Poker: it’s a relatively simple, thrilling game that is played and enjoyed throughout the world. You might have played with your friends and family for money, placing a small stake, and enjoying the social aspect of the game. Or perhaps you’ve sampled online Poker, immersing yourself in a live casino game, playing with a real-life, professional dealer for a juicy jackpot prize.
Although the game can be played easily on a basic level, Poker is a game of skill and can take years to master. You’ll find that the best players in the world partake in high-stake international tournaments and the winners can get their hands on some impressive cash prizes.
So, are you prepared to have your mind blown? Well, you better buckle up, as we reveal some of history’s record-breaking Poker wins.
The WSOP Main Event — 2006
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) are the longest-running Poker tournaments, and is therefore the most prestigious title to hold as a professional Poker player. Players aspire to walk away with the infamous WSOP bracelet, which is awarded to the winner of the event and of course, can only dream of bagging themselves the tournament’s impressive jackpot.
The 2006 WSOP tournament is hailed as one of the largest tournaments that has ever been witnessed in the history of professional Poker. The competition had a whopping 8,773 entrants, and since the jackpot is raised each time an individual enters and places a wager, this meant that the prize pool amounted to $82,512,162!
The sheer volume of entries meant that the tournament had to take place over four days. It was eventually won by Jamie Gold, who walked away from the table with $12 million, with Paul Wasicka taking second place, bagging himself a respectable $6.1 million.
Big One for One Drop — 2014
The second largest jackpot in the history of Poker was won by Dan Colman in 2014. The prize pool at the Big One for One Drop in that year reached an impressive $37.3 million, enabling the lucky winner to secure a prize of $15.3 million. Of course, this wasn’t an easy task and Colman had to take on 42 other contestants, one of which was Daniel Negreanu — the runner up of the competition, winning $8.29 million.
Big One for One Drop — 2012
The biggest single pay-out win in the history of competitive Poker, was won at the 2012 Big One for One Drop WSOP tournament and saw the winner, Antonio Esfandiari, walk away with $18.35 million in prize money. Esfandiari defeated his opponent Sam Trickett in a nail-biting final to come out on top as the champion and winner of the biggest tournament jackpot on record.
Some of these lucky winners have made their fortune playing Poker and who knows, maybe lady luck will be on your side the next time you play, seeing you take away a cash prize!
But remember, if you’re playing online Poker your main priority should be to have fun and not make money. Of course, the allure of the jackpot will be one of the factors that excites you when playing the game, but since Poker is at heart, a game of luck, there’s no telling if you’ll walk away victorious or not.