Four months into 2023, enough cards, hands, and tournaments have been played to assess how our favourite poker players are getting on in the new year. While it’s unlikely any of them will be down to their last few chips, some might not be having such a stellar year. One of the best ways to learn and prepare to play online poker sites for real money is to watch the pros, so here’s a look at our top ten.
Espen Uhlen Jørstad
After banking over $10.5 million in 2022, Espen Uhlen Jørstad came to define what successful poker looked like last year. Of course, a lot of that came from his triumph at the World Series of Poker main event.
In 2023 the Norwegian has been relatively quiet but has said he looks forward to a full schedule that WSOP offers later in the year. He has however been participating in some amateur events as seen on his YouTube page.
Sam Grafton
The British-born player has bagged a crisp $8.1 million throughout his career, making him one of the top earners. Sam Grafton is one of the most media-friendly poker players, often praising the sport and not hiding his enthusiasm for new events.
This year Grafton has been seen in the Bahamas, participating in the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. While he advanced from Day 1B, yet didn’t make major strides in the competition. He did however take home over $200,000 in a No-Limit Hold’em Championship held in the same country.
Mikita Badziakouski
Mikita Badziakouski seamlessly made the transition from online poker real money to live poker, pocketing around $7 million last year. The 2022 Pokerstars EPT Barcelona will be one of his fondest memories as he went on to win the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller table taking a reported €1,979,220.
The Belarusian has been doing a fair bit of travelling in 2023 having appeared in the Caribbean events as well as making it to the final table of the Triton Super High Roller Series in Vietnam. In the latter, he finished fifth and took home $416,000.
Alex Foxen
William Alex Foxen, to use his full name, was incredibly active during 2022 playing in a multitude of online events. While he might not have won many of them, his persistence and consistent money finishes saw him earn about $7 million.
By his standards, 2023 has been a quieter year. The biggest event he’s played in so far has been the 2023 Wynn Millions in Las Vegas. Finishing just outside the top 40, he took home over $19,000.
Stephen Chidwick
There might not be a more in-form or exciting player than Stephen Chidwick. The Englishman consistently made it toward the business end of tournaments last year and is doing the same in 2023. That includes his win in the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em III in Paris where he won over €300,000.
Jason Koon
The American from West Virginia is a brand ambassador for the Triton Poker promotion and took home his biggest earnings from those events last year. 2023 has been no different as he won his fifth Triton title in the Turbo event, taking home over $500,000.
Adrian Attenborough
Adrian Attenborough is an Australian residing in Las Vegas, Nevada – where he’s never short of a table or two to play poker. His 2022 was defined by the second-placed finish on a major table at the 2022 World Series of Poker where he earned $6,000,000. As of yet, there is no information as to what he is doing in 2023.
Phil Ivey
With over 10 WSOP bracelets, the legendary Phil Ivey will probably continue to make the top 10 lists of poker players until he decides to retire. Ivey had a purple patch at the 2022 WSOP taking home good money from multiple tables, amassing to around $6,000,000 for the year.
The ‘Tiger Woods of Poker hasn’t been involved in many events in 2023 but has been reported to be playing a few hands in Arizona.
Nick Petrangelo
The 36-year-old American made the majority of his 2022 earnings in January at the PokerGO Stairway to Millions, winning a grand prize befitting the tournament name. This year has started similarly, even without a major win, he’s consistently making it to the endgame.
Ebony Kenney
Seen as some to be the best female poker player right now, Ebony Kenney relished her 2022 trip to Cyprus where she took home ample amounts of cash. The former model might not have much played poker in 2023 but has been the star of her documentary: High Stakes: A Woman’s Seat in a $200,000 Poker Tournament.