Whether in prestigious live events or in huge online ones like the upcoming Spring Championship of Online Poker, PokerStars has been making millionaires for a long time.
It's only fitting, then, that PokerStars has come up with several more ways to give players opportunities to earn seven-figure scores in the new PokerStars Makes Millionaires, a series of events this spring.
- Sun 23 Jul 2017 08.39 EDT. And I'm happy to be the winner.'. Is a regular on New Jersey online poker sites but had never cashed in the World Series of Poker. His total live winnings.
- This is always a fiercely contested leaderboard with some of the biggest names in online MTTs fighting for it. Topping that leaderboard this year is online phenom Simon 'C Darwin2' Mattsson who really has dominated online MTTs for the last few years. He pipped WCOOP Main Event champion Steven van Zadelhoff to the top, with 10,208.41 points in 2017.
Already underway are chances to win a $1 Million Spin & Go, a free package to the PokerStars Championship Monte-Carlo Main Event and a shot at its guaranteed €1 million first-place prize.
Meanwhile, during the rest of April, players can participate in PokerStars' special Millionaire Month promotion.
Then in May, they can take shots at winning their way into the SCOOP Main Event (High) for a chance at its $1 million guaranteed first-place prize.
As a way of marking the occasion, here are the ten biggest million dollar wins in PokerStars history, divided into the top five live event wins and top five scores online on PokerStars.
1. Niklas Heinecker -- $4,456,884.79 (GuangDong Asia Millions, 2013)
German pro Niklas Heinecker took down the biggest prize in PokerStars history in 2013Former PokerStars Team Pro Daniel Negreanu was the former number one in the biggest poker tournament winners of all time until Bonomo went on his epic run. Negreanu is currently sat in second-place with $40,045,583 in winnings. Largest Online Tournament Win ($2,278,097) Rounding up this list of top 10 biggest poker wins in history, we must mention the biggest ever online tournament win. That honor went to Tyson ‘POTTERPOKER' Marks. He triumphed in the 2010 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event, taking home just shy of $2.3 million. Poker has evolved into one of the most popular card games of all time. While it was earlier primarily played for recreational purposes amongst friends, it is now a full-blooded competitive sport and has also emerged as the biggest form of gambling all over the world. The World Series Of Poker has taken the ‘sport'.
Baccarat may be the game of choice in Macau, but poker rules at the City of Dreams where the PokerStars Championship Macau series is currently underway.
That was also the site of a storied event in PokerStars history: the HK$1,000,000 buy-in GuangDong Asia Millions Main Event.
In the summer of 2013, this event attracted a huge 71-entry field with many of poker's top tournament talent.
From that group, the German Niklas Heinecker emerged as the winner, earning a whopping HK$34.6 million payday, more than $4.45 million USD.
More of an online player than a live one, Heinecker is best known among PokerStars railbirds for his frequent presence in the high-stakes online cash games where he plays as 'ragen70.'
To earn the victory in Macau, Heinecker had to outlast a tough final table that included Igor Kurganov, Isaac Haxton and Sorel Mizzi before besting Jeff Rossiter heads up.
'This is by far the biggest day of my poker career,' Heinecker told the PokerStars Blog following his win.
Talk about understatement! It was one of the biggest days anyone has ever experienced in poker and the biggest payday of them all, among the many big ones enjoyed over the years at PokerStars live events.
2. Phil Ivey -- $3,582,752.63 (Aussie Millions $250,000 Challenge, 2014)
Phil Ivey has had some tremendous victories in his career but this was the biggestThe player in second position on this list needs no introduction, as anyone who has followed poker knows Phil Ivey is one of the best cash game and tournament players ever.
But for all of his World Series of Poker bracelet wins and other high-profile scores, his biggest cash ever came at the 2014 Aussie Millions Poker Championship for winning the AU$250,000 Challenge for a first prize of AU$4 million worth about $3.58 million USD.
There were 30 entries (including re-entries) in the event, with a star-laden final lineup comprised of Isaac Haxton (runner-up), Mike McDonald (third), Daniel Negreanu (fourth), Fabian Quoss (fifth) and Tom Dwan (sixth).
