World Series of Poker: Who are the world’s best poker players?

Countries and states with the most finalists
Finalists per country (1971-2024)
Finalists per state (1971-2024)
Who are the best poker players in the world?
Methodology

With the 56th World Series of Poker taking place in Las Vegas from 27 May to 16 July 2025, BonusFinder, America’s leading casino bonus and online casino review site, explored the history of the tournament and its past winners.

By analyzing all of the tournament’s 338 Main Event final tablists since 1971 in nine categories, we were able to determine the most successful WSOP players of all time.

However, due to structural changes in the tournament over the decades, only players who have reached the Main Event final table in the past 30 years (1995-2024) were considered for the top 10 rankings.

Image with a map titled 'Countries and states with the most WSOP finalists. Who are the most successful main event finalists in tournament history?'

Countries and states with the most finalists

While the World Series of Poker has become a global phenomenon over the past three decades, that wasn’t always the case. Between 1971 and 1982, the finalists were exclusively from the US, and before 1995, only five international players reached the Main Event final table. Due to the lack of international participation in the early years of the tournament, the historical statistics are heavily skewed in favor of the US.

Finalists per country (1971-2024)

🇺🇸 United States – 273 finalists (70.9%)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 15 (3.9%)
🇨🇦 Canada – 12 (3.1%)
🇫🇷 France – 7 (1.8%)
🇮🇪 Ireland and 🇪🇸 Spain – 6 each (1.6%)

Since the beginning of the tournament in 1971, the United States has produced 36 Main Event champions, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all winners (73.5%). Other countries with WSOP champions include:

🇩🇪 Germany with three winners,
🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇱🇦 Laos, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇻🇳 Vietnam, 🇦🇷 Argentina, 🇳🇴 Norway, and 🇪🇸 Spain, with one WSOP champion each

Finalists per state (1971-2024)

Some states are revealed to produce more successful poker players than others. Based on available birthplace data of final tablists:

Texas – 23 finalists
New York – 22 finalists
California – 15 finalists
Pennsylvania – 9 finalists
Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma – 6 finalists each

Note: Birthplace data was limited, and figures are based on publicly available information.

Who are the best poker players in the world?

Every year, the WSOP tournament draws thousands of players across the world to the poker tables. To determine who are the world’s best poker players, we examined data on all 338 Main Event final tablists from the past 30 years and ranked them in nine categories including total earnings, titles, bracelets, and consistency at the final table.

Image titled 'Top WSOP players of all time. Who are the most successful main event finalists in tournament history?'

1. Joe McKeehen, United States

Total Score: 69
Hometown: North Wales, Pennsylvania
Residence: North Wales, Pennsylvania

Topping our list of the best poker players in the world is Joe McKeehen, thanks to his impressive all-around performance across the WSOP events over the years. Born in North Wales, Pennsylvania, McKeehen first gained national attention as a young online poker player before stepping into the live tournament scene.

McKeehen secured perfect scores for winning the 2015 Main Event and his total WSOP earnings exceeding $10.6 million. Although he has only appeared at the Main Event final table once, McKeehen has demonstrated consistent success across all WSOP events over the years, with three bracelets, four circuit rings, seven career titles, 23 final table appearances and 91 cashes.

Joe McKeehen statistics:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table: #1 in 2015 (10)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s): $7,683,346 (8)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table: 1 (7)
👑 No. of Titles: 7 (8)
🏆 No. of Bracelets: 3 (6)
💍 No. of Rings: 4 (5)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All Events): 23 (7)
💸 No. of Cashes: 91 (8)
💰 Total Earnings: $11,641,286 (10)

2. Joe Cada, United States

Total Score: 68 (Tied)
Hometown: Shelby Charter, Michigan
Residence: Macomb, Michigan

Tying for second place on our list is Joe Cada. Born in Shelby Charter, Michigan, and now residing in Macomb, Cada made history in 2009 when he became the youngest player ever to win the WSOP Main Event, a record that still stands.

Cada secured a perfect score for his historic win and for racking up more than $10 million in prize money. He also earned a perfect ten for his overall WSOP earnings which exceed $14 million to date.

