Poker Players

Most Famous Poker Players (Male & Female)

Poker has gained significant popularity in India in recent years. With the rise of online poker platforms, it has become easier for people to access and play the game from the comfort of their own homes. In addition, the success of Indian players in international Poker events has helped to increase the popularity of the game in the country. Poker is generally well-received by the public and is considered a skill-based game, rather than a game of chance.

Poker can be a lucrative profession for skilled players. Many professional poker players in India earn a living by playing in live tournaments and online games.

Here is the list of some of the best Poker Players in India who stand out through their achievements (as per the Hendon Mob database) :

Best Poker Players in India

Vivek Rajkumar

Vivek Rajkumar is an Indian American Poker player. He won WPT Borgata Poker Open ME and bagged $1,424, 500 in 2008. His other notable achievements include winning the 2008 L.A. Poker Classic $2500 NLH event and the 2009 L.A. Poker Classic $9,900 NLH event. His total live earnings are $8,080,012.

Indian All-Time Money List - 1st

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 152th

Best Live Cash - $3,652,345

Total Online Earnings - $529,382

Popularity Ranking - 226th 

Nipun Java

Born and brought up in New Delhi, Nipun Java resides in the US. This well-established Indian Poker player has been playing the game professionally since 2009. Along with Aditya Sushant, he won India’s first-ever WSOP bracelet and claimed the top prize of $150,637 in 2017. His total live earnings are $2,901,359.

Indian All-Time Money List - 2nd

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 656th

Best Live Cash - $270,509

Global Poker Index Ranking - 921

Popularity Ranking - 452

Aditya Agarwal

Aditya “Intervention” Agarwal is one of the brightest stars in the world of Poker. He has participated and scored big in major national and international Poker tournaments such as WSOP, EPT, Macau Poker Cup, etc. His total live earnings are $1,528,513.

Indian All-Time Money List - 3rd

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 1478th

Best Live Cash - $286,705

Global Poker Index Ranking - 1256

Popularity Ranking - 748

Abhinav Iyer

Mumbai-based Abhinav Iyer is the first solo WSOP bracelet winner from India. In 2019, he claimed the gold bracelet and $565,346 prize money at WSOP’s The Closer event. The same year, he won the APT Vietnam Main Event and earned a whopping $98,055. At the WPT India 2019 High Roller, he finished at 12th position for INR 3,04,680. In January 2020, he finished at 73rd position in the p 5o,000 NLH Main Event in IPC. His total live real money Poker earnings are $1,345,417.

Indian All-Time Money List - 4th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 1730th

Best Live Cash - $565,346

Global Poker Index Ranking - 250

Popularity Ranking - 3847

Ankit Ahuja

Ranked sixth-best in the list, Ankit Ahuja is a business and tech consultant by profession. He has scored deep runs in several Poker game events and earned $1,209,813 in his live Poker career.

Indian All-Time Money List - 5th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 1930th

Best Live Cash - $330,134

Global Poker Index Ranking - 307

Popularity Ranking - 6,652

Raghav Bansal

Raghav Bansal is a big name in the live Poker community. In 2015, he became the first Indian who final-tabled an event at WSOP. In 2017, he finished at the 2nd position at a High Roller event and shipped $337K. He has been playing professionally for several years now and his total live earnings are $1,133, 303.

Indian All-Time Money List - 6

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 2,067

Best Live Cash - $335,910

Global Poker Index Ranking - 4,606

Popularity Ranking - 2,862

Kartik Ved

Kartik Ved is known for his massive winnings in major poker tournaments and accumulated $1,009,029 in total live earnings to date. In August 2020, the player won $840 Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em at the Online WSOP event and earned $234,433 (including both payouts and bounty).

Indian All-Time Money List - 7

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 2,341 

Best Live Cash - $275,593

Global Poker Index Ranking - 363

Popularity Ranking - 6,429

Aditya Sushant

One of the most famous players on the Indian Poker circuit, Aditya Sushant started playing the game in 2010. Along with Nipun Java, this talented Pro brought the first WSOP bracelet to India with his partner Nipun Java in 2017.

His total live earnings are $839,562.

