Who is the GOAT of Poker?

Who is the greatest poker player of all time? The list of the best poker players ever has a few names that surge to the forefront. Most would argue for pros like Phil Hellmuth, the all-time WSOP bracelet leader, or another player who appears on the WSOP bracelet leader list. But it’s not just about bracelets, right? What about high-stakes cash game crushers who have racked up tens of millions in winnings? Isn’t that worth thinking about? And how do we factor in the players that may not have outlandish stats, but who are terrifying to play against?

Which of the iconic poker players brings all this and more?

Phil Ivey.

11 WSOP Bracelets

When it comes to WSOP leaders, Phil Hellmuth is indeed at the top with 17 bracelets. Phil Ivey is next with 11, but what might impress you is the variety: triple draw, mixed games, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha, seven-card stud, PLO, limit S.H.O.E. Ivey has achieved first-place finishes in each. His versatility is off the charts. Ivey can dominate in any card game you throw at him. This means that his pure skill is undeniably among the very best to ever play poker.

$48M+ in Public Recorded Career Tournament Earnings

Phil Ivey’s publicly recorded tournament earnings are over $48M, according to Card Player. This combines WSOP, WPT, EPT, and Player of the Year winnings. For reference, the public winnings of Bryn Kenney and Justin Bonomo are at the top of this list, with around $77M and $69M, respectively. Thus, Ivey is not at the very top of this list. However, his career now spans multiple decades. He gets points for longevity. These numbers are also just what the public knows about. Ivey’s net worth is now likely well north of $100M. This makes him one of the most profitable poker players ever to live.

We also have to consider the fact that modern players will see bigger and bigger prizes as inflation continues into the future. We would have to inflation-adjust winnings of golden era pros like Doyle Brunson and Johnny Moss just to make comparisons. The game simply wasn’t anywhere near as popular as it is now. WSOP Main Event fields were also much smaller. There were fewer than a hundred competitors in the good old days of the 70s, and now the field tops 10,000. Ivey’s career spans multiple eras, and he’s still making final tables regularly as of 2024. It’s a LeBron-esque active year total for Mr. Ivey, and that’s just another point in favor of crowning him the GOAT.

Just for the sake of posterity, he is also a known menace at ultra-high-stakes games in Macau, Vegas (especially the Big Game at the Bellagio), and online. And in the heyday of online poker, his rumored alias “RaiseOnce” was among the most feared in the world.

Reputation Among Pros – the Aura of Ivey

This kind of helps clinch it. Phil Ivey is one of the most respected and feared players among elite poker players. His aura is undeniable. Everyone who sits with him has to lock in or get absolutely shredded.

The top WSOP earner of all time is none other than “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu. He has over $23M in WSOP earnings alone over a staggering 283 cashes. And what does Negreanu call Ivey? The GOAT! Ivey is known for being calm, unreadable, and relentless. Ivey has a mythic status in the poker world. When others are chatting and smiling, he’s the guy who may have a serial killer stare as he navigates a hand. The man is there to win. Mamba mentality, no doubt. There’s just something so intimidating about a man who doesn’t blush, doesn’t blink, and won’t flinch when making the biggest moves at the poker table with everything on the line. There’s ice in his veins, not blood.

Who Else is Close Enough to Be In the Conversation?

Phil Hellmuth

This is Ivey’s closest competition and one that many will likely put ahead of him due to the staggering bracelet count. This dude has crushed more high-level Texas Hold’em tournaments than anyone alive. He’s a WSOP Main Event champion (which Ivey is not). He has tremendous longevity, but perhaps does not inspire quite the same level of fear especially not in cash games or non-Hold’em competitions. Still, Hellmuth is the standard you have to compare anyone to if you want to talk about the GOAT in poker.

Doyle Brunson

Texas Dolly is a legend with 10 WSOP bracelets and 2 Main Event wins. He was a killer in the golden age and educated an entire generation of players with his book Super/System. Brunson was still cashing in 2018 (!), proving that his game never got out of date. He’s an icon but didn’t dominate the way Ivey does across as many variants or modern formats. He also couldn’t touch Ivey’s massive earnings.

Still, if you had to play cards with the Devil for your soul and could pick a champion to play for you, you just might go with this man. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Stu Ungar

Stu Ungar won multiple WSOP titles and countless games in addition to that. His talent levels were off the charts, and he was widely regarded as a genius of the game. His otherworldly ability to read opponents and make the right plays gets him onto this list. A few fans will defend to their dying day that this is the man you don’t want to see across the table when playing poker for all the marbles.

Justin Bonomo / Bryn Kenney / Stephen Chidwick

These guys have all racked up over $50M in earnings and are destroying the modern game with their dominance. They don’t have Ivey’s resume but are among today’s most prolific money-getters at the poker table. If you’re looking for others to surge up the list, you’d keep an eye on these three. Bonomo in particular has three WSOP bracelets and we doubt his rampage on the felt will stop there.

Ivey Takes It… for Now

Phil Ivey is the most complete poker player of all time. All things considered, he gets the nod for the GOAT of poker rankings. But his status is far from untouchable. In another ten years, things might change. But it won’t be easy. For now, Ivey has the edge in the all-time poker legends comparison.