Ivey followed up that win with his 10th career WSOP bracelet that summer. The New Jersey native would come back to Melbourne a year later and successfully defend his title in the same event versus a smaller field to earn another seven-figure score worth just over $1.7 million.
3. Glen Chorny -- $3,196,354.26 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2008)
Concluding the fourth season of the European Poker Tour, the €10K EPT Grand Final Main Event drew an enormous field of 842 players.
After an intense week of poker, Canadian Glen Chorny took the title and a €2.02 million first prize worth nearly $3.2 million USD.
After qualifying for the tournament on PokerStars and then outlasting all but the last table of players, Chorny had to face and overcome a tough final group including Antonio Esfandiari, Isaac Baron and Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano.
'There's no better way to feel right now than like this,' Chorny told the PokerStars Blog after his win. 'It feels like you're a rock star.'
4. Jeff Rossiter -- $3,155,886.63 (GuangDong Asia Millions, 2013)
Even after finishing as runner-up Jeff Rossiter makes our top 5 listJeff Rossiter's runner-up showing in the huge 2013 GuangDong Asia Millions event noted above and the HK$24.5 million prize he took for second place -- worth over $3.15 million USD -- was enough to land him a spot on this list as well.
The Australian has been no stranger to tournament success, especially in Asia, where he's collected numerous final-table cashes including a victory in the Asia Championship of Poker Warm-Up in Macau in 2012.
He continues to collect big scores, getting to the most recent Aussie Millions Main Event final table in January where he finished fourth and added to his more than $6.6 million in career tournament earnings.
5. Pieter De-Korver -- $3,024,167.00 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2009)
Dutchman Pieter De Korver won huge in 2009 at the EPT Grand FinalA year after Glen Chorny's big win in Monte-Carlo, Pieter De-Korver topped another big turnout of 935 entries in the EPT Grand Final Main Event and won a first prize of €2.3 million (just over $3.02 million USD).
De-Korver survived multiple all-ins during the course of the final table. In fact, he was down to just three big blinds at one point before scraping his way back to earn the win.
De-Korver had just a couple of small cashes in his native Netherlands prior to that victory, at the time the largest tournament score by a Dutchman ever (Jorryt van Hoof would top it in 2014 after winning just over $3.8 million for a third-place finish in the WSOP Main Event).
1. Tyson 'POTTERPOKER' Marks -- $2,278,097.50 (WCOOP Main Event, 2010)
Biggest Online Poker Winners 2019
The largest online score ever on PokerStars was won in 2010 by Tyson 'POTTERPOKER' Marks, who triumphed in the massive, 2,443-entry World Championship of Online Poker Main Event.
After riding an end-of-tournament rush, Marks won the largest chunk of a $12,215,000 prize pool.
The Missoula, Montana native came to that final table with a massive chip lead, having nearly three times the chips of his nearest competitor. He then proceeded to knock out five more players at the final table while never relinquishing the chip lead.
Casino mississippi river iowa fishing report. 'I was running like GOD,' starting with about 15 players left, Marks explained in his post-tournament write-up about the event for the PokerStars Blog.
There was no deal talk, either, meaning Marks took away the entire $2,278,097.50 scheduled to go to the winner.
It was an amount that had some thinking about the $2.5 million payday Chris Moneymaker earned in the 2003 WSOP Main Event. With a $5,000 buy-in for the event, that meant Marks enjoyed a better than 455-to-1 return on his investment.
2. Yevgeniy 'Jovial Gent' Timoshenko -- $1,715,200.00 (WCOOP Main Event, 2009)
Yevgeniy Timoshenko was one of the hottest players in world poker in 2009The year before Marks's big win, a player more familiar with the live circuit, Russian Yevgeniy Timoshenko, won what was at the time the largest tournament prize ever on PokerStars.
As 'Jovial Gent,' the Ukrainian bested a 2,015-player field and challenging final table that saw Jaime Kaplan, Dan Kelly and Tyler Kenney all find places within the final five.