Indian All-Time Money List - 8th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 2,927

Best Live Cash - $75,319

Global Poker Index Ranking - 3,837

Popularity Ranking - 2,864 

Paawan Bansal

Paawan Bansal is at 8th position with his total live earnings of $710,087. In 2017, he finished at the second position at the NLH Knockout Event at Macau Poker Cup 27 and bagged HK$71,624. He also participated in the NLH event and finished at the 1st position for HK$75,000 prize money. He finished 2nd at 49th World Series Of Poker NLH for $378, 765.

Indian All-Time Money List - 9th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 3445

Best Live Cash - $378,765

Global Poker Index Ranking - 3,767

Popularity Ranking - 6,797 

Kunal Patni

Kunal Patni is a renowned player who is wowing the Poker community with his extraordinary skills. In 2018, he finished 2nd at NLH WPTDeepstacks Berlin and claimed €96,140.in the same year, he participated in Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila and walked away with ₱ 960,000 for his 2nd position finish. His total live earnings are $620,412.

Indian All-Time Money List - 10th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 4,000

Best Live Cash - $115,819

Global Poker Index Ranking - 1,017

Popularity Ranking - 3,987  

Best Female Poker Players India

The Poker world is witnessing a surge of talented female players who are impressing audiences with their exceptional skills and expertise, captivating the hearts of countless fans.

Here are the top 5 female Poker players in India (as per the Hendon Mob database).

Nikita Luther

Nikita Luther is a professional player from Delhi. She made history by winning a gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker in the $1,000 NLH Tag Team event in Las Vegas in 2018.

Indian All-Time Money List  -16th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 5,862

Best Live Cash - $109,300

Global Poker Index Ranking -2,272

Popularity Ranking - 2,197  

Anju Abrol

Anju Aborl has made a name for herself in the competitive world of poker with her sharp mind and competitive spirit. She is a role model for aspiring female poker players.

Indian All-Time Money List - 68th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 21,749

Best Live Cash - $51,742

Popularity Ranking - 21,683  

Muskan Sethi

Muskan Sethi began playing poker in college and quickly made a name for herself in the Indian poker scene. She won the Asian Poker Tour India Main Event in 2018. She is among the 100 most influential women in India, and was felicitated by the President of India in 2017. She has had notable finishes in a variety of national and international poker tournaments, including the Deltin Poker Tournament, World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, and World Series of Poker.

Indian All-Time Money List - 74th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 22,374

Best Live Cash - $13,107

Global Poker Index Ranking - 14,430

Popularity Ranking - 1,403

Minissha Lamba

Minissha Lamba, the beautiful Bollywood actress, initially picked up poker as a casual hobby, but eventually found herself drawn to the excitement and thrill of the game. She became a regular at major poker events, including the India Poker Championship and the Deltin Poker Tournament. She took part in the 100K High Roller event of the World Poker Tour India November 2018 edition held at Deltin Royale in Goa and achieved a runner-up finish.

Indian All-Time Money List - 96th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 26,750

Best Live Cash - $33,058

Global Poker Index Ranking - 55,856

Popularity Ranking - 14,980

Suchi Chamaria

Suchi is a well-known figure in the Indian poker community, having played in numerous tournaments and events.

Indian All-Time Money List - 316th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 92,043

Best Live Cash - $5,488

Global Poker Index Ranking - 24,528

Popularity Ranking - 476,537

Best Poker Players in the World

Here is the list of the top 10 Poker players in the world (as per the Hendon Mob database):

Daniel Negreanu:

Daniel Negreanu has won six World Series of Poker bracelets, including two WSOP Player of the Year awards, and two World Poker Tour titles. Negreanu has also won numerous other prestigious tournaments and has been named the WSOP Player of the Year and the Card Player Player of the Year. He has won over $42 million in tournament winnings during his career.

Canada All-Time Money List - 1st

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 3rd

Best Live Cash - $8,288,001

Global Poker Index Ranking - 17

Popularity Ranking - 1st

Phil Ivey:

Phil Ivey is a professional poker player from the United States. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and one World Poker Tour title, and is considered one of the "The Professor, The Tiger Woods of Poker" of the game. Ivey has also won numerous other prestigious tournaments, and has been named the World Series of Poker Player of the Year, and the ESPN Player of the Year. He has won over $26 million in tournament winnings during his career.

