracelet and the amount of €126,207.
Daniel Colman ($17,009,672)
Colman is the winner of last year’s The BIG ONE for ONE DROP. The young player faced poker legend Daniel Negreanu heads-up to emerge victorious and collect the amount of $15,306,668 of the entire prize pool and his only gold bracelet so far.
It seems that Colman is doing quite well in ONE DROP events. In 2015, the player took home $1,544,121 for his 3rd place in the $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP.
His overall WSOP winnings amount to $17,009,672 and he has collected those in a total of 8 WSOP events.
Daniel Negreanu ($15,349,105)
Daniel Negreanu is a person whom every self-respecting poker fan recognizes as the leader in the all-time money list with live tournament earnings of more than $30 million, a six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, a Team PokerStars Pro, and one of the world’s best known poker ambassadors.
Given the fact that he has won 6 different WSOP events over the years, it is not a surprise that his name is mentioned in this article. Negreanu’s career WSOP winnings currently amount to $15,349,105 and he has collected those in a total of 83 events. He captured his biggest WSOP cash last year, when he took runner-up position in The BIG ONE for ONE DROP for $8,288,001.
Jonathan Duhamel ($13,807,378)
The 2010 WSOP Main Event Champion has 27 in-the-money finishes in WSOP events. His WSOP winnings total $13,807,378.
The player has won two gold bracelets since the beginning of his poker career. He was awarded his first one in 2010 when he topped the field of the $10,000 Main Event. Back then, he also added $8,944,310 to his poker bankroll. Duhamel captured his second piece this summer. He emerged as the victor of the $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP for $3,989,985.
Phil Hellmuth Jr. ($13,523,327)
Holder of record 14 gold bracelets, Hellmuth is quite expectedly one of the most profitable WSOP players. His winnings currently total $13,523,327. He has cashed in the impressive number of 114 WSOP events so far. His largest Series cash amounts to $2,645,333. The player scooped it for finishing 4th in the 2012 The BIG ONE for ONE DROP.
It is interesting to note that Hellmuth is the only player who has ever won a WSOP Main Event and a WSOP Europe one. He captured his WSOP Main Event title in 1989 and won the WSOP Europe Main Event in 2012.