That win bookended an amazing 2009 for Timoshenko.
He would earn his largest career live score that spring by winning the World Poker Tour Five Star World Poker Classic for nearly $2.15 million, part of his more than $7.3 million in live tournament earnings.
3. Jonas 'llJaYJaYll' Lauck -- $1,517,541.25 (WCOOP Main Event, 2016)
The WCOOP Main Event was once again the platform for a huge win on PokerStars'I told myself before the final table started I would be happy to finish at least fifth place,' said Jonas 'llJaYJaYll' Lauck to the PokerStars Blog following last year's WCOOP Main Event.
The German player had entered the final table fifth out of nine in chips. That finish served as a target of sorts for him as the final table began.
He'd make it to fifth and then some, however, ultimately being the last player standing from a 2,091-entry field to win the title and a big first prize of more than $1.51 million.
It was a satisfying follow-up to a summer that saw Lauck get all the way to the final 37 players in last year's WSOP Main Event before having his aces cracked by ace-king to fall just shy of the final four tables.
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Alas for Lauck, the rules of poker require all five community cards to be dealt to determine the winning hand.
But at the WCOOP Main Event final table, Lauck's luck turned. He'd have aces hold twice for him on the way to becoming another of PokerStars' millionaires.
4. David 'PlayinWasted' Kaufmann -- $1,493,499.15 (WCOOP Main Event, 2013)
The 2013 WCOOP Main Event was also a big one, with 2,133 players vying for the title. In the end there were three Germans making a final table deal, then David 'PlayinWasted' Kaufmann going on win the title, concluding more than 26 hours' worth of poker across two days to earn just under $1.5 million, according to the terms of the deal.
One of the big stacks to start that final table, Kaufmann was second in chips by the time of the chop but picked up an extra $160,000 for the win to land a spot on our list.
Amazingly, the deal meant all three players involved -- Kaufmann and his final two opponents ('Allanon85' and 'SwissCantMis') -- were made millionaires on PokerStars that night.
5. Talal 'raidalot' Shakerchi -- $1,468,001.00 (SCOOP Main Event-High, 2016)
Talal Shakerchi is a superstar in both business and pokerBiggest Online Poker Winners 2017 Mlb
The last player on our list wasn't technically 'made' a millionaire on PokerStars -- he was one already.
But it's true; the businessman and frequent participant at PokerStars live events Talal 'raidalot' Shakerchi also earned a seven-figure score on the site for his victory in the 'High' ($10,000 buy-in) version of last year's Spring Championship of Online Poker Main Event.
The Londoner added that title to a growing collection, as he's also won two other high roller events at EPTs and a $5K one in the Bahamas last year.
For his SCOOP victory, Shakerchi topped an 824-entry field to win the largest portion of an $8 million-plus prize pool, impressively leading wire-to-wire at the final table to claim the victory and a $1,468,001 first prize.
That meant outlasting other high-roller talents like Sean Winter, Scott Seiver, Markku Koplimaa and Pablo Fernandez to earn the win.
- »News
- »Who Are The Biggest Poker Tournament Winners Of All-Time?
The rise in popularity of High Roller and Super High Roller poker tournaments in recent years has had a dramatic affect on the all-time winnings rankings, as has the fact poker tournament players now have more opportunities than ever to grind away in major events around the world.
These days, you need almost $8.5 million in cashes just to break into the top 100 biggest poker winners of all-time, and a staggering $12.6 million to find yourself ranked in the top 50. The prize money some of the world's best poker players have earned is astronomical, but who are the five biggest poker tournament winners of all time?
Justin Bonomo – $44,779,048
Justin Bonomo tops the charts with an almost unbelievable total of $44,779,048 in live poker tournament winnings. Bonomo already had more than $18 million in earning before he went on a massive heater during 2018 that saw the Fairfax, Virginia native get his hands on more than $25.4 million!
To earn the victory in Macau, Heinecker had to outlast a tough final table that included Igor Kurganov, Isaac Haxton and Sorel Mizzi before besting Jeff Rossiter heads up.
