Who are the most iconic poker players in the history of PokerStars? Check out this list and see if you agree.

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The story of modern poker can’t be told without PokerStars. From a cool idea at the turn of the millennium to the driving force behind a global boom, the site has played an irrefutable role in creating the poker world we love today.

Over the past 25 years, PokerStars has turned unknown amateurs into world champions. It has transformed online grinders into some of the game’s biggest names. It has continuously raised the bar for live events. It has backed trailblazers in the world of poker streaming. And it has provided the ultimate playground for multiple generations of players who approach the game with precision, creativity, and ambition.

The players have always been at the heart of PokerStars. Some arrived with a bang, winning huge titles on the biggest stages. Others built legacies over years of consistency. 

In this list, we’ll count down 25 of the most influential and iconic PokerStars players of all time. It’s not about titles or earnings–although there are plenty of both. It’s about impact. 

These are the players who inspired many to take up the game, pushed the boundaries of what’s possible at the table, and helped turn PokerStars into the beating heart of the poker world.

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This year, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of PokerStars with a special online series awarding $50 million in prizes. Learn more about PokerStars Anniversary Series here.

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25 MOST ICONIC POKER PLAYERS OVER 25 YEARS OF POKERSTARS

25. Greg Raymer

The poker boom after Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 WSOP Main Event victory was loud and forceful, so it was always going to take a pretty cool character to carry the torch the following year. Enter Greg Raymer, the 2004 WSOP champ known as “Fossilman” after the small fossil he used as a card protector.

As a prominent ambassador for PokerStars, Raymer played a big part in keeping that poker boom going, promoting the game and online poker’s accessibility to a global audience. He helped reinforce the narrative that everyday players around the world could reach the pinnacle of poker via online satellites.

Who else misses poker nicknames? We need to bring that back, right?

24. Joe Hachem

Like Greg Raymer before him, Joe Hachem was also launched to stardom with his 2005 WSOP Main Event victory and played a big part in keeping the poker boom going.

Hachem, Raymer and Moneymaker became a big three for PokerStars during those early years, travelling the world to not only compete in big events but promote the game to new players. Hachem’s impact was particularly felt in his home of Australia.

23. Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson

Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson is simply one of the greatest online tournament players of all time, amassing tens of millions in online cashes and winning everything under the PokerStars sun along the way. 

He’s got 14 SCOOP wins and three WCOOP titles, but like his good friend and fellow Swede Niklas Astedt, it’s arguably his consistency and longevity that are most impressive. He’s been doing it for 16 years and shows no signs of slowing down.

22. Neymar Jr

Never before has a professional athlete at the peak of their powers played more high-stakes online tournaments and brought more eyeballs to online poker than the soccer great Neymar Jr. 

When he’s not playing for his club or captaining the Brazilian national side, Neymar is battling in the high-stakes MTTs on PokerStars, and he’s had success too, coming very close to winning multiple SCOOP titles in 2026.

21. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser

It’s hard to argue against Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser being the greatest mixed game tournament player of his generation. 

He’s got eight WSOP bracelets (more than any other Brit), 12 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) titles, and a record-leading 16 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) titles to back it up. 

An icon for poker all-rounders.

20. Jake Cody

Only 10 players in the history of poker have ever won the game’s Triple Crown: an EPT title, a WSOP bracelet, and a World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event. At just 22, Jake Cody was not only the youngest to achieve the feat but the quickest too, pulling it off in just 1 year, 4 months, 11 days between January 2010 and June 2011. 

The first ticked off was his EPT Deuville victory for €847,000, after which Cody went on to become a prominent PokerStars Team Pro. Alongside online beast Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, he was one of the UK poker scene’s leading lights for years. 

19. Mike McDonald

Never has an 18-year-old with braces and spiky gelled hair struck more fear into hardened career poker players than Mike McDonald. When the Canadian prodigy took down EPT Dortmund in 2008, he not only became the youngest winner in tour history (a record that stands to this day) but also the face of the new breed of online whiz kids coming for every poker crown.

McDonald, known by his online screenname “Timex”, more than lived up to his early potential. He developed into a consistent force in high-stakes tournaments, both live and online, winning millions along the way. He was also a pioneer in the online staking world, as well as an early adopter of cryptocurrency, cementing his reputation as one of poker’s most forward-thinking and influential figures.

18. Liv Boeree

Liv Boeree’s breakout victory in the EPT San Remo Main Event in April 2010 was meaningful for a few reasons. The tournament was, at the time, the largest field ever assembled on European soil, with 1,240 entries. She banked a whopping €1,250,000. And she became only the third woman to ever win an EPT title, after Victoria Coren Mitchell (2006) and Sandra Naujoks (2009). 

