The poker all-time money list tracks recorded live tournament cashes. As of June 13, 2026, Bryn Kenney leads the list with more than $85 million, followed by Stephen Chidwick and Jason Koon.
That does not mean the list tells you who is richest, who has the highest win rate, or who kept the most money after buy-ins, taxes, swaps, and backing. It tells you who has booked the largest public live tournament results.
If you play tournaments yourself, the useful lesson is not that you need a seven-figure score. It is that results need context. A player can look rich on a results page and still have huge variance, high expenses, and long dry spells. That is why serious players track their own sessions, not just their trophies.
Current top 10 live poker tournament winners
The figures below come from The Hendon Mob, with a cross-check against the PokerNews all-time money list. These lists move whenever high-stakes live tournament results are added.
| # | Player | Country | Live tournament cashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryn Kenney | United States | $85,234,888 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | England | $78,866,082 |
| 3 | Jason Koon | United States | $75,906,534 |
| 4 | Mikita Bodyakovsky | Belarus | $68,780,521 |
| 5 | Justin Bonomo | United States | $65,611,097 |
| 6 | Isaac Haxton | United States | $65,340,452 |
| 7 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | $62,778,087 |
| 8 | Dan Smith | United States | $61,063,814 |
| 9 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $57,794,476 |
| 10 | William Alex Foxen | United States | $57,322,968 |
Why the list changes so quickly
Modern high-roller poker has changed the top of the list. Events with $100,000, $250,000, or even higher buy-ins can move a player several places in one week. That is why names such as Stephen Chidwick, Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, and Adrian Mateos have climbed past older stars who dominated the poker boom era.
The list also rewards volume and access. A player who can enter many elite events has more chances to book massive public cashes. That does not make the list useless. It means you should read it as a tournament-cashes list, not a clean measure of poker skill or total wealth.
For a broader look at famous names beyond pure cash totals, read our guide to top poker players you need to know. If you like historical movement, our Hendon Mob money race shows how the leaderboard changed year by year.
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Biggest poker wins ever
The biggest single live tournament cash is Bryn Kenney's $20.56 million payout from the 2019 Triton Million. Kenney finished second, but a heads-up deal left him with the larger payout.
The largest first-place prize is usually credited to Antonio Esfandiari, who won $18.35 million in the 2012 Big One for One Drop. PokerNews also lists Kenney's Triton Million payout as the biggest tournament cash of the decade.
The WSOP Main Event is still poker's most famous title, but it no longer decides the all-time money list by itself. Jamie Gold's 2006 Main Event win paid $12 million, which was enormous for its time. High-roller fields are smaller, but the buy-ins create payouts that can dwarf most Main Event scores.
Richest poker players vs. biggest tournament winners
Searches for the richest poker players often land on the same names, but net worth is a different question. Tournament results do not show private cash games, online results, business income, sponsorships, staking deals, taxes, or losses.
Phil Ivey is a good example. His public live tournament total trails the top few names, but his reputation was built across tournaments, televised cash games, private games, and long-term high-stakes play. Daniel Negreanu is another example: his tournament total is public, but his career also includes sponsorships, content, coaching, and business work.
If you are using the list to study poker careers, look past the number. Ask which formats the player beat, how long they stayed relevant, and whether their results came from one huge score or years of repeated final tables.
What regular players should learn from the money list
The top 10 is fun to follow, but it can also distort how normal players think about poker. Tournament poker is high variance. A single result can change a career graph, while months of good decisions can still look flat on paper.
That is why your own records matter more than someone else's trophy photo. Track buy-ins, cashes, travel costs, game type, stakes, and notes on how you played. Poker Stack was built for that boring part of poker, because the boring part is what keeps your bankroll alive.
For more on the practical side, read our guide to bankroll tracking and poker discipline, our poker tournament strategy tips, and our High Stakes Poker TV statistics.
FAQ
Who is number one on the poker all-time money list?
Bryn Kenney is number one on the live poker all-time money list, with more than $85 million in recorded live tournament cashes as of June 13, 2026.
Does the poker all-time money list include cash games?
No. The standard poker all-time money list tracks recorded live tournament cashes. It does not include private cash games, most online poker results, backing deals, taxes, swaps, or buy-ins.
What is the biggest poker win ever?
The largest recorded live tournament cash is Bryn Kenney's $20.56 million payout from the 2019 Triton Million. The largest first-place prize is often cited as Antonio Esfandiari's $18.35 million win in the 2012 Big One for One Drop.
Are the richest poker players the same as the biggest tournament winners?
Not always. Net worth can come from business, sponsorships, cash games, investments, or family money. Tournament winnings are only one public part of a poker player's finances.
Final thought
The poker all-time money list is a useful snapshot of live tournament history, not a full balance sheet. Enjoy the numbers, but do not copy the lifestyle fantasy. If you play seriously, your most important list is still your own session history.
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