The biggest poker win. The most incredible poker winnings The biggest poker winnings
It's no secret that playing poker people earn not just huge, but downright mind-boggling amounts. In just one evening, you can transform from the average gamer into a star, legend and millionaire. Cards are a world in which staggering money is spinning and anyone who shows attention, patience, ingenuity and rigorous mathematical calculation can earn it.
The people who managed to get the biggest winnings in poker become role models for many gamers. They are envied, they are raised on a pedestal, the tactics and strategies of their games are learned by heart. These are real professionals who seem to have managed to do the impossible. So who are these winners and are their rewards really as big as they say?
Winners and their fees
Antonio Esfandiari got the biggest win in poker. One day he managed to win 18 346 873 American dollars. An ordinary earthly person cannot even dream of such a sum in a "bad" dream. The money is truly huge, however, Esfandiari managed to get it just by playing cards. In 2012, at The Big One for One Drope, he won the largest prize in the history of poker. Until now, none of the gamers have managed to earn more.
Magician and his profit
Before becoming a professional Texas Hold'em player, Antonio used the pseudonym Magician and made his living by taking rabbits out of his hat. Perhaps the fact that Esfandiari was fluent in the art of card tricks and helped him masterfully read the hands of opponents. In any case, not a single poker player on the planet has yet managed to get a prize larger than the one that this guy got.
This gamer regularly participates in the biggest card competitions. Once he was even seen in an episode of a Hollywood movie.
Daniel Coleman
Daniel Coleman from the United States has also managed to earn one of the biggest winnings in poker. He was lucky enough to become the owner 15 306 668 conventional units. He received this money in the competition The Big One for One Drope. The peculiarity of this tournament is that no more than fifty players participate in it, and the entry fee is equal to one million US dollars. Game here, as a rule, are very rich businessmen or ordinary players, the buy-in for which was paid by their sponsors.
Daniel belongs to the second group of poker players, as some of the buy-in was paid by his teammates. Coleman managed to beat Daniel Negrianu himself in the final of the competition, which ensured him a victory and more than $ 15 million. Having become a triumphant, Coleman did not give any interviews to reporters and simply left the official awards ceremony.
Jamie Gold
One of the biggest winnings in poker also belongs to the American Jamie Gold, who managed to make money on cards. 12 million dollars. In 2006, this gamer became the winner of the WSOP Main Event. Almost all spectators of this battle will remember the triumphant for the rest of their lives, since he was far from being a simple opponent.
Outside, he seemed chatty and constantly smiling and entertained the television audience as best he could. But behind the final board, he tried to exasperate his opponents. According to the rules of the game of cards, such behavior is acceptable, although many gamers consider it unacceptable.
Opponents disliked him for the fact that he was always incredibly lucky on the river and in some unthinkable way, when all-in, he regularly got the necessary element.
Gold's victory became Homeric. However, after the triumph, his comrades filed a lawsuit against the gamer. They claimed that the guy promised to give them part of his fee. Jamie denied this information and naturally did not pay any money.
Martin Jacobson
The Swedish gamer also has almost the biggest winnings in poker. 10 million American dollars was earned in 2014 by Martin Jacobson. Then the man became the winner of the WSOP Main Event. True, it is difficult to call this triumph luck or luck, because for Martin, cards are not a hobby or entertainment. It's work for him. This success is not the only one in Jacobson's career.
Throughout his life, the Swede managed to win many tournaments, and in 2017 his total prize money reached 15 million conventional units. And as a child, the guy dreamed of a career as a cook ...
Peter Eastgate
There is also a player in Denmark who was lucky enough to get what is perhaps the biggest win in poker. In 2008 Peter Eastgate won 9 152 416 dollars . Poker has been the guy's main hobby since childhood. At the age of 22, Peter became the title of the strongest gamer, defeating his rivals at the World Series of Poker.
To become a participant in the competition, Eastgate needed to get money to make a buy-in, but then he did not have the necessary funds. But luck from the very beginning was on the side of this player and on the eve of the competition he managed to win a small card battle and thus earn approximately 46 thousand conventional units.
