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The Top 5 Most Legendary Poker Players of All Time

There are lots of lists about the best or the wealthiest poker players of all time all around the web. While you can calculate the prize money easily, and there are many objective criteria that should make the race for the best poker player easier (although we will certainly argue about them!), this list is more subjective and we will discuss some other stuff, such as flair, cockiness, trendsetting and the status these players had among their colleagues and pure poker fans. WeGamble is one of those sites where gamblers can gather and help each other with the most specific guides and reviews for numerous games, including poker. In this article, we will remind you of some of the true legends of this sport and see if some of the current players can reach that legendary status in the upcoming years.

Johnny Moss

Johnny Moss, nicknamed the Grandfather of Poker, was a Texas road gambler back in the 50s and 60s. His career winnings are unknown because we don't have enough data to confirm how much money he was earning in his road trips, but according to his status, it was certainly a lot.

Moss is a Hall-of-Famer, three times World champion, and nine times bracelet winner, which is a standalone amazing accomplishment, but he is also only one of the few players who managed to win the World championship and defend his title in the following year.

One more interesting fact about it is that he actually retired after the interstate gambling law was passed in the 60s. He thought his gambling days are over before he got an invitation to the first WSOP in 1970, where he became the first World champion. Not bad for a retired man!

Stu Ungar

Stu Ungar was, as his opponents themselves say, one of a kind, which is also the title of a 2006 movie about him. He was the smartest, the quickest, the most talented, they feared him, they envied him, they wanted to be him. And he just wanted to play. But he was addicted not only to this game but to drugs as well. He was found dead in the cheap motel in Las Vegas in 1998, only one year after he won the WSOP for the third, last time. He is the only man, apart from Moss, who was able to do it. If he didn't lose the battle with addiction, who knows what he could achieve.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is a legendary poker player who is still active. He did a lot for poker promotion, he even became a mainstream celebrity, and he also played a lot online, with completely different sets of players than he usually did at WSOP main events. Ivey won over 20 million dollars only by playing online events, and he is also a regular at live high roller tournaments. He won 10 WSOP bracelets, while 2002 was his monster year, with three bracelets only during the summer. Back then, he established himself as the hottest young player in the game.

Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is probably the most recognizable poker player in the 21st century. He has over 40 million dollars won in live tournaments, he has five bracelets in his possession, and he is also a TV celebrity. He is famous for calling out the hand of his opponents and watching their reaction Playing mind-games is his specialty, but he is also a very sharp and aggressive player.

Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson is a living legend of this sport. It seems like he will never retire, and he is 86 years old! Two years ago, he was in the final of WSOP at the age of 84, the absolute recorder in terms of age. If you imagine that he plays on this level for such a long time and that he won two out of his 10 bracelets at the WSOP 1976 and 1977, that's really incredible.

Doyle is an author as well, he has a poker strategy book written and he is still the inspiration to many.

Summary

Justin Bonomo and Bryn Kenney are arguably the best poker players right now, but they will have to work a whole lot more to get the status of these five legendary players. While we admire legends of the past, we should stay in touch with the present, and follow the ongoing tournaments. WSOP main event started last weekend, and we can't wait to see who will come up on top!