There are two ways to gauge success in poker and for many fans the highest-earners list is what counts when discussing who is the greatest modern-day player.
For others, it’s the number of World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets you own, while the majority of those who play poker online accept that you need a combination of the two to make a legend.
Take Antonio Esfandiari, for example. The Iranian is a magnificent poker player and boasts three WSOP bracelets since hitting the big time in 2004. Yet his claim to fame is winning a staggering $18m jackpot on one tournament, the ‘Big One for One Drop’, last year that required a $1m buy-in. Esfandiari sits atop of the money list but isn’t the best player.
One man who could become a great in the future is 25-year-old Greg Merson, who burst onto the scene last year, winning two WSOP bracelets including the World Championship. Merson is a quiet, reserved man at the table and a great example for online poker players to follow, but is not yet at the top of the world game.
If you’re looking for poker stalwarts then this trio is who you should follow: Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth. Both Ivey and Hellmuth have been on the tour for years and are widely considered the best out there. Hellmuth holds a record 13 bracelets while Ivey, with nine to his name, is the mixed-game king, as well as winning tons of poker online tournaments.
Hellmuth won the World Championship in 1989 and has never looked back. He is brash, abrasive, brilliant and second behind Esfandiari in the earnings list with $12m.
As for Ivey, the ice cool player prefers games away from the Texas table and is a fierce Omaha and 7 Card Stud competitor. Ivey won the Australian WSOP Mixed Event this year and will claim a handful more bracelets before his time is out.
As for Negreanu, online poker players should follow him closely if they want to become Texas champions. The Canadian has a knack of leading his opponents down blind avenues only to pounce with huge hands when the time is right.
He won the main event in Australia last month, collecting a fifth bracelet and $1m prize, to confirm his status as one of the best on the circuit.