The best poker players come around at live events

The greatest sporting events always have talented players who shine brighter than the others and provide unforgettable emotions. Just like in any other discipline, the biggest poker tournaments can also have many memorable moments: surprises, unexpected twists and underdogs snatching the glory away from favorites. Regardless of how you measure success, some of the poker stars are admired by millions.

By reading some of the reputable informative sites such as live tournament poker report, you will be able to notice that there is plenty to do in the poker season which is not really bound by time period restrictions. What distinguish major events from the rest, are the characteristics like prestige, history, number and experience of the contestants involved, media attention or prize money pool. Those are the ones the best competitive players would want to be in. Perhaps the biggest of them all is World Series of Poker held in Las Vegas. Perceived as unofficial championships of the globe, it offers huge cash prizes and instant recognition in the eyes of industry experts, supporters and peers. Winner of each event of the series gets special bracelet that brands him as a true master of the trade. It’s safe to say that this commonly desired award is pretty good indicator of success in this field. Only a few people managed to collect 10 or more bracelets for their WSOP performance. Those are: Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson (10 each) and the absolute leader – Phil Hellmuth (14 trophies).

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The amount of cash prizes gathered over the years is certainly a way to look at things. After all, turning a profit is what most players want. The list of all-time live events money makers consists of hundreds multi-million dollars winners. The top three names – Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Daniel Colman – are either closing on or exceeding the number of 30 million in tournament earnings. This doesn’t include online winnings, so the amount could very well be much higher for anyone of them. The 4th position belongs to Antonio Esfandiari, who accumulated most of his 27 million in cash at WSOP events. That certainly makes him one of the biggest icons in this game, as he checks all the boxes in terms of determining the true nature of success.

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Success, or the general concept of "making it" in this business, can sometimes be judged by other factors. There is no shortage of players who made their mark in poker. The name of Daniel Negreanu would have to be mentioned again in this context. Legendary "Kid Poker" contributes greatly to the community of professional players, adding his positive attitude and nice personality to his considerable net worth and six WSOP bracelets. The most exciting prove that virtually everyone can distinguish themselves as poker players, comes from possibly the greatest stroy this discipline has ever seen. The shocking 2003 victory of complete amateur Chris Moneymaker, who earned his seat at the table via satellite, is perceived as a major milestone in the history, immensely contributing to the popularization of the game.

Photo by flipchip / CC BY-SA 3.0