The word legend is used far too often in the poker world, but that is not to say there aren’t any true legends of the game. Far from it. There are players out there who thoroughly deserve their legendary status and there are some who will won day be held in the same high regard as these poker heroes.
How do you decide it someone is a Poker Legend? Surely they must have had been highly successful or continue to be successful to this date, be respected by their peers, much like the criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame.
Here are five poker players who we consider to be legends, do you agree or disagree with the choices? Who would make your five?
Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson‘s is the first name that pops into my head whenever I think of the term poker legend. Not only has he 10 World Series of Poker Bracelets to his name – including back-to-back Main Events in 1976-77 – and a World Poker Tour title, Brunson is still playing high stakes cash games with some of the best in the business despite him being the ripe old age of 81!
David “Chip” Reese
David “Chip” Reese died around the same time I got into poker so I didn’t know much about him at the time of his death, but after reading about him I wish that I had the chance to meet him in person because he sounds like he was a great man in addition to being a world class poker players.
Chip won three WSOP bracelets, including the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E the year before his death, but it was his cash game prowess that stood out to many, with some regarding Chip as being the greatest cash game player of all time.
Mike Sexton
No talk on poker legends would be complete without the inclusion of Mike Sexton. The partypoker Team Pro has more than $5.7 million in live tournament cashes dating back to the 1980s.
It is away from the felt that Sexton excels, too. He founded the now-defunct Tournament of Champions of Poker, the only tournament at the time that players had to essentially qualify for, and was a key part of the initial set-up of partypoker, even down to choosing its name.
Sexton, of course, is also known for promoting the game of poker via his commentary for the World Poker Tour and has been recognised as the world’s top poker ambassador by Card Player Magazine.
Stu Ungar
Another legend that is no longer with is Stu Ungar, a name that is often preceded by “The legendary.” Many regard Ungar as the best Texas hold’em and gin rummy poker player to have ever lived. Sadly, Ungar had his demons and he succumb to them in 1998 aged 45 years old.
Of all the past greats, it is Ungar who I would have loved to see mix it up with the current crop of internet superstars. It’s such a shame that he couldn’t win his own personal battles away from the felt, such a sad waste of talent.
Phil Hellmuth
Love him or hate him, Phil Hellmuth will go down in history as one of poker’s legends. The self-proclaimed Poker Brat has a record 13 WSOP bracelets, was once the youngest-ever WSOP Main Event winner and has won more than $18.2 million from live poker tournaments since 1987.
Other Legends and Future Legends
I could have penned an article four-times as long as this one mentioning the likes of Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Johnny Moss, Bobby Baldwin, Berry Johnston, Phil Ivey and such, but I had to choose five so chose five!
Future legends – you may argue some are already in that category – are online’s only $10 million man Chris Moorman, the camera shy Daniel Colman, and perhaps you!
Win up to $600 Cash Every Week Just For Playing Tournaments!
Imagine winning up to $600 cash every week just for playing your favourite tournaments, how legendary would that be? Thanks to the Poker Legends promotion, 2,400 tournament players will win a prize of up to $600 cash and up to an $80 bonus every week, how much will you win?
If the Poker Legends promotion is showing in your account then you’re eligible to take part and all you have to do is enter any tournament in the tournaments tab, be they a qualifier, rebuy tournament, bounty or one of our fantastic Majors.
Each time you spend $1 on tournament fees you are awarded two points. Be one of the top points earners during the week and you will win one of the pries shown in the tables below. The huge prizes aside, one feature that is great about this promotion is you will only ever be competing against players in your own loyalty tier, which gives you a better chance of banking a significant prize.
Bronze and Silver Players
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $400 cash |
| 2 | $250 cash |
| 3 | $150 cash |
| 4 | $100 cash |
| 5 | $50 cash |
| 6 to 20 | $40 poker bonus |
| 21 to 60 | $30 poker bonus |
| 61 to 150 | $20 poker bonus |
| 151 to 300 | $15 poker bonus |
| 301 to 600 | $10 poker bonus |
| 601 to 1,000 | $10 casino cash bonus |
| 1,001 to 2,000 | $5 casino cash bonus |
Gold and VIP Players
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $600 cash |
| 2 | $450 cash |
| 3 | $300 cash |
| 4 | $200 cash |
| 5 | $100 cash |
| 6 to 10 | $80 poker bonus |
| 11 to 50 | $60 poker bonus |
| 51 to 100 | $40 poker bonus |
| 101 to 200 | $20 poker bonus |
| 201 to 400 | $10 poker bonus |
For full terms and conditions of the Poker Legends promotion head to its dedicated landing page.
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