The most famous poker players are listed here. This list is not in order by fame, but is simply organized alphabetically.
Full Tilt Poker
Chris Ferguson
Chris was given the nickname “Jesus” because of his unique appearance. He was also enrolled at UCLA for 18 straight years, 5 as an undergraduate, and 13 as a graduate student. He was forced to leave, but was given a Ph D in Computer Science upon his departure.
Erick Lindgren
Erick continuously strives to play poker better by watching his competition closely. He won his first major poker tournament at the Bellagio and has since been playing exclusively at Full Tilt Poker, who has made him a famous poker player.
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel has always been a fan of games. He was playing backgammon with a group of players, including Howard Lederer, when he found the game of poker. Erik also tried to make it as a Wall Street broker, but moved onto poker when the market crashed in 1987.
Howard Lederer
Howard is known as the “Professor” of poker. He is also a world champion chess player. He is not the only one from his family to become a professional poker player. His sister, Annie Duke, is actually a professional player and is sponsored by Ultimate Bet.
Jennifer Harman
Known especially for her high stakes cash game involvement, Jennifer Harman is one of very few female poker players to turn pro. She has a section in Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2 about playing fixed limit Texas Holdem.
John Juanda
Trying to make it through life, John Juanda has had many jobs, including a door-to-door bible salesman. If he hadn’t decided to stick with poker, his goal was to be a dedicated medical doctor.
Mike Matusow
Known as Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Mike isn’t scared to make a scene at the table. An interesting fact about Mike is his previous stay in jail for drugs.
Phil Gordon
Phil Gordon became a famous poker player after placing 4th in the WSOP in 2001, winning him $400,000. He has done expert hand analysis for Binion’s Horseshoe and has written several books.
Phil Ivey
After ignoring his grandfather’s ploy of teaching the dangers of playing poker and gambling in general, Phil Ivey has become the youngest poker player to reach professional status. At the time this article was written, Phil has won 5 WSOP bracelets.
Ultimate Bet
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is the young sister of Howard Lederer who is credited for knocking him out in multiple major multi-table poker tournaments, including the World Series of Poker.
Antonio Esfandiari
Known primarily as “The Magician,” Antonio Esfandiari is the guy that loves flaring up to 8 chips in both hands. He is also known to do many other card and chip tricks while he is playing poker.
Phil Hellmuth
The business man who thinks he knows it all. Hellmuth is a well respected professional poker player who carries on his ventures exclusively at UltimateBet. He won his first WSOP bracelet at the young age of 24 and has prospered ever since.