5 Poker Pros You Should Know About

Poker entices viewers with its drama, bluffing, and skill, and I’ve found that it also makes for some interesting characters.

21:44 03 October 2024

Poker entices viewers with its drama, bluffing, and skill, and I’ve found that it also makes for some interesting characters. Here are some poker pros you should know about – both for their winnings and their personalities. These players have won big at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and also delighted fans with their reactions, tantrums, and quirks.

5 Pros

Here are some stats and interesting stories about 5 poker pros you should know about:

• Phil Hellmuth
• Daniel Negreanu
• Mike Matusow
• Johnny Chan
• Victoria Coren-Mitchell

Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth has won a record 17 WSOP bracelets. He won the Main Event in 1989 and in 2007 was inducted into the WSOP’s Poker Hall of Fame. He’s often been called the greatest tournament player of all time. But as well as winning, Hellmuth’s known for his … lively personality. He’s even been dubbed the “Poker Brat” and is renowned for being a bad loser (lucky that he’s often winning). Hellmuth’s rants can make for good entertainment. I’ve found many videos on YouTube with titles like “Phil Hellmuth Explodes Into Tirade After Losing Big Pot” and “The Biggest Phil Hellmuth BLOW-UP Compilation!”

Hellmuth was embarrassed after his behaviour on the first ever Poker After Dark on NBC, where he threatened to never appear on the show again after other players made fun of his request to stop talking. What was described as a “Phil Hellmuth tirade” made for “some pretty good darn television!” (as Hellmuth himself admitted). Hellmuth wrote on his blog, “Why did I lose it? I lost it simply because I asked my tablemates to ‘Please’ be quiet for a moment?--during a key hand, and they continued to talk.”

Daniel Negreanu

The Canadian Daniel Negreanu has been called the most popular poker player. Negreanu is one of the stars of poker with over 560,000 followers on X/Twitter alone. He recently used the platform to draw attention to floods in Asheville, North Carolina.

Negreanu has been near the top of the game since 1997 when he won two events at the World Poker Finals. He also holds six WSOP bracelets and has earned over $51 million in live tournament winnings. Not all of that may have been well spent, mind. Negreanu has admitted he made some bad decisions early on, and trusted the wrong people. In 2023, he was asked about what motivates him. Negreanu said, “I was talking to Eric Wasserson about that, and he thinks I love the pain. I don’t know if I agree with that, but it’s a theory that could hold some weight.”

He was also asked about his advice for first-time WSOP players. He said to first of all, “have fun!” but also recommended players understand that losing is likely. He advised that professional players would have to “monitor” themselves in “a very different way” and be “much more mindful of [their] bankroll”.

Mike Matusow

Mike Matusow is another poker player who likes to talk. In fact, he’s nicknamed the “The Mouth” and known for his trash-talking during competition. Matusow is a four-time WSOP bracelet winner, having first won the $3,500 No Limit Hold’em event in 1999.

Matusow, a documentary exploring Matusow’s career and personal life, recently premiered in front of several other poker legends. Matusow has published an autobiography and used to host The Circuit podcast. To read more about what happened to Mike Matusow, check out the Casino Meister webpage at https://www.casinomeister.com/blog/what-happened-to-mike-matusow/.

Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan accomplished a rare feat in the world of poker in the late 1980s, winning the WSOP Main Event two years back-to-back (’87 and ’88). The final hand between Chan and Erik Seidel in ’88 inspired the plot of Rounders, still one of the most loved poker movies to this day. Chan’s 1988 win marked the first non-US victory in the event.

Chan is another to have appeared on Poker After Dark and he has won close to $9 million in live tournaments. Chan has spoken positively about his fame. I read an interview with him from back in 2006. Chan was asked about people recognising him and said, “It’s not just good, it’s great. I get recognised. This way I get to sell my merchandise, either my book, Play Poker like Johnny Chan, my website, or it could be my line of clothes. So actually it’s good business for me.”

Victoria Coren-Mitchell

While more famous to TV viewers in the UK than the US, Victoria Coren-Mitchell became the first player to win two European Poker Tour titles (2006 and 2014). Coren-Mitchell hosts the fiendishly difficult quiz show Only Connect and also writes for The Daily Telegraph. She is a regular guest on TV panel shows and has repeatedly appeared on one of my favourite shows, Would I Lie to You?, which stars her husband David Mitchell.

Coren-Mitchell has said of her changing lifestyle, "I play a lot less because I have a child now. But you come to somewhere different, have a bit of sunshine, and have a spin in a big competition. And not go skint trying! And that absolutely hasn't changed."