Behind the final board of the World Poker Series, the guy entered a single combat with the Russian Ivan Demidov. After such a triumph, Pitar retired from poker and took up travel.
Jonathal Duhamel
One of the biggest winnings in poker went to Jonathal Duhamel. This Canadian got 8 944 310 American dollars. He earned such a huge amount at the age of 23. At the 2010 WSOP Main Event, the guy showed what success can look like.
However, the public remembered the triumphant not for his victory, but for how he disposed of it. That is, how he spent the money he earned. Jonathal spent money to support one children's hockey team.
After the overwhelming success, disappointments came to Duhamel's life. Some time after the competition, he realized that he had become a victim of theft: a certain amount and a bracelet of gold were stolen from him. Later, the police tracked down the loss and all property was returned to Jonathal. Along with this joy came another disappointment: the guy found out that his beloved girlfriend had brought the robbers to him.
The leading poker room recently launched a new promo called Millioner Makers, in which at least ten users of the site will become richer by one million dollars through various promotions and tournaments. In this regard, Starzy suggested remembering those lucky ones who managed to get the largest winnings in history.
Top 5 Winnings in PokerStars Live Events
5. Peter De Korver - $ 3,024,167 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2009)
The Dutch poker player made the right decision when he decided to go to Monte Carlo to compete for the title of champion of the Grand Final. As a result, he was able to leave behind 935 participants in the tournament and win the largest prize in his own career. This victory makes Peter one of the three most successful tournament players in the Netherlands.
4. Jeff Rossiter - $ 3,155,886 (GuangDong Asia Millions, 2013)
Macau is currently hosting the PokerStars Championship Series, which is enjoying a very good success. However, four years ago, a more grandiose event took place in the same place - the Asia Millions High Roller tournament, where the multi-million dollar prize pool was played.
Jeff Rossiter didn't even need to win this event to make it to the list of the biggest winnings on PokerStars, as the payout for the second place was also impressive.
3. Glen Chorny - $ 3,196,354 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2008)
This poker player has won the largest prize in EPT history. 842 players took part in the tournament with a buy-in of € 10,000, which made it possible to bring the prize for the first place to the grandiose mark.
2.Phil Ivey - $ 3,582,752 (Aussie Millions $ 250,000 Challenge, 2014)
The American professional, who is considered by many to be the number one player in poker, has won many victories during his successful career, but this prize was the most "cash" for Phil. By the way, Ivey got this title by blood and sweat, because at the final table he was opposed only by the best of the best: Tom Dwan (6th place), Fabian Quoss (5th place), Daniel Negreanu (4th place), Mike MacDonald (3rd place) and Isaac Haxton (2nd place).
1.Nicholas Heinecker - $ 4,456,884 (GuangDong Asia Millions, 2013)
The German ambassador won the biggest prize in PokerStars history by winning the aforementioned GuangDong Asia Millions.
This is the biggest day of my poker career, ”Heinecker said after the victory.
Top 5 PokerStars Online Tournament Winnings
5. Talal "raidalot" Shakerchi - $ 1,468,001 (SCOOP Main Event-High, 2016)
For the UK billionaire, this SCOOP title is his third and most important title. It is worth noting that the series of 2016 turned out to be super successful for the poker player - he hit the prizes 36 times, 5 times made it to the final tables
4. David "PlayinWasted" Kaufmann - $ 1,493,499 (WCOOP Main Event, 2013)
2,113 players competed to win the 2013 WCOOP Main Event. Three Germans made it to the top 3 and struck a cash deal, after which Kaufmann took the title and one of the biggest prizes in PokerStars history.
3. Jonas "llJaYJaYll" Lauk - $ 1,517,541 (WCOOP Main Event, 2016)
The German online regular fought for a place in the sun against a large number of experienced players (2,091 participants) for three long days, but still found the strength to win such a prestigious event.
2. Eugene "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko - $ 1,715,200 (WCOOP Main Event, 2009)
2,144 people registered for the main event with a $ 5,200 buy-in, collecting a prize pool of an unprecedented size for online tournaments - $ 10,720,000. 306 players got into the prize pay zone, and the winner was destined to take home $ 1,715,200. And the Ukrainian poker player became this winner.
