As television has embraced poker, the best poker players are now celebrities. We all have our favorites. I'll list some of the worlds best, or most infamous.
Daniel Negreanu is one of the most personable players in the pro game. He is best known for his uncanny hand reading skills. He has three WSOP bracelets.
Barry Greenstein is the "robin hood of poker". He donates 100% of his tournament winnings to charity. He has two WSOP bracelets to his name.
Made famous for his outrageous verbiage at the tables, Mike "the mouth" Matusow is great for televised poker. His outrageous behavior, and intense passion creates drama for the viewers. He has two WSOP titles in his resume.
Phil Ivey is simply a superb poker player. Five bracelets seem to be the tip of the iceberg for this monster player. His composure, focus, and fearlessness at the tables are unmatched.
Doyle Brunson is one of the founding fathers of the success of tournament poker. I believe he has played in every one of the WSOP Main Events. His has an impressive 10 bracelets to go along with two WSOP Main Event wins.
Johnny Chan almost won Three WSOP Main Events in a row. His two Main Event titles and 10 total bracelets is an incredible feat. His role in the film Rounders, just added to the legend he had quickly become.
Another WSOP Main Event winner is Scotty "win" Nguyen. He won the 1998 title. On the final hand he warned his opponent, "you call this, and it's all over baby", of course, the call was made and the rest is history.
Phil "the poker brat" is known more for his famous tantrums than his incredible WSOP record. He has won a record eleven bracelets and one world championship. His outrageous outbursts have been caught on tape, and are legendary.
You can't leave poker legend Stu Unger off this kind of list. Possibly the best tournament poker player ever, his record is almost statistically impossible. In the 30 or so major ($5,000 and up) events he played in, he won an astounding 10 titles. WOW!!
This is just a sample of the characters that are becoming well known due to their increase in the popularity of poker. Even the late Stu Unger grows in stature as people learn the history of the game. Now, there seems to be no limit to how much poker can grow.