Top Biggest Poker Bets Ever

Poker is about taking risks. The object of the game is to win money by making the best hand at the table or by bluffing to have it. One of the most exciting aspects of poker is the huge pots. You can play this card game from a few dollars to high stakes. High stakes in poker typically refer to games with very high buy-ins or bets where the amount of money at risk is significantly larger than in typical poker games. These high-stakes games are often played by professional poker players, celebrities, and wealthy people who can afford to risk large sums of money. Scroll down for some of the weirdest and top-biggest poker bets!

The Highest Poker Bet

The highest poker bet ever made is believed to be between Andy Beal, a billionaire banker, and a group of professional poker players known as the Corporation. In the early 2000s, Beal played a series of high-stakes poker games against the group, including players such as Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, and Phil Ivey. The bets in these games were so high that at one point, Beal reportedly lost $16 million in a single session. 

Beal eventually won back some of his losses, and the opponents continued to play high-stakes poker for several years. While we don’t know the exact amount of the highest poker bet, the total amount of money that changed hands between Beal and the Corporation over the years reached hundreds of millions of dollars. These games are considered some of the biggest high-stakes and most intense poker games ever played.

Dan Bilzerian is a Bold Gambler

Dan Bilzerian is famous for a lot of things, such as making large poker bets, in some notable poker games, and having the time of his life with dozens of girls surrounding him in luxury. Check out his Instagram and our article about the poker billionaire lives! Besides being a wealthy social media personality and a professional poker player, he is known for his extravagant lifestyle, which includes high-stakes gambling. 

We do not have specific information on the top biggest poker bets of Bilzerian, but he has been involved in some of the most prestigious poker games and tournaments in the world and has won and lost millions of dollars in these events. For instance, in 2016, poker player Brian Rast won a $325,000 bet against Bilzerian. However, he added another wager, which said he could ride a bicycle from his home in Las Vegas to the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Strip in less than 48 hours.

List of the Top Biggest Poker Bets in History

Poker is a game of chance, strategy, and skill, and since it involves money, there have been some very large bets over the years. One of the biggest poker bets ever was $20 million! In 2014, professional poker player, Rick Salomon, won $20 million in a single hand against Australian billionaire Kerry Packer in a private game. Imagine the amounts similarly won in private events that were never made public. Most likely, players have won and lost hundreds of millions that way.

During a cash game in the Bellagio, Sammy Farha and Jamie Gold played for a pot worth $12 million. The next bet worth mentioning happened during the 2010 WSOP Main Event. Jonathan Duhamel and Joseph Cheong faced each other at the table where the pot was $26 million! It is one of the biggest poker bets in history, which Duhamel eventually won. Click on the link and check out the first WSOP winner of 2023!

In 2014, professional poker player, Dan Colman, won $15 in the Big One for One Drop tournament. More than playing six hours of heads-up, high-stakes poker pro Doug Polk won a $1.2 million bet against Daniel Negreanu. Tom Dwan pocketed $2 million from Finnish poker player Patrik Antonius in a high-stakes game during the Durrrr Challenge. Check out their legendary duels at online poker sites in the US!

Top Biggest Poker Bets in the Most Prestigious Events!

In 2012, billionaire businessman David Einhorn made a $1.2 million bet at the World Series of Poker tournament. He eventually finished in third place and earned a payout of $4.35 million. Pro poker player Antonio Esfandiari won the first Big One for One Drop tournament in 2012 and took home a record-setting prize of $18.3 million, which included a $1 million entry fee, but he probably did not complain about that.

If you are an amateur player who wants to play against the best but doesn’t have a million dollars laying around, you can participate in online satellite tournaments at Everygame Poker, and win free seats to the most prestigious events! 

Crazy and Funny Bets Made by Poker Players!

Poker is a game that involves high stakes and intense focus, so a little humor here and there doesn’t hurt! Phil Hellmuth, the 16 WSOP bracelet winner, is famous for his high-stakes poker duels, and it seems like he is a true gambler in and out of the casino. Hellmuth and other poker players: Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, and Huck Seed love to make bets that do not involve poker, including golf wagers.On one occasion, Hellmuth ultimately lost tens of thousands of dollars. Another golf bet involved him and Mike Matusow. This time, Hellmuth won the wager, earning him $50,000.

Mike Noori once attempted to eat $1000 worth of Mcdonald’s food in 36 hours. Of course, it was an impossible challenge, and he failed, but Noori raised almost $15,000 for charity and showed up at the next poker tournament dressed as a McDonald’s character.

Did you know that Kevin Hart is a huge poker fan? Brian Rast won a $100,000 bet against the comedian, who wagered he could beat Rast in a heads-up poker match. According to the deal, Hart had to hump the poker table for a few seconds! Doug Polker wagered $200,000 on losing half of his body fat in a year, but he couldn’t achieve that, so Bill Perkins became richer by a couple hundred thousand dollars!

Poker Side Bets Went Wrong!

In 2017, Australian businessman and poker player, Matt Kirk, made a series of large bets against fellow player Leon Tsoukernik during a high-stakes game at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. Kirk claimed that Tsoukernik had borrowed and failed to repay him $3 million in loans. Tsoukernik denied the allegation but eventually settled the dispute by paying Kirk $3.5 million. 

Another million-dollar bet took place in 2006, but with a twist. Professional poker player Jamie Gold agreed with fellow player Crispin Leyser that he could win the World Series of Poker Main Event, and they will split the winning equally. Leyser took the wager, and when Gold won the tournament, he earned one of the biggest poker bets! However, he changed his mind and did not want to half his $12 million, so they had to settle the matter in court.

Some prop bets between professional players go wrong! For instance, when Antonio Esfandiari agreed to a prop bet with Bill Perkins that said he had to lunge everywhere he went during the PCA tournament. To avoid going to the bathroom that way, Esfandiari urinated in a bottle during the event, which got him disqualified and criticized. Though he won the $50,000 bet, he apologized and donated it to charity! These two have made several other crazy prop bets that you can check out at online poker sites in the US!

Click here to try 200% up to $1,000 at Everygame Poker