1. Tyson "POTTERPOKER" Marks - $ 2,278,097 (WCOOP Main Event, 2010)
This poker player has become the owner of the largest prize in the history of online poker. After winning the tournament, he said that he felt almost like a god in this tournament, because throughout the entire time the game was developing just fine. By the way, Russian Dmitry “Russian_Nuts” Stelmak took the third place in the WCOOP Main Event, who earned more than one million dollars.
The Main Event of the World Series of Poker has remained the richest poker tournament in the world for the past nine years. The first millionth was the main duel of the distant 1983. And in 2004 the total prize fund of the tournament exceeded $ 10 million. Traditionally, no-limit Texas Hold'em is played at the WSOP Main Event. That is, all the happy millionaires, whose victories we will describe below, mastered this very popular type of poker.
10th place - Ryan Riess (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2013 - $ 8,361,570
Every poker player's dream is to make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event. In 2013, the young American Ryan Riess not only got there, but also won the tournament. Ryan was paid $ 8,361,570 for the victory. It was a large mountain of green wads of dollars, which he barely managed to grasp with his hands.
Despite his young age - 23 years old - Riess did not rush to spend all the money he won on super expensive cars and yachts. The poker player has invested a large part in the stock market, and now he is a shareholder of such global brands as Facebook and Disney. Ryan also became a co-owner of the Union Pacific railroad company.
9th place - Greg Merson (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2012 - $ 8,531,853
9th place - Greg Merson (USA)
Surprisingly, before Ryan Riess in 2012, the winner of the same WSOP Main Event was also a young (24 years old) professional poker player from the States - Greg Merson. For a long time he could not believe in his triumph and sobbed out loud, looking at the gold-encrusted champion bracelet and a tall pyramid of dollars ($ 8,531,853). Only ten minutes later, the newly-minted winner, hugging his mother tightly, gave his first interview to reporters. He said: “I thought I was ready for the Main Event marathon, but it was only at the final table that I realized that it was impossible to prepare for THAT!”
To get this high title and millions of dollars in prize money, Greg changed a lot in his life: he gave up alcohol, recovered from drug addiction and took poker lessons from the old masters. Merson spent the millions remaining from taxes on his family and closed cash games in Baltimore, where the poker player previously could not get due to lack of money. Greg personally bought clothes for 500 bucks for himself!
8th place - Joe Cada (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2009 - $ 8,547,042
8th place - Joe Cada
Joe Cada is the true embodiment of the American Dream. The average guy from the Midwest becomes a millionaire overnight! Joe went to success for five whole years out of the 21st year he lived. Cada got to know the world of gambling early, as his mother worked as a dealer in a casino. Joe started playing cards as a teenager, and then focused on online hold'em and achieved good results - his bankroll was equal to half a million dollars.
Having received the status of "adult" at the age of 21, Kada confidently rushed to conquer live tournaments. Here he quickly lost his savings, and Joseph simply did not have money for the introductory buy-in of the main event of the WSOP. Sponsors invested in it, each of whom received 2 million from the prize money of $ 8,547,042 Kady! It's good that shortly before the final Joe signed a contract with PokerStars, which paid the player an additional $ 1,000,000 for representation.
Although Joseph is young, everyone has noted his amazing prudence with money. The guy did not start throwing bucks, but bought a house in Las Vegas and plans to open his own business.
7th place - Pius Heinz (Germany) - WSOP Main Event 2011 - $ 8,715,638
7th place - Pius Heinz
The 2011 WSOP Main Event and its $ 8,715,638 grand prize was won by a young poker player from Germany, Pius Heinz. At the time of his triumph, he was only 22 years old. Pius got acquainted with poker through the broadcasts of major events on TV. He played with friends at home and at the same time adopted the skills of famous online poker players.
Heinz, after his unexpected victory for many, said that he feels better acting at home on the computer than at major live tournaments. Pius didn't like Las Vegas and all its publicity and tinsel.
When asked where he will spend the huge prize money, Heinz said that he does not like to advertise his plans and just wants to feel comfortable and happy around him. Pius practically went into the shadows after the triumph, but with that kind of money, he can afford it!
