Top Ten Male Poker Magicians, Part I.

A compilation of the ten best poker playing fellows who have ever walked this earth.

Ever wondered who the best of the best was? Well, let me introduce you to my ten favourite poker-playing men. 

To be fair, I did not judge any of them based on good looks or muscle quantity. Rather, the list is compiled based on knowledge, skills and top scores.

• Best poker playing men in the world
• True talents and their lives
• Great achievements and a poker legacy

These poker winners have achieved a great deal in their areas, so they truly deserve a two-part feature. So, if you want to learn more about your favourite high rollers, let me present you with information on their achievements, life and what they like to do when they’re not working on their poker faces.

Daniel Negreanu aka. Kid Poker

Even the Global Poker Index thinks he’s the best player of the last ten years. He has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and has World Poker Tour champion twice. What an achievement! He has gathered more than (at this point, I think you should sit down) USD 30 million in prize money and was appointed WSOP and WPT Player of the Year twice (the only person to be given the WSOP title two times.)

In 2014, he was addedto the Poker Hall of Fame. The Canadian poker room star is a huge NHL fan, and loves to give to charities: he actually established the “Big Swing” golf charity event that supports children born with special needs.

Antonio Esfandiari aka. The Magician

Abra-kadabra, boom! The result? More than USD 26 million in cash prize, three WSOP bracelets and two WPT Champion titles.The professional magician also helped out in the creation of a poker strategy game for iOS called Insta Poker. He was originally born in Tehran, Iran and his family moved to California when he was still a child.

He changed his name from Amir to Antonio because “Antonio” sounded more like the name a magician would have. For a long time, he was the face of the online poker site, which recently has shut down, Ultimate Poker. He is also somewhat of a movie star: he performed in Freelancers with Robert De Niro.

Erik Seidel aka. Sly

How many WSOP bracelets can possibly fit onto one person’s wrists? Well, eight can, Erik Seidel proves that. According to gambling news, he also has a WPT Champion title and in 2010, was introduced to the Poker Hall of Fame. 

He was a player even before he started playing poker: first, backgammon, then the stock market. His first significant poker event was at the 1988 WSOP. His total winnings amount to USD 21 million. He has a wife and two children, loves to play tennis and has a passion for music. He spends a lot of his time on websites that offer you personalized playlists based on your taste of music.

Daniel Colman

The Texas Hold’em fan is most known for beating David Negreanu heads-up for a USD 15 million prize. He prefers online poker and according to top10pokersites.com, he has accumulated more than USD 22,000,000 of poker winnings. 

He has one WSOP bracelet and has seven money finishes. Not bad for a guy born in 1990, right? I mean, most 25 year-olds are still trying to figure out which brand of beer to buy. In one of his posts (his username is mrgr33n13,) however, he denounces poker, “it bothers me that people care so much about poker’s well being. As poker is a game that has such a net negative effect on the people playing it.”

Phil Ivey aka. No Home Jerome/The Tiger Woods of Poker

It seems like even ten WSOP bracelets can be fitted onto one wrist – I don’t know how he does it. He has made it to nine final tables at the WPT and has one championship title.

He also contributed to online poker sites in US: a part of the initial design team at Full Tilt Poker. Claiming that Full Tilt violated his contract, he filed a lawsuit, but withdrew it some months later. Big on philanthropy, he established he Budding Ivy Foundation (an homage to his grandfather’s life’s work,) which aims to fight children’s illiteracy and help with feeding the homeless.