US All-Time Money List - 7th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 10th

Best Live Cash - $3,582,753

Global Poker Index Ranking - 488

Popularity Ranking - 2nd

Phil Hellmuth:

Phil Hellmuth Jr. is a professional poker player from the United States. He is best known for his record-breaking 15 World Series of Poker bracelets, which is the most in WSOP history. He also has two World Poker Tour titles, and has won over $22 million in tournament winnings during his career. Hellmuth is famous for his highly competitive and often brash personality, as well as his tendency to make bold and unorthodox plays. Despite his reputation for being a controversial figure, Hellmuth is widely regarded as a poker legend.

US All-Time Money List - 13th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 19th

Best Live Cash - $2,645,333

Global Poker Index Ranking - 404

Popularity Ranking - 4th

Doyle Brunson:

Brunson is a retired professional poker player from the United States. He is best known for his 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including back-to-back championships in 1976 and 1977. He is the author of the poker strategy book "Super/System," which is considered a must-read for serious players who want to learn Poker rules. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988. He is also known for his “Godfather of Poker” nickname, and his contributions to the development of the game.

US All-Time Money List - 144th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 224th

Best Live Cash - $1,198,260

Popularity Ranking - 55th

Johnny Chan:

Johnny Chan is a professional poker player from China. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including back-to-back championships in 1987 and 1988 and he was the first non-American to win the Main Event. Chan has also won one World Poker Tour title and has been named the WSOP Player of the Year. He has won over $8.7 million in tournament winnings during his career. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002, and his WSOP Main Event win in 1988 was featured in the movie Rounders.

US All-Time Money List  - 70th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 137th

Best Live Cash - $750,000

Popularity Ranking - 102nd

Fedor Holz:

Holz is a professional poker player from Germany. He is known for his success in high stakes tournaments, having won over $32 million in tournament winnings during his career, including a win in the 2016 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop. In 2017, he announced his retirement from professional poker, but he continues to be active in the industry as an investor and mentor, and also as a commentator and content creator in the poker space.

Germany All-Time Money List - 1st

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 11th

Best Live Cash = $6,000,000

Global Poker Index Ranking - 818

Popularity Ranking - 3rd

Chris Ferguson:

Chris Ferguson, a player from the United States, has won six World Series of Poker bracelets, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event. He has also won over $8 million in tournament winnings during his career. Ferguson is well-known for his analytical and calculated playing style and is considered to be one of the most successful tournament players of all time.

US All-Time Money List - 64th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 123rd

Best Live Cash - $1, 500,000

Global Poker Index Ranking - 211,193

Popularity Ranking - 78th

Sam Farha:

Sam Farha is a professional poker player from Lebanon. He is famous for finishing as the runner-up in the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, losing to Chris Moneymaker. Farha has won multiple World Series of Poker bracelets and has cashed in multiple WSOP events. Farha has been featured in several poker-related television shows and is well-known for his distinctive style of sunglasses and suits.

US All-Time Money List - 365th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 660th

Best Live Cash - $1, 300,000

Popularity Ranking - 210th

Stu Ungar:

Stu Ungar was a professional poker player from the United States. He is one of only two players to ever win the WSOP Main Event three times, the other being Johnny Moss. Stu was also a regular player in high-stakes gin rummy and was considered one of the best card game players of all time.

US All-Time Money List - 266th

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 479th

Best Live Cash - $1, 000,000

Popularity Ranking - 125th

Erik Seidel:

Seidel is a professional poker player from the United States. He is considered one of the best tournament players of all time, with 8 World Series of Poker bracelets and over $43 million in career tournament winnings. Seidel began his professional poker career in the 1980s and quickly established himself as a top real-money Poker player. He is best known for his second-place finish in the 1988 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he lost to Johnny Chan. Seidel was also featured in the book "The Biggest Game in Town" and the movie "Rounders" both of which revolve around the high stakes poker scene in New York City in the 80s.

US All-Time Money List - 3rd

Current Rank at All Time Money List - 5th

Best Live Cash - $2, 472,555

Global Poker Index Ranking = 15th

Popularity Ranking - 7th