6th place - Jonathan Duhamel (Canada) - WSOP Main Event 2010 - $ 8,944,310
6th place - Jonathan Duhamel
Jonathan Duhamel is another young poker triumph. He won the 2010 WSOP Main Event and took away $ 8,944,310. He was 23 years old when he entered the final.
The fate of Duhamel's tournament payouts is incredibly interesting. Jonathan is known as an ardent hockey fan. He often refused to participate in major poker tournaments, as he flew off to the next hockey game. Montreal Canadiens is Jonathan's favorite team since childhood. After his victory in the Main Event in 2010, he donated $ 100,000 to the Children’s Foundation Montreal Canadiens - a fund to help poor children. And now Duhamel supports the organization, being its largest sponsor!
And in 2011, Jonathan came home to find that the money left over from the winnings, the WSOP bracelet and the watch with a personalized engraving presented by the organizers of the tournament had been stolen. Fortunately, the police quickly got on the trail of the criminals and returned the valuable property to the owner. Then the young poker player found out that his girlfriend, who was dissatisfied with the gifts that Duhamel gave her, were too cheap in her opinion!
5th place - Peter Eastgate (Denmark) - WSOP Main Event 2008 - $ 9,152,416
5th place - Peter Eastgate
Peter Eastgate, who has quickly burst into the poker elite, was a 22-year-old when he won the WSOP Main Event. A young man from the tiny Danish town of Odense became addicted to hold'em during his school years. At first, Peter wanted to connect his life with the economy, but fate or Lady Luck intervened, and Eastgate chose a professional poker career.
Absolutely everything in Peter's life was changed in 2008, which brought him more than $ 46.3 thousand, won in card tournaments. If it hadn't been for that money, Eastgate couldn't have paid the buy-in for the winning WSOP Main Event! In the final of the tournament, Peter beat Russian Ivan Demidov and received $ 9,152,416 in prize money.
After this completely unexpected triumph for him, Eastgate continued to play well and traveled a lot around the world. Now the Dane took a break and decided to rethink life again and, perhaps, start it from scratch.
4th place - Martin Jacobson (Sweden) - WSOP Main Event 2014 - $ 10,000,000
4th place - Martin Jacobson
The 2014 WSOP Main Event is won by a well-known pro, not a young, unknown player! Martin Jakobson is a 27-year-old professional from Stockholm who became the first Swedish triumphant in the history of the world championship and received a round sum of $ 10 million for his skill.
“This is incredible! I was focused and surprisingly calm. I always had the feeling that my championship was destined to happen, ”Martin said after the victory.
In general, Jacobson dreamed of becoming a sous-chef of a restaurant and could not even imagine that he would make a great poker career! Now Martin lives in London, constantly travels the world following the poker tours and does not regret at all that he did not stay at the stove with a ladle in his hand. Since 2008, the Swedish player has managed to earn over $ 14.8 million in poker. What chef in the world gets so much ?!
3rd place - Jamie Gold (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2006 - $ 12,000,000
3rd place - Jamie Gold
The 2006 WSOP Main Event grossed $ 82,512,162 with the largest number of entrants at 8,773. Tournament Winner - Jamie Gold took the third largest poker win in history - $ 12 million!
Jamie has received the most criticism of all WSOP Main Event winners. The opponents were angered by his defiant behavior at the final table. But most of all, they were touched by the incredible, simply fantastic luck of Gold, who over and over again received the card, the only one he needed at that moment! Jamie began participating in the tournament as part of a team of movie industry stars and, frankly, did not feel any respect from other poker players. But Gold was so unstoppable that it seemed that he, and not his rivals, was the true professional here.
After the victory, Jamie was repeatedly sued by his friends-pals in an attempt to chop off a hefty chunk of his $ 12 million in prize money - they say, Gold promised to give half of his winnings for the services they rendered.
2nd place - Daniel Coleman (USA) - The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2014 - $ 15,306,668
2nd place - Daniel Coleman
The Big One for One Drop, hosted by the WSOP, is so epic that it costs $ 1,000,000 to enter it alone! In 2014, its winner, 24-year-old Daniel Coleman, received $ 15,306,668. The total prize fund of the event, including donations to charity, was $ 37,333,338. It was divided between eight finalists.