'This is by far the biggest day of my poker career,' Heinecker told the PokerStars Blog following his win.
Talk about understatement! It was one of the biggest days anyone has ever experienced in poker and the biggest payday of them all, among the many big ones enjoyed over the years at PokerStars live events.
2. Phil Ivey -- $3,582,752.63 (Aussie Millions $250,000 Challenge, 2014)
Phil Ivey has had some tremendous victories in his career but this was the biggestThe player in second position on this list needs no introduction, as anyone who has followed poker knows Phil Ivey is one of the best cash game and tournament players ever.
But for all of his World Series of Poker bracelet wins and other high-profile scores, his biggest cash ever came at the 2014 Aussie Millions Poker Championship for winning the AU$250,000 Challenge for a first prize of AU$4 million worth about $3.58 million USD.
There were 30 entries (including re-entries) in the event, with a star-laden final lineup comprised of Isaac Haxton (runner-up), Mike McDonald (third), Daniel Negreanu (fourth), Fabian Quoss (fifth) and Tom Dwan (sixth).
Ivey followed up that win with his 10th career WSOP bracelet that summer. The New Jersey native would come back to Melbourne a year later and successfully defend his title in the same event versus a smaller field to earn another seven-figure score worth just over $1.7 million.
3. Glen Chorny -- $3,196,354.26 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2008)
Concluding the fourth season of the European Poker Tour, the €10K EPT Grand Final Main Event drew an enormous field of 842 players.
After an intense week of poker, Canadian Glen Chorny took the title and a €2.02 million first prize worth nearly $3.2 million USD.
After qualifying for the tournament on PokerStars and then outlasting all but the last table of players, Chorny had to face and overcome a tough final group including Antonio Esfandiari, Isaac Baron and Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano.
'There's no better way to feel right now than like this,' Chorny told the PokerStars Blog after his win. 'It feels like you're a rock star.'
4. Jeff Rossiter -- $3,155,886.63 (GuangDong Asia Millions, 2013)
Even after finishing as runner-up Jeff Rossiter makes our top 5 listJeff Rossiter's runner-up showing in the huge 2013 GuangDong Asia Millions event noted above and the HK$24.5 million prize he took for second place -- worth over $3.15 million USD -- was enough to land him a spot on this list as well.
The Australian has been no stranger to tournament success, especially in Asia, where he's collected numerous final-table cashes including a victory in the Asia Championship of Poker Warm-Up in Macau in 2012.
He continues to collect big scores, getting to the most recent Aussie Millions Main Event final table in January where he finished fourth and added to his more than $6.6 million in career tournament earnings.
5. Pieter De-Korver -- $3,024,167.00 (EPT Grand Final Main Event, 2009)
Dutchman Pieter De Korver won huge in 2009 at the EPT Grand FinalA year after Glen Chorny's big win in Monte-Carlo, Pieter De-Korver topped another big turnout of 935 entries in the EPT Grand Final Main Event and won a first prize of €2.3 million (just over $3.02 million USD).
De-Korver survived multiple all-ins during the course of the final table. In fact, he was down to just three big blinds at one point before scraping his way back to earn the win.
De-Korver had just a couple of small cashes in his native Netherlands prior to that victory, at the time the largest tournament score by a Dutchman ever (Jorryt van Hoof would top it in 2014 after winning just over $3.8 million for a third-place finish in the WSOP Main Event).
1. Tyson 'POTTERPOKER' Marks -- $2,278,097.50 (WCOOP Main Event, 2010)
Biggest Online Poker Winners 2019
American Tyson Marks was the winner of online poker's biggest prize of all timeThe largest online score ever on PokerStars was won in 2010 by Tyson 'POTTERPOKER' Marks, who triumphed in the massive, 2,443-entry World Championship of Online Poker Main Event.
After riding an end-of-tournament rush, Marks won the largest chunk of a $12,215,000 prize pool.
The Missoula, Montana native came to that final table with a massive chip lead, having nearly three times the chips of his nearest competitor. He then proceeded to knock out five more players at the final table while never relinquishing the chip lead.