Her tenure as a PokerStars Ambassador had a big impact and no doubt inspired thousands of women to take up the game.

17. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier

We’ve seen it countless times since, but Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier was among the first players–and the most successful–who transitioned to poker from the elite gaming world after the 2003 poker boom. The Frenchman was one of the best Starcraft players on the planet before he turned his attention to poker, where he became a Supernova Elite on PokerStars.

His success continued in the live world with a breakout season in 2007/2008, winning the PCA for $2 million, a WPT for $1.4 million, and finishing second in an EPT. Grospellier completed the triple crown in 2011 with his first WSOP bracelet. 

16. Jason Mercier

Proud owner of one of the great calls in EPT history, Jason Mercier just seemed so damn cool when he broke through and won Sanremo in 2008. He backed up that coolness over the next decade and beyond, winning multiple events, six WSOP bracelets, and banking millions in earnings.

Mercier, a longtime PokerStars Ambassador, is a true all-rounder, known for his versatility across poker variants. He also enjoyed significant success online and famously won his way to Sanremo via an online satellite.

15. Vanessa Selbst

In her prime, there weren’t many players more feared than Vanessa Selbst. Her fearless aggression and willingness to apply maximum pressure in big spots made her a nightmare to face and led to a period of dominance in high-stakes tournaments that saw her take down the 2013 PCA High Rolla (one of the largest buy-ins going at the time) and three WSOP bracelets (she remains the only woman to have three bracelets in “open” events, i.e. not Ladies Events).

A former PokerStars Team Pro, she retired from poker in 2018 and began working in law and finance while starting a family. But she left behind one hell of a legacy.

14. Adrian Mateos

Here’s a poker prodigy who immediately crushed big live events–both in field size and buy-in–from the second he was old enough to play. 

Adrian Mateos was already a World Series of Poker Europe Main Event and PokerStars Estrellas Poker Tour champion before he won the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo in 2015 at age 20, becoming Spain’s first champ. He’s consistently built on those early millions ever since and sits 10th on poker’s all-time money list with $55.3 million in earnings. 

He’s also won countless super high rollers and is one of the youngest players in history to win five WSOP bracelets, all coming before his 31st birthday. He’s still just 31 years old. Unbelievable.

13. Victor “Isildur1” Blom

“Isildur1” is Viktor Blom. That’s common knowledge today, but let me tell you: at the end of 2010, the true identity of the sensational, reticent Swede was a mystery on par with the spinning top at the end of Inception, one of the year’s most successful movies. 

For a while, it seemed like nobody could beat him in online cash games. Blom turned a $2,000 deposit into $2 million in just three weeks of playing and then took on the greatest players of that era, like Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius–often simultaneously–in some of the biggest poker games ever witnessed. He earned the respect of poker’s legends and remains an icon for his hyper-aggressive, hair-raising style.

12. Ben “Spraggy” Spragg

How did a humble lad from Gloucestershire, England, become one of the most recognisable faces in European poker? By starting a Twitch channel in the early days of poker streaming, working his arse off, sharing his study with his ever-growing audience, and climbing the ranks from low-stakes MTTs to a regular in the biggest daily buy-ins. 

Ben “Spraggy” Spragg inspired the next generation of streamers, documented in this Oral History. And his efforts as a PokerStars Ambassador are second to none.

11. Barny Boatman

The European Poker Tour (EPT) has always been the breeding ground for the next generation of poker stars. But when Barny Boatman–already a poker icon, one of the pioneering Hendon Mob who helped bring poker to the mainstream even before the Moneymaker years–took down the EPT Paris Main Event for €1,287,800, he became the oldest winner in tour history. 

The then-68-year-old showed that poker is for everyone, regardless of age. He outwitted the youthful field. He was faster and sharper. Boatman’s victory was one for the old school and the resilient, but it was also for the innovators and the ageless. 

10. Niklas “Lena900” Astedt

There might not be another massively successful online poker player (seriously, we’re talking multiple tens of millions in cashes) who still shows up and plays as many tournaments as Niklas Astedt, better known by his online alias “Lena900”. 

The Swede is widely considered the greatest to ever do it online, having spent years dominating the toughest high-stakes MTTs and frequently topping the global online rankings. The expression “Who loves it more?” could have been coined about this guy. He always shows up and plays monster marathon sessions and series.

He’s a private guy and, for years, politely refused interviews, but a final-table run in the WSOP Main Event in 2024 (3rd for $4 million) forced him into the spotlight and cemented his reputation as a benchmark of poker excellence.

9. Jason Koon

What can we say about Jason Koon that hasn’t already been said? The consummate professional. The analytical mindset. The physical discipline. The composure under pressure. Koon has been one of the most respected and feared players for years and currently sits third on the all-time money list with a jaw-dropping $72.1 million earned. 