The battle at Big One lasted three days until the moment when Daniel Coleman, left alone with his eminent namesake Daniel Negreanu, knocked him out of the tournament. But immediately after the victory, the young player behaved more than strange - he flatly refused to answer journalists' questions, and then made a sensational statement: "Poker is a dark and cruel game." How it was possible to say such a thing when 15 million dollars and a penny lie at your feet, it is not clear!
1st place - Antonio Esfandiari (USA) - The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2012 - $ 18 346 873
1st place - Antonio Esfandiari
This amount cannot be said to be “the biggest win in poker”. When you see the number series of $ 18 346 873, you can only be reverently silent. Stacks of tight green packs on a cart were brought by Antonio Esfandiari for winning The Big One for One Drop in 2012. It was and still is the biggest poker win in the world ever!
Prior to his hobby of hold'em, Antonio made a living by pulling rabbits out of a hat and bore the nickname Magician. Perhaps the perfect mastery of the art of card tricks helped Esfandiari read the hands of rivals ?! Be that as it may, so far no poker champion has received such a large cash prize.
After the triumphant victory at Big One, Antonio shared his impressions with reporters: “My heart was pounding against my ribs, and was about to jump out of my chest. I tried to control my emotions, but the thought that I could become the owner of this heap of money here and now got in the way! " Esfandiari could compare his victory in the tournament only with sex - it doesn't look like anything else, according to the poker player. Well, all that remains is to take the champion's word for it!
The largest bank in the history of TV poker, video:
Probably, any poker player, both beginner and more experienced, dreams of learning how to play so well that he can provide himself with his game in life. And, probably, each of us has heard many times about multi-million dollar winnings at major tournaments in the USA, where players literally in one evening turned from an ordinary fan of this card game into a millionaire!
So what are the biggest poker winnings? Who won them, and what was the money spent on then? What is the fate of these champions after their triumph in the poker tournament? Interesting? Especially for you, we have selected the ten largest poker winnings that exist at the moment. Note that this list includes only official results that are published at legal tournaments. We can only guess what sums are being played at “closed” poker tournaments for millionaires ...
10th place. Ryan Riess (US) - $ 8,361,560
Our rating is opened by a young poker player from the USA named Ryan Riess. In 2013, he managed not only to get to the WSOP Main Event, but also to win this tournament, earning a total of $ 8,361,560! This poker win was so big that Ryan couldn't even wrap his hands around the pile of dollars that lay in front of him!
It is noteworthy that even despite his rather young age - Ryan was only 23 years old at the time of that victory - this player did not squander his won money. On the contrary, he tried to continue to invest them in the business, and today he is a fairly large shareholder of companies. Facebook, Apple and Disney and also a co-owner of one of the American railway companies.
9th place. Greg Merson (USA) - $ 8,531,853
Greg Merson is one of those people whose big winnings in poker will be remembered for a long time. The thing is that when Greg won the Main Event 2012, he could not come to his senses for a long time and just cried for five minutes, looking at a huge pile of money in front of him. It took him a good ten minutes to finally pull himself together and give interviews to journalists.
In his interview, Greg said: “I used to think that I was completely ready to complete the entire WSOP Main Event marathon, but it turns out that it is simply impossible to prepare for this!” .
After his victory, Greg Merson completely changed his lifestyle: he got rid of alcohol and drug addiction, bought a large mansion for his family and took poker lessons from the previous winners of this tournament. The rest of the money he won, Greg spent on closed cash games, which he could not get into for financial reasons before.
8th place. Joe Cada (US) - $ 8,547,042
Joe Cada is one of those guys they say he was able to achieve his "American Dream". Coming from an ordinary working-class family, where his mother worked as a croupier in a casino, and his father worked part-time at a construction site, Joe strove to understand poker from childhood. Almost at the age of 16, he started playing online, earning a fairly large amount of money by his game - by the age of 21, his bankroll was half a million dollars!
