WSOP Reveals List of 50 Greatest Players in Poker History
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As part of the 50th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) celebrations, WSOP officials have released the list of the “50 Greatest Poker Players” in history.
The list was compiled after tallying votes from a panel made up of 26 poker media and industry stalwarts. They were given a list of 200 players, along with the ability to add write-ins, and all told 173 different players received votes.
There was no ranking involved, just simply selecting who belonged in the Top 50 list with the sole caveat that the player had played at the WSOP at least once.
Here’s a look at the list in alphabetical order based on last names:
Top 50 Greatest Poker Players
| Patrik Antonius | Bobby Baldwin | Billy Baxter | Chris Bjorin | Justin Bonomo |
| Doyle Brunson | Joe Cada | Johnny Chan | Stephen Chidwick | TJ Cloutier |
| Allen Cunningham | Shaun Deeb | Tom Dwan | Eli Elezra | Antonio Esfandiari |
| Chris Ferguson | Ted Forrest | Phil Galfond | Barry Greenstein | Gus Hansen |
| Jennifer Harman | Dan Harrington | Isaac Haxton | Phil Hellmuth | John Hennigan |
| Fedor Holz | Phil Ivey | Berry Johnston | John Juanda | Bryn Kenney |
| Jeff Lisandro | Adrian Mateos | Jason Mercier | Michael Mizrachi | Chris Moorman |
| Carlos Mortensen | Johnny Moss | Daniel Negreanu | Scott Nguyen | Dominik Nitsche |
| Steve O’Dwyer | Puggy Pearson | Amarillo Slim Preston | Brian Rast | Chip Reese |
| Huck Seed | Erik Seidel | Vanessa Selbst | Dewey Tomko | Stu Ungar |
Early reactions on social media were mixed with many fans pointing out players who failed to make the list including, but not limited to, Jason Koon, Mike Sexton, Daniel Colman, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, and David Peters.
First Fifty Honors Gala This Saturday
This weekend – at 8 p.m. on Saturday to be exact – the WSOP will not only honor the 50 greatest poker players in a special “First Fifty Honors Gala,” but also reveal the most memorable moments and players from the past 50 years.
Hosted by Lon McEachern and Norman Chad, the award presentation – along with cocktails and dinner – will take place in the Brasilia Ballroom and is open to all WSOP gold bracelet winners and VIPs. Tickets are required in advance.
It’s there that the WSOP will unveil the winners of seven different categories voted on by the public.
- Most Memorable TV Hand
- Best Overall WSOP Performance
- Most Likely to Succeed
- Fan Favorite
- WSOP’s Favorite Bad Boy
- Most Impressive WSOP Main Event Win
- Four Most Important Players in WSOP History
“It is important we take time out to honor the WSOP’s first 50 years and pay tribute to those that paved the way for where we are today,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “We look forward to getting the poker community together on Saturday and commemorating 50 years of the World Series of Poker.”
The WSOP will also ask any former Main Event champions attending the gala to come up on stage for a group photo.