Casino mississippi river iowa fishing report. 'I was running like GOD,' starting with about 15 players left, Marks explained in his post-tournament write-up about the event for the PokerStars Blog.
There was no deal talk, either, meaning Marks took away the entire $2,278,097.50 scheduled to go to the winner.
It was an amount that had some thinking about the $2.5 million payday Chris Moneymaker earned in the 2003 WSOP Main Event. With a $5,000 buy-in for the event, that meant Marks enjoyed a better than 455-to-1 return on his investment.
2. Yevgeniy 'Jovial Gent' Timoshenko -- $1,715,200.00 (WCOOP Main Event, 2009)
Yevgeniy Timoshenko was one of the hottest players in world poker in 2009The year before Marks's big win, a player more familiar with the live circuit, Russian Yevgeniy Timoshenko, won what was at the time the largest tournament prize ever on PokerStars.
As 'Jovial Gent,' the Ukrainian bested a 2,015-player field and challenging final table that saw Jaime Kaplan, Dan Kelly and Tyler Kenney all find places within the final five.
That win bookended an amazing 2009 for Timoshenko.
He would earn his largest career live score that spring by winning the World Poker Tour Five Star World Poker Classic for nearly $2.15 million, part of his more than $7.3 million in live tournament earnings.
3. Jonas 'llJaYJaYll' Lauck -- $1,517,541.25 (WCOOP Main Event, 2016)
The WCOOP Main Event was once again the platform for a huge win on PokerStars'I told myself before the final table started I would be happy to finish at least fifth place,' said Jonas 'llJaYJaYll' Lauck to the PokerStars Blog following last year's WCOOP Main Event.
The German player had entered the final table fifth out of nine in chips. That finish served as a target of sorts for him as the final table began.
He'd make it to fifth and then some, however, ultimately being the last player standing from a 2,091-entry field to win the title and a big first prize of more than $1.51 million.
It was a satisfying follow-up to a summer that saw Lauck get all the way to the final 37 players in last year's WSOP Main Event before having his aces cracked by ace-king to fall just shy of the final four tables.
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Alas for Lauck, the rules of poker require all five community cards to be dealt to determine the winning hand.
But at the WCOOP Main Event final table, Lauck's luck turned. He'd have aces hold twice for him on the way to becoming another of PokerStars' millionaires.
4. David 'PlayinWasted' Kaufmann -- $1,493,499.15 (WCOOP Main Event, 2013)
The 2013 WCOOP Main Event was also a big one, with 2,133 players vying for the title. In the end there were three Germans making a final table deal, then David 'PlayinWasted' Kaufmann going on win the title, concluding more than 26 hours' worth of poker across two days to earn just under $1.5 million, according to the terms of the deal.
One of the big stacks to start that final table, Kaufmann was second in chips by the time of the chop but picked up an extra $160,000 for the win to land a spot on our list.
Amazingly, the deal meant all three players involved -- Kaufmann and his final two opponents ('Allanon85' and 'SwissCantMis') -- were made millionaires on PokerStars that night.
5. Talal 'raidalot' Shakerchi -- $1,468,001.00 (SCOOP Main Event-High, 2016)
Talal Shakerchi is a superstar in both business and pokerBiggest Online Poker Winners 2017 Mlb
The last player on our list wasn't technically 'made' a millionaire on PokerStars -- he was one already.
But it's true; the businessman and frequent participant at PokerStars live events Talal 'raidalot' Shakerchi also earned a seven-figure score on the site for his victory in the 'High' ($10,000 buy-in) version of last year's Spring Championship of Online Poker Main Event.
The Londoner added that title to a growing collection, as he's also won two other high roller events at EPTs and a $5K one in the Bahamas last year.
For his SCOOP victory, Shakerchi topped an 824-entry field to win the largest portion of an $8 million-plus prize pool, impressively leading wire-to-wire at the final table to claim the victory and a $1,468,001 first prize.