However, as soon as he celebrated his 21st birthday, Joe decided to move into live tournaments and try his hand there. And, I must say, at first he did not go well. In just a year, he lost all his savings, which he had previously won online. He was so unlucky that in the end he didn't even have the money left to buy the 2009 WSOP Main Event.
As a result, part of the buy-in was paid for by sponsors, who ultimately remained in the black. Each of them received 2 million out of the 8 he won! True, a well-known poker room paid Joe another million dollars for playing the entire tournament in their outfit.
Now Cada lives in his own house in Las Vegas and plans to start his own business.
7th place. Pius Heinz (Germany) - $ 8,715,638
A young German player (at the time of the victory he was only 22 years old) Pius Heinz made the whole world talk about himself after he was able to win WSOP Main Event 2011 and earn an incredible $ 8,715,638 poker win!
Interestingly, after his victory, Pius said that he, by and large, did not like Las Vegas, with its tinsel and deliberate brilliance. The player said that he feels much more comfortable at home, with tea in his hands and in front of his own monitor, than at such major tournaments. After this victory, almost nothing was heard about Heinz.
6th place. Jonathal Duhamel (Canada) - $ 8,944,310
Jonathan Duhamel is also one of the young WSOP Main Event triumphs, who won the event in 2010 as soon as he turned 23. However, Duhamel was remembered not so much for his performance in the final as for what happened after him.
It is known that Jonathan has always been an ardent hockey fan, and after his victory, he even financially supported the children's team of his favorite club - Montreal Canadiens... Moreover, he often even refused to participate in major poker tournaments in order to go to the next match of his favorite team.
And somehow, upon arrival from one of these matches, Jonathan found that all his money in the house, as well as his WSOP bracelet and watch with his name engraved are gone! The player immediately reported the theft to the police, and after three days the robbers were still caught. It is noteworthy that Jonathan's girlfriend, who believed that her boyfriend was giving her too cheap gifts, played the role of the spotter ...
5th place. Peter Eastgate (Denmark) - $ 9,152,416
Peter Eastgate, a young Dane who, at the time of his victory in WSOP Main Event 2008 just 22 years old. By the way, 2008 was a turning point in his poker career. First of all, he managed to win several small online tournaments, and his winnings there amounted to just over 46 thousand dollars. And it was with this money that Peter made his buy-in to the WSOP Main Event 2008, which he later won. Interestingly, at the final table, he was able to beat our Ivan Demidov, who took second place at that tournament.
At the moment, Eastgate practically does not play poker, preferring to travel more around the world in search of new experiences and acquaintances.
4th place. Martin Jacobson (Sweden) - $ 10,000,000
The 2014 WSOP Main Event triumphant Martin Jacobson stands alone on our list of the biggest poker winnings. And it's not even about the tidy sum that Martin received for his victory. The fact is that this Swedish player has been making poker professionally since the age of 18, and for him poker is not an attempt to “catch luck by the tail”, but a real job.
And this victory is far from the only one in the list of achievements of this Swedish player. Throughout his life, Martin won many tournaments, and his total prize money for 2017 is already more than 15 million dollars! And this despite the fact that as a child, Martin dreamed of becoming not a poker player, but a cook in one of the local restaurants ...
3rd place. Jamie Gold (USA) - $ 12,000,000
Jamie Gold, who won the 2006 WSOP Main Event, is a rather controversial character. On the one hand, this is a rather smiling and talkative guy who entertained himself and the viewers as much as he could during the entire tournament. But on the other hand, so much negativity has not yet fallen on any WSOP tournament winner.
The fact is that playing at the final table, Jamie now and then provoked his opponents, throwing them out of balance. Actually, this is not prohibited by the rules of poker, although it is considered by some to be "bad form". However, in the case of Jamie, the situation was further complicated by the fact that every time he “reached” the right card on the river when he was all-in.
After the victory, Jamie was sued by his former friends, to whom he allegedly promised to give part of his winnings after the victory for their services. However, Gold himself did not remember such words and was clearly not going to give anything ...
