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Top 5 Poker Players
Welcome to Old-Wizard’s first foray into the poker world. When not talking about video games or our absolutely subjective love of music, we’re usually trying to bluff the shit out of each other in $5 dollar poker tournaments. We’ve both been playing a lot of poker lately, and watching it even more. Of course, this made us think of doing a top 5 poker players of all time list. Watching these pros, it hard to believe how some players can read other players’ cards on every hand. While we don’t have this skill, and probably never will, we thought it was a fun idea to celebrate the best in the game. We have learned a lot from these next players, and they might just make us waste our bankrolls at the casino soon.
5. Gus Hansen
Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Gus Hansen has changed the way people play poker. He is widely known for his loose and aggressive style of play. “I play the players, not the cards,” he says. When he’s at a table you can often see him go all in with a 7-2 or 8-3, putting the maximum amount of pressure on his opponents. His style has paid off for him. Hansen is the only player to win three World Poker Tour (WPT) open tournaments, and his total live tournament winnings exceed $7,200,000. Not bad for a maniac.4. David Sklansky
Sklansky has written the best books on poker. He’s written on limit hold ‘em, no-limit hold ‘em, small stakes games, and high stakes games. His poker books teach the beginner which hands to play in what spots and which ones to throw away in more precise detail than any other book out for the genre. Watch him on Poker Stars and you’ll see a prudent figure who always plays his hands mathematically perfect while still showing a bluff here or there. His mastery of the game is shown after a hand when he takes down a big pot and it looks like he has barely any emotion on his face except for a slightly condescending smile, probably from winning from so many hands. Sklansky is always one of the most difficult players to beat in Poker Super Stars. He is always on top of the money chain. He knows the game better than most everyone in the world.3. Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey grew up in New Jersey and has won 5 World Series of Poker bracelets, the first in 2000 when he was only 23 years old. He’s also made a record EIGHT final tables on the World Poker Tour. And unlike many players who have had success in tournament poker, he’s well known as one of the best cash game players in the world. Its no wonder why he’s known as the “Tiger Woods of Poker”. Unlike most poker players, Phil doesn’t always need the best hand to win. He is known to play the 7-2, the worst possible hand in a poker game, but Phil plays that hand as if he was 100% sure he was going to win the pot. Phil Ivey is just an amazing poker player, with an aggressive and unique style, and that’s what makes him so good. He’s always focused and always has his eyes on the prize, and he never backs down. He has earned over $7,000,000 during his short career. Being only 32 years-old and already having 5 gold bracelets, who know how many he will have at the end of his career, and how much money he’ll earn.2. Phil Hellmuth
There is no one who gets out drawn as much as Phil Hellmuth. It seems like every time he goes all in or pushes someone else all in, he has the best hand. When he loses, its usually because the other player has outdrawn him. Not only that, but he is able to make lay downs that no one else on the planet could make. Could anyone else besides Phil Hellmuth fold pocket jacks to pocket queens pre-flop? With plays like these its not hard to see why he has a record eleven world series bracelets. And he hasn’t been winning them against fields of 20 players either. He just won his eleventh bracelet last year. There is no doubt that Phil is one of the best poker players of all time and deserves a spot near the top of our list.1. Daniel Negreanu
Five years ago, Daniel Negreanu was relatively unknown to the popular poker world. Then out of nowhere came all these World Poker Tour titles and WSOP bracelets won by this kid who looked too innocent to be able to bluff someone out of a hand, or so we all thought. Not only is he the master of the decisive semi-bluff, but he is the master of putting people on their own hands. He did it to the man himself, Doyle Brunson, on a Poker Superstars game that surprised everyone. Every time we see him play, he’s calling someone’s hand before he raises or folds. Being able to look at the other players’ faces in disbelief is fun when Negreanu is making these reads. The other player is making no tells and has non-identifiable betting patterns, but Negreanu still sees their hands. It should be illegal to be a player this good. If I ever meet him in some cash game table at the local casino, I’m leaving. I’m not playing with someone who always knows my hand before I show them.
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March 18th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Great article. Helmuth should be #1 though.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hellmuth is a baby. This list sucks.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Where’s Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan?? They each have TEN bracelets! And Hellmuth should be #1 ahead of Negreanu. Here’s the real list:
5. Negreanu
4. Eric Seidel
3. Chan
2. Doyle Brunson
1. Hellmuth
March 18th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
dumb list.
March 18th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I think a new banner for old-wizard should be on top of this list.
March 18th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Close, but no cigar. I say take Phil out because he can’t control his temper. Add Doyle in his place. Drop Negreanu to 5th spot and put Skalansky as #1.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Wish this was a top 10…
March 18th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Some people are just like Hannibal Lecter, they see all your thoughts without giving away a single bit about themselves. Hopefully none of these people are serial killers.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:50 am
Daniel Negreanu! Yes! This guy is badass!
March 18th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
There is no damn skill in poker anyway. It is a bunch of lazy, rich, fat fucks that just get lucky, because that is poker in a nutshell- LUCK! Remember, NO SKILL REQUIRED! Just play dress up, make retared, stupid ass facial gestures, and be a virgin!
March 18th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
I agree with Porterhouse, but he forgot to add that they look like they are about to take a shit….. and can’t…
March 18th, 2010 at 6:58 am
PORTERHOUSE & She-Ra you are dead wrong. If it was luck, why would the same people keep winning? Do you think they are just luckier than everyone else all of the time? Poker is a game of strategy & skill. Cards are secondary. You can be bluffed to fold pretty easily if you don’t have the balls.
March 18th, 2010 at 6:59 am
PORTERHOUSE & She-Ra you are dead wrong. If it was luck, why would the same people keep winning? Do you think they are just luckier than everyone else all of the time? Poker is a game of strategy & skill. Cards are secondary. You can be bluffed to fold pretty easily if you don’t have the balls.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I agree with some of the comments I have read on your blog, great posts, keep up the good work your doing!
March 18th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Where’s Stu Ungar? How the fuck can you forget him?…and where’s Doyle Brunson? Stupid list!
March 18th, 2010 at 1:27 am
Wtf? Hellmuth is a tool.
March 18th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Remember, poker is luck. These people don’t have jobs. I am very sick and tired of these card playing assholes all over tv. Furthermore, it is NOT A SPORT and does not belong on ESPN or any other network like it. POKER IS LUCK AND THERE IS NO SKILL!!!!!
March 18th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
@porterhouse
Then why would you care for bashing it, WRITING IN ALL CAPS!!! I know why. Because you’re a typical troll.
March 18th, 2010 at 9:10 am
First off, for your list to be even close to correct it should be best tournament poker players. Actually no it wouldn’t. What in the world did you base this on? David Sklansky?…Seriously?
Here is my list for top 5 poker players right now:
5) Tom Dwan
4) Patrik Antonius
3) Daniel Negreanu
2) Doyle Brunson
1) Phil Ivey
March 18th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
i am the greatest every1 just dont know it yet
March 18th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
lol Porterhouse is an idiot. How do you explain that these players consistently make millions of dollars?
Hellmuth doesn’t desrve to be on this list. He’s a good player in holdem tournaments, but he’s not even close to the best. But in holdem cash games he is a complete losing player. Same with every other game of poker. He sucks at almsot everything.
Ivey is the best player today. He is the best player in nearly every game. Negreanu was ranking Ivey’s 8 game, and I believe he said PLO was his Ivey’s worst game. But Daniel said that Ivey was the best player in the world at that game.