Five of the Best British Poker Players

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Jun 09, 2018 5 min read

British people may be known for forming an orderly queue for pretty much anything, possessing a “stiff upper lip” and have an almost natural ability to talk at length about the weather, but these shores are also the home to some of the world’s best poker players. And since it's the Queen's Birthday today, let's take a look at some of Britain's best!

Chris Moorman

It would be a crime to not include 888poker-sponsored player Chris Moorman in any list depicting the best British poker players, or even in a list of the best in the world for that matter.

Hailing from Essex, but now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, Moorman is a legend in online poker circles thanks to becoming the first player in the history of the game to accumulate $10 million in online poker tournament winnings; Moorman now has just shy of $15 million in online winnings according to PocketFives.com.

Moorman has 363 online victories to his name. Let that settle in for a moment. Most mere mortals will never get close to winning an online poker tournament, but Moorman has accomplished the feat 363 times. He’s no slouch in the live arena either, boasting $5,511,699 in winnings, including a World Poker Tour title and a World Series of Poker bracelet.

Chris Moorman Poker Live Stats ^{(June, 2018, Hendonmob)}

Chris Moorman Poker Online Stats ^{(June, 2018, PocketFives)}

Twitter: @moorman1

Niall Farrell

You would be forgiven for seeing Niall Farrell when he’s playing poker or is away from the table and thinking that he would be an easy target. The Scotsman almost always has a smile on his face, a beer in his hand and seems to be loving life.

Yet underneath his fun-loving exterior is one hell of a poker player — one with nearly $5.1 million in live poker tournament winnings and more than $3.1 million won from the online arena.

Farrell won the second-fastest live poker Triple Crown in history when he took down the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller event at the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe. This victory complemented his European Poker Tour Malta and World Poker Tour Caribbean titles. Farrell’s WSOP win meant he was Scotland’s first bracelet winner and he’s likely to become a multiple bracelet winner in the coming years.

Niall Farrell Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, Hendonmob)}

Niall Farrell Poker Online Stats ^{(June, 2018, PocketFives)}

Twitter: @firaldo87poker

Stephen Chidwick

Here’s a challenge for you: find someone in the poker community who has a bad word to say about Stephen Chidwick. They don’t exist.

Chidwick is the model professional who takes his trade deadly serious and it shows in his incredible results in all forms of this beautiful game. Chidwick is in the form of his life and has won $6.99 million this year to take his lifetime live poker tournament winnings to $17 million. It is only a matter of time before he overtakes Sam Trickett at the top of the UK all-time money listings; Trickett has $20.8 million to his name.

Being a great guy aside, people love Chidwick because he is a complete player who can rub shoulders with the no-limit hold’em elite online and live, as well as min-betting his way to glory in Stud, Omaha and games as obscure as Badugi and Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw.

As we write this, Chidwick is yet to win a WSOP bracelet. By the time the 2018 WSOP crowns its final champion, it will be a massive surprise if Chidwick isn’t returning home with some much sought-after poker bling adorning his wrist.

Stephen Chidwick Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, Hendonmob)}

Stephen Chidwick Online Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, PocketFives)}

Patrick Leonard

Patrick Leonard topped the worldwide online poker rankings in 2014 despite him playing a smaller volume than some of his peers. Leonard made the transition from cash games to tournament poker and has never looked back.

The partypoker ambassador has amassed almost $5.3 million from online poker tournaments and an additional $2.2 million from the live arena. Of his live total, $1.265 million stems from three back-to-back-to-back victories in Las Vegas in July 2017 when Leonard triumphed in two $25,000 High Rollers at Aria before winning the $10,400 Bellagio Cup XIII.

It is Leonard’s work off the table that has helped him gain a reputation as one of the good guys. In addition to being one of the founders of a huge staking stable, Leonard campaigns for better structures, clarity and reduced rake for online poker players and was instrumental in helping partypoker improve their tournament schedule and in the removal of rake from the bounty element of progressive knockout tournaments.

Patrick Leonard Live Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, Hendonmob)}

Patrick Leonard Poker Online Stats ^{(June, 2018, PocketFives)}

Twitter: @plenopads

Conor Beresford

It was difficult to think of a fifth British poker player for our list because there is a dozen or more people deserving of their names being published here, but choose we did and we opted for Conor Beresford.

Beresford has $6.44 million in online poker tournament winnings and it seems there isn’t a week goes by that he doesn’t help himself to a five-figure score. Currently ranked 17th in the world by PocketFives, Beresford has been ranked as highly as second in the world during 2016.

The live arena has seen Beresford win $510,373 from tournaments, although he does not play as much live poker as he does online. Beresford told UK & Ireland PokerNews that he was planning on jetting off to Las Vegas for the 2018 WSOP and he made the list of players to watch on our UK & Ireland site on the back of that information. Beresford is definitely a player with huge potential.

Conor Beresford Live Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, Hendonmob)}

Conor Beresford Online Poker Stats ^{(June, 2018, PocketFives)}

Twitter: @1_conor_b_1

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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