2nd place. Daniel Coleman (US) - $ 15,306,668
Daniel Coleman rose to fame after winning The Big One for One Drop, winning it and earning over $ 15 million! This tournament is interesting because the entry fee for it is 1 million dollars, and usually there are not so many participants - no more than 50 people. At the same time, either very large businessmen or ordinary players for whom sponsors paid buy-in play here.
Daniel Coleman belongs to the second category of people, since part of the entrance fee for him was made by his friends. It is noteworthy that after his victory in this tournament, after he beat Daniel Negriana himself in the final, he did not give any interview, simply escaping from the awards ceremony.
And two days later, on his Twitter account, Daniel tweeted words that further astonished the poker community. He wrote: “Poker is a very dark and violent game. This is a game in which more people lose than they win. Because of this game, so many young guys lose their jobs, are in debt, spend money that they cannot afford to spend. I left the awards ceremony because I don't want to be involved in promoting poker. ” .
We can only guess how it was possible to write such a thing when the won 15 million dollars lie in front of you, even if some of them will have to be given to sponsors ...
1st place. Antonio Esfandiari (USA) - $ 18,346,873
Italian American Antonio Esfandiari won the tournament The Big One for One Drop in 2012 to this day remains one of the most significant events in the poker world over the past 10 years. Indeed, this is the largest poker win that a person has ever received in a tournament! More than 4 years have passed since that tournament, but no one has yet been able to surpass this player's achievement!
It is noteworthy that after his victory, Antonio compared the impressions of her ... with sex! According to him, such a big win in poker is like sex, only several times stronger than it in terms of the power of emotions.
People who win millions of dollars in poker are talked about on TV, radio and all other media. Someone envies them, someone is happy for the lucky ones, but there are people who, following the example of the winners, start playing poker.
Poker tournaments are regularly held in the world, and there are more for one or several millionaires. But who took the biggest winnings in the history of poker? And what is the biggest win in poker. Let's take a look at the ten biggest poker wins.
10th place - Ryan Riess (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2013 - $ 8,361,570
In 2013, the dream of young American Raine Riesz came true, he not only got to the largest poker tournament, but also won it with dignity.
For his winnings, the young man received $ 8 361 570. Incredibly, at 23, Ryan became the owner of eight million dollars. Where do you think he spent his money? Bought an expensive car, house, or spent most of your winnings on drinks and entertainment? No, the guy invested in the largest organizations and became a shareholder in brands such as: Apple, Facebook and Disney. Ryan is also a co-owner of Union Pacific Railways.
9th place - Greg Merson (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2012 - $ 8,531,853
In 2012, a 24-year-old American named Greg Merson won $ 8,531,853. Luck smiled at the guy and he won the famous WSOP Main Event. When the winner was presented with a cash prize and a gold bracelet, he could not hold back his tears, and sobbed straight into his voice.
Greg won not only the tournament, but himself. Shortly before participating in the competition, the guy gave up drug addiction and alcohol. The young man spent his winnings on his family and participation in closed cash games in Baltimore. By the way, Greg spent $ 500 on himself, buying clothes with this money. 
8th place - Joe Cada (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2009 - $ 8,547,042
Just an ordinary guy from the Midwest, at the age of 21 he became a millionaire and won $ 8,547,042. Joe Cada started playing poker very early, because his mother worked as a dealer in a casino. Until the guy came of age, he played online poker, and earned almost half a million dollars. After Joe turned 21, he began to take part in "live" games. In a short time, the young man spent all his earned money, so he did not have enough money to participate in the WSOP Main Event.
The entrance fee for Kada was made by sponsors who, after winning the guy, received $ 2 million each. In addition to the winnings, Joe received one million dollars from PokerStars for signing a contract with the poker room and representing it at the tournament shortly before participating in the tournament.
The guy spent his winnings on buying a house in Las Vegas and starting his own business.
7th place - Pius Heinz (Germany) - WSOP Main Event 2011 - $ 8,715,638
In 2011, a young German, Pius Heinz, won a poker tournament and received $ 8,715,638. Previously, the guy had never participated in such major tournaments. Often, he played poker with friends and online. After his triumphant victory, 22-year-old Pius said that he did not like the game "live" and at home at the computer - he feels much more confident.
