The No 1 poker player in the world is a title that is often bandied about but very seldom accurately applied. In order to be the No 1 poker player in the world, one would have to be the best at all variants of the game, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and more.
They would also have to be able to beat all comers in heads up, tournament and cash game play. Furthermore, they would need to have proven themselves over an extended period of time.
There are many great poker players in the world but only a handful who can lay claim to the title of No 1. Amongst those who could be considered for the accolade are Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth.
All of these players have had incredible success in both online and offline poker games and have amassed huge bankrolls as a result.
While it is impossible to say definitively who the No 1 poker player in the world is, we can narrow it down to a select few who are certainly in contention for the title. For our money, Doyle Brunson is the most likely candidate.
He has been playing professionally for over 40 years and has won numerous world championships. His book Super System is considered by many to be the bible of poker and he is still regularly crushing games both online and offline.
Phil Ivey is another player who could lay claim to being the best in the world. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tournament players of all time and has also had plenty of success in cash games.
Ivey has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and has been named ‘Player of the Year’ by Bluff magazine on three occasions.
Daniel Negreanu is another player who often finds himself near the top of lists like this. He has won six WSOP bracelets and over $41 million in tournament winnings.
Negreanu is also a regular winner in high stakes cash games and has proved himself to be an outstanding all-round player.
Finally, we come to Phil Hellmuth who is often considered to be one of the best tournament players in history. He has won a record 14 WSOP bracelets and has earned over $21 million in prize money.
Hellmuth also frequently finds himself near the top of leaderboards in online tournaments despite not being considered an online specialist.
So, who is the No 1 poker player in the world? It’s impossible to say for sure but we would argue that it’s either Doyle Brunson or Phil Ivey. Both players have had incredible careers and have shown themselves to be masters of all forms of poker.
Whichever player you think deserves the title, there’s no doubt that they would be a worthy champion.