That meant outlasting other high-roller talents like Sean Winter, Scott Seiver, Markku Koplimaa and Pablo Fernandez to earn the win.
- »News
- »Who Are The Biggest Poker Tournament Winners Of All-Time?
The rise in popularity of High Roller and Super High Roller poker tournaments in recent years has had a dramatic affect on the all-time winnings rankings, as has the fact poker tournament players now have more opportunities than ever to grind away in major events around the world.
These days, you need almost $8.5 million in cashes just to break into the top 100 biggest poker winners of all-time, and a staggering $12.6 million to find yourself ranked in the top 50. The prize money some of the world's best poker players have earned is astronomical, but who are the five biggest poker tournament winners of all time?
Justin Bonomo – $44,779,048
Justin Bonomo tops the charts with an almost unbelievable total of $44,779,048 in live poker tournament winnings. Bonomo already had more than $18 million in earning before he went on a massive heater during 2018 that saw the Fairfax, Virginia native get his hands on more than $25.4 million!
Part of that huge total stemmed from his victory in the Big One for One Drop event at the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP), a $1 million buy-in event. Bonomo was the last man standing and locked up the largest cash of his career, namely $10 million.
Daniel Negreanu – $40,045,583
Daniel Negreanu
Former PokerStars Team ProDaniel Negreanu was the former number one in the biggest poker tournament winners of all time until Bonomo went on his epic run. Negreanu is currently sat in second-place with $40,045,583 in winnings.
The Canadian, who resides in Las Vegas is regarded as one of the best all-round poker players of all time, one who has amassed six WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles. Negreanu's largest cash weighs in at $8,288,001, his reward for a second-place finish in the 2014 edition of the Big One for One Drop.
Erik Seidel – $35,373,831
Erik Seidel may not look like your stereotypical poker player, but do not let looks fool you because Seidel is an absolute beast, a beast who has earned $35,373,831 from poker tournaments. Among Seidel's many achievements are eight WSOP bracelets, a WPT Main Event win and a victory in a Super High Roller event on the European Poker Tour (EPT) circuit.
Seidel was the runner-up in the 1988 WSOP Main Event, losing to Johnny Chan. This final hand made it into the famous 1998 movie Rounders.
Bryn Kenney – $34,908,320
Bryn Kenney
Born in Long Beach, New York, Bryn Kenney cut his teeth playing online poker where he gained a reputation for being a fearless opponent. It is a deserved reputation because Kenney fears nobody at the table, especially in No Limit Hold'em tournaments for any stakes.
There are still six months of 2019 remaining, yet Kenney is already guaranteed to have enjoyed his best year at the poker tables in terms of money won. Through June 20, 2019, Kenney has banked almost $9.3 million in winnings, an impressive figure helped by him winning back-to-back titles at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro that saw him return home with the equivalent of $3,605,235.
David Peters – $33,066,566
Ohio's David Peters is probably the best poker player you have never heard of and it is not because of a lack of winnings as Peters currently sits in fifth-place in the biggest poker tournament winners of all-time listings with $33,066,566.
Peters tends to shun the limelight, not interested in the publicity that comes with winning poker tournament. Instead, Peters acts like a consummate professional, heads to casinos around the world and has an almost unnatural ability to build his stack.
Ten cashes of more than $1 million have helped Peters soar up the rankings, with his largest prize being worth $2,699,752 which he won for finishing second in a Super High Roller event in the Philippines that cost $200,000 to enter.
10 Biggest Poker Tournament Winners of All-Time
| Place | Player | Country | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Bonomo | United States | $44,779,050 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $40,045,583 |
| 3 | Erik Seidel | United States | $35,373,831 |
| 4 | Bryn Kenney | United States | $34,908,320 |
| 5 | David Peters | United States | $33,066,566 |
| 6 | Fedor Holz | Germany | $32,556,379 |
| 7 | Daniel Colman | United States | $28,925,059 |
| 8 | Jason Koon | United States | $28,890,061 |
| 9 | Antonio Esfandiari | United States | $27,728,436 |
| 10 | Dan Smith | United States | $27,707,079 |