It is not known what the guy spent his winnings on, he chose not to disclose his future plans. After the victory, practically nothing is known about Heinz, he “went into the shadows”.
6th place - Jonathan Duhamel (Canada) - WSOP Main Event 2010 - $ 8,944,310
Another young millionaire lucky enough to win the WSOP Main Event is 23-year-old Jonathan Duhamel. In 2010, the guy won $ 8,944,310.
The guy is an avid hockey fan, and has repeatedly missed the biggest poker tournaments by flying off to hockey games. Following his victory, Jonathan donated $ 100,000 to the Children’s Foundation Montreal Canadiens to help poor children. To this day, Duhamel is the largest sponsor of this organization.
However, in 2011, an unpleasant story happened to the young man, when he came home, he found that the gold bracelet of the Poker Champion, the personal watch presented by the organizers of the tournament and the remaining winnings were gone. Fortunately, all the stolen goods were quickly returned to the owner. The police figured out that his girlfriend was the target of thieves on Jonathan's wealth. She believed that the young man gave her too “cheap” gifts. 
5th place - Peter Eastgate (Denmark) - WSOP Main Event 2008 - $ 9,152,416
A native of a small Danish town, Peter Eastgate became interested in poker from an early age. In his youth, the guy wanted to build an economic career, but by the will of fate, he chose a career as a poker player.
In 2008, Peter won $ 46.3 thousand in poker, and thanks to this win, he was able to contribute to the WSOP Main Event. In the final of the tournament, Eastgate beat the Russian, and received $ 9,152,416 for the first place. After the victory, the Dane did not stop and continued to play poker.
To date, Peter Eastgate has taken a break from poker.
4th place - Martin Jacobson (Sweden) - WSOP Main Event 2014 - $ 10,000,000
In 2014, professional poker player Martin Jacobson won at the famous poker tournament. For his victory in the WSOP Main Event, the 27-year-old Swede received $ 10 million.
In an interview, Martin admitted that he was 100% confident in his victory, during the tournament, he felt confident and calm.
At the moment, the man lives in London and continues to play poker.
Surprisingly, since 2008, the Swede has won over $ 14.8 million in poker.
3rd place - Jamie Gold (USA) - WSOP Main Event 2006 - $ 12,000,000
The third place among the ten lucky ones is occupied by an American named Jamie Gold. In 2006, he managed to win $ 12 million.
Everyone remembered this winner for a long time, because during the tournament, the opponents simply hated him - at the poker table, Jamie behaved through, mindlessly, defiantly. In addition, the participant was lucky like no one else - during the game, over and over again he got exactly the cards that Gold needed to win.
After winning the tournament, numerous friends of Jamie Gold sued him, trying to sue at least a small part of the twelve million. The swindlers interpreted the lawsuits in their own way: they allegedly prepared the American for the game and entered into an agreement with Jamie, half of the winnings, if the guy wins.
2nd place - Daniel Coleman (USA) - The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2014 - $ 15,306,668
To participate in The Big One for One Drop WSOP, each participant must pay an entry fee of $ 1 million. Therefore, it is not surprising that the 24-year-old American won $ 15,306,668 in it.
The fight for the main prize lasted more than three days, many tournament participants literally “gnawed out” the victory. But, Fortune smiled at Daniel.
After the victory, the guy for some reason refused to communicate with journalists, saying only one phrase: "Poker is a dark and cruel game." Apparently, the victory was not easy for the man. 
1st place - Antonio Esfandiari (USA) - The Big One for One Drop WSOP 2012 - $ 18 346 873
Looking at the amount of $ 18,346,873, it is hard to believe that this is a cash prize for winning a poker tournament. However, this is true, and this is the amount won by the American Antonio Esfandiari in 2012 in The Big One for One Drop WSOP.
This is the largest poker win in the history of the world today.
Before winning the tournament, Antonio traded by showing card tricks and getting a rabbit out of a hat. Perhaps it was these skills that brought such a benefit to the man.
Looking at the names of all these lucky ones, we can conclude that poker is indeed a very profitable and decent game. So, do not waste time, and, perhaps, in a few years, it is your name that will lead the ten "Biggest Poker Winnings".