10 Most Famous Texas Holdem Players in the World

Texas Holdem is one of the most popular poker games in the world, and for good reason — it’s a lot of fun!  Get to know 10 of the most famous Texas Holdem players in the world.

10 Most Famous Texas Holdem Players (Male and Female)

Who are the most well-known Texas Holdem players? 

The 2000s “poker boom” made some of the most famous poker players mainstream celebrities.

While some of these names are still very prominent in poker today, others aren’t as active in modern poker. In recent years, other big-name poker players rose in prominence.

These players will never be forgotten. Let’s take a look at 10 of the most recognizable players: Five men and five women.

Doyle Brunson

Is Brunson the greatest poker player? When poker became mainstream in 2003, the man known as “Texas Dolly,” was already legendary.

Brunson has a reputation and a resume that is unmatched in the poker world. He is a 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet-winning player, with two wins in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event.

Is he the poker G.O.A.T.?

Brunson was a key poker strategy author in the pre-poker boom era. His “Super System” and “Super System 2” strategies publications are still among the most recognizable poker books.

“Texas Dolly,” a retired poker player, made it to another WSOP final table in his last appearance. Brunson has been a world-famous poker player for the past 50 years, and that status won’t be changing anytime soon.

Daniel Negreanu

Negreanu is perhaps the most well-known player of the modern era. His rise to mainstream fame began in the mid-2000s during the poker boom era.

“Kid Poker,” a reference to the game, was a staple of classic poker television shows. From 2007 to 2019, Negreanu was PokerStars‘ most prominent ambassador.

Hendon Mob, which is the largest poker database in the world, has a list of “Most Popular Players.” The site’s most comprehensive poker database, Hendon, has a listing for “Most Popular Players”.

These player rankings are determined by how many times a player’s name has been clicked from any list. No. 1 on this list is Negreanu. He is the modern poker’s poster boy, even though Brunson is the iconic face of poker.

Phil Ivey

Like Negreanu, Ivey was a mainstream celebrity because of the popularity of poker in popular culture. Ivey was another participant who was invited to all the televised high-stakes games of 2000.

Ivey is unlike Negreanu, whose voice and face are unmistakable for anyone who plays poker, and Ivey has a mystique that no other poker player can match. We’ve seen Ivey play poker hundreds of times over the past 20 years, but we want to learn more about his activities when the cameras are off.

The Ivey story is straight out of a movie. It includes a sneaky entry into card rooms as he was younger than 21 years old, 10 WSOP bracelets, and $20 million in online winnings at Full Tilt Poker.

There are also allegations of cheating in baccarat worth multi-millions. These are just a few of the many stories that Ivey has to tell about his life as one of the most recognizable poker players.

Dan Bilzerian

Is Dan Bilzerian a real poker player? He said yes. His ability to play poker is also questioned by other sources.

Bilzerian’s “famous” status is undisputed. Bilzerian is a well-known celebrity of the 21st Century, with more than 31 million Instagram followers and another 1.5 million on Twitter.

Bilzerian’s social media pages are filled with images of his lavish, multi-millionaire lifestyle.

Bilzerian claims that a large portion of his net worth is due to his poker skills, with $10.8 million in one night and $50 million throughout 2014

His poker exploits were all in private cash games so the world will never know how much Dan Bilzerian has won at the poker table.

Doug Polk, poker expert and founder of Upswing shares his thoughts about Bilzerian’s ability to play poker in his 1,000,000+ views video.

Phil Hellmuth

Without Ivey and Negreanu, this list would not be complete without Hellmuth. With 15 bracelets to his credit as of 2020, the “Poker Brat”, has the most WSOP wins in history.

Although many of the poker stars of the boom are no longer in the game, Hellmuth is still a star. Hellmuth’s win in the 1989 WSOP Main Event was only the beginning of a long career in the poker spotlight.

Hellmuth, like Ivey and Negreanu, was a player that appeared on every poker television program in the 2000s. Fast forward to 2020, and Hellmuth is still a significant presence in the game.

The Poker Brat persona has been perfected and is now timeless in poker history. Hellmuth has many detractors, but he is still able to win live poker tournaments. Hellmuth won No. 15 at the 2018 WSOP.

Jennifer Harman

Jennifer Harman, another star of the poker boom era, rose to prominence. Harman, a pro from Full Tilt Poker was one of poker’s most well-known personalities.

Although Harman doesn’t make a lot of appearances on current poker television shows, she was a regular on programs like Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, and WSOP episodes from the golden era.

Harman is remembered as one of the most prominent players of the 2000s and one of the most well-known female players of the game.

Vanessa Rousso

Vanessa Rousso was a new player in poker at the height of the boom. She finished seventh and won $263,625 at the 2006 World Poker Tout Five-Star World Poker Classic.

Rousso won sponsorships from PokerStars and GoDaddy in 2006, along with another major tournament score. Rousso’s 2006 WPT Borgata Poker Open win was another milestone in her quest for more than $3.5 million in career tournament earnings.

Maria Ho

Maria Ho is a prominent female poker personality. She has been a host of PokerGO coverage of the Super High Roller Bowl and PokerMasters, as well as other high-profile tournament series, putting Ho in the spotlight often on poker programs of today.

Ho has a strong resume at the poker tables. Her career earnings of more than 4,000,000 include numerous six-figure cash wins.

Ho’s biggest tournament win was at the 2011 WSOP. She earned $540,020 for a 2nd-place finish in a $5,000 No Limit Holdem event.

Liv Boeree

Liv Boeree is a similar to Maria Ho. She has a long resume of work behind the camera and at the poker table.

After her first major win, Boeree’s poker game saw a huge upturn. Boeree won the 2010 European Poker Tour Sanremo and took home EUR1,250,000 as a first-place finish.

Boeree has been a poker legend for the past decade. This includes a long stint as a PokerStars Team Pro and the 2010 EPT Sanremo win, which is still the largest cash she has earned in her poker career.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading our guide on the most famous Texas Holdem players. We hope you found it helpful and that you’re now ready to start winning some pots! Remember, practice makes perfect, so be sure to play as often as possible.

Good luck and have fun!