Now, as a PokerStars Ambassador, he’s helping to not only bring new players into the game but also provide them with a blueprint of how to excel.

8. Andre Akkari

There are many reasons why Brazil is the dominant poker force it is today–its strong community and incredible work ethic, to name a couple. They’ve got players like Andre Akkari to thank for that.

The long-time PokerStars Ambassador, alongside his compatriot and fellow red spade Alexandre Gomes, inspired a generation of Brazilian players with bracelet wins at the WSOP. Akkari then became a fixture at big live events around the world and a mentor to many of the country’s rising stars.

Akkari also owns Furia Esports, a Brazilian esports team, and had a sponsorship deal with Puma, bringing more attention to the great game.

7. Steve O’Dwyer

It’s not even close. 

Take a look at the EPT’s all-time money winner list, and you’ll see Steve O’Dwyer heads and shoulders (i.e. almost $7 million) above his next competitor (Ole Schemion) on a list of crushers. O’Dwyer has won $16.7 million of his $47 million career earnings in EPT events, winning everything from small side events to Super High Rollers. 

Back in 2013, after reaching four EPT final tables in just 18 months, O’Dwyer finally clinched one and took down the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €1,224,000. He’s gone on to become the winningest player in EPT history.

6. Patrick “pads1161” Leonard

Rising to prominence under the screen name “pads1161”, Patrick Leonard is now the gold standard when it comes to any big PokerStars online series. 

He’s the greatest COOP player of all time, with a record-leading 16 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) titles, and 13 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) victories. His success stretches across the live arena, too, with more than $5 million in cashes and a WSOP bracelet to his name.

Through his Instagram stories, where he shares insights on strategy and the mental side of poker, and documents his journey through a series, he’s become one of the most popular and respected competitors in the game and a highly influential voice in the community. He’s even helped shape the poker lexicon, coining terms like Power Jam.

5. Jason Somerville

They call Jason “JCarver” Somerville the “Godfather of Twitch Poker”, and when you consider the thousands of players who began their poker journeys thanks to watching him play on Twitch–not to mention the many streamers influenced by him who’d soon emerge–the title is more than justified. 

Somerville, a former PokerStars Team Pro, helped pioneer this form of poker entertainment that we take for granted today, and with his Run It Up events, he forged a community that built a thousand friendships.

4. Victoria Coren Mitchell

History was made in London in 2006, when Victoria Coren (now Coren Mitchell) became the first woman ever to win an EPT Main Event. But her legend–nay, icon status was cemented in 2014, when she took down Sanremo and became the first two-time champion in tour history. Only two others have accomplished it in the live arena: Mikalai Pobal and Mike Watson, while Anton “WhatIfGod” Bergstrom won two consecutive EPT Online titles during the pandemic.

That Coren Mitchell was already a prominent figure in British media (a journalist, broadcaster, and host of quiz show Only Connect) helped bring both an accessible and intellectual image to the game she loves. A fantastic winner and poker ambassador.

3. Lex Veldhuis

We watched Lex Veldhuis’ poker focus shift and evolve throughout his long tenure as one of PokerStars’ best Ambassadors. He went from nosebleed NLHE cash games to specialising in PLO, beginning his Twitch stream, switching to lower-stakes tournaments as he learned the ropes, and ultimately becoming not only the biggest streamer in the game, but a regular in the biggest buy-in MTTs on the site. 

Veldhuis also built his own community and brings everyone together for his Lex Live events.

Longevity, popularity, results–he has it all.

2. Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is simply one of poker’s most iconic players, regardless of his connections with PokerStars. 

The face of the company for much of his storied career, Negreanu inspired a generation of players as one of the best ambassadors the game has ever seen, continues to entertain a legion of poker fans with his creative plays and mystical hand-reading abilities, and has competed with the best in the world in both cash games and tournaments for over four decades.

1. Chris Moneymaker

Who knows where PokerStars, and indeed, the entire poker industry, would be today if it weren’t for Chris Moneymaker? You wouldn’t be reading this article, that’s for sure, because the PokerStars Blog probably wouldn’t exist. 

The Tennessee accountant with the perfect name qualified for the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event on PokerStars via an $86 satellite and completely changed the game when he won it for $2.5 million, besting a final table that included Phil Ivey and Sammy Farha. 

Thus, the poker boom began. That he then became one of the most recognisable, hard-working, longest-serving PokerStars Ambassadors in history cements his place at number one on this list.

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This year, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of PokerStars with a special online series awarding $50 million in prizes. Learn more about PokerStars Anniversary Series here.

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