Joe Cada statistics:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table: #1 in 2009 (10)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s): $10,697,041 (10)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table: 2 (8)
👑 No. of Titles: 5 (7)
🏆 No. of Bracelets: 4 (7)
💍 No. of Rings: 1 (2)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All Events): 14 (6)
💸 No. of Cashes: 81 (8)
💰 Total Earnings: $14,005,826 (10)

2. Phil Hellmuth, United States

Total Score: 68 (Tied)
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Residence: Palo Alto, California

Tying for second place with Joe Cada is one of the most legendary poker players of all-time, Phil Hellmuth. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, and now based in Palo Alto, California, Hellmuth has spent over three decades dominating the World Series of Poker, with his career culminating in his 1989 Main Event win.

However, his 1989 win is not included in our rankings—since only results from 1995 onward were considered—making his fifth-place finish in 2001 his top Main Event result within the scoring period.

Still, Hellmuth compensated for this with his record-breaking 17 titles, 17 bracelets and 80 final table finishes—more than any other player in our rankings.

He also secured a perfect ten for his high number of cashes (215) and for amassing nearly $18 million throughout his career.

In 2007, Hellmuth was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, cementing his place as one of the most accomplished and recognizable players in poker history.

Phil Hellmuth statistics:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table: #5 in 2001 (6)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s): $1,058,705 (3)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table: 2 (8)
👑 No. of Titles: 17 (10)
🏆 No. of Bracelets: 17 (10)
💍 No. of Rings: 0 (1)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All Events): 80 (10)
💸 No. of Cashes: 215 (10)
💰 Total Earnings: $17,941,604 (10)

Image titled 'Top WSOP players of all time. Who are the most successful main event finalists in tournament history?'

4. Jonathan Tamayo, United States

Total Score: 67
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Residence: Humble, Texas

Jonathan Tamayo secures fourth place in our rankings following his 2024 Main Event victory, where he earned a massive $10 million prize—one of the largest payouts in WSOP history. With his career earnings surpassing $11.4 million, he secured perfect scores for all three categories.

Jonathan Tamayo statistics:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table: #1 in 2024 (10)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s): $10,000,000 (10)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table: 1 (7)
👑 No. of Titles: 5 (7)
🏆 No. of Bracelets: 1 (4)
💍 No. of Rings: 4 (5)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All Events): 11 (6)
💸 No. of Cashes: 92 (8)
💰 Total Earnings: $11,478,432 (10)

5. Chris Ferguson, United States

Total Score: 66
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Residence: Los Angeles, California

Rounding out the top five is the 2000 Main Event champion, Chris Ferguson. Born and based in Los Angeles, California, Ferguson boasts 46 final table appearances, 156 cashes and over $6.6 million in WSOP earnings, ranking highly across nearly every category.

Chris Ferguson statistics:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table: #1 in 2000 (10)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s): $1,500,000 (3)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table: 1 (7)
👑 No. of Titles: 9 (8)
🏆 No. of Bracelets: 6 (8)
💍 No. of Rings: 3 (4)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All Events): 46 (9)
💸 No. of Cashes: 156 (9)
💰 Total Earnings: $6,670,648 (8)

Table titled 'Top 10 World Series of Poker Players'

Methodology

To determine the best poker players in the world, BonusFinder United States analyzed all 338 WSOP Main Event final tablists from 1971 to present, in the following categories:

🏅 Placement in Main Event Final Table (Score out of 10)
💲 Total Prize Money Earned in Main Event(s) (Score out of 10)
🎰 No. of Times in Final Table (Main Event) (Score out of 10)
👑 No. of Titles (Score out of 10)
🏆 No. of Bracelets (Score out of 10)
💍 No. of Rings (Score out of 5)
🎲 No. of Placements in a Final Table (All WSOP Events) (Score out of 10)
💸 No. of Cashes (All WSOP Events) (Score out of 10)
💰 Total WSOP Earnings (Score out of 10)

Due to changes in the tournament format over the decades, only players who reached the Main Event final table in the past 30 years (1995-2024) were included in the top 10 rankings.