50 Greatest Poker Players List Released by WSOP

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A couple of weeks ago, WSOP officials announced that the First 50 Honors would celebrate the first 50 years of the World Series of Poker. As part of that celebration, they promised to reveal the list of the 50 Greatest Poker Players. On Thursday, that list of players was revealed.

The list of the 50 greatest poker player is a collection of the greatest talent from the past and present eras of poker. There are many on the list that is undeniably the greatest players ever while there are a few on there that are clearly a product of voter bias or a skewed view of poker history.

50 Greatest Poker Players List is Who’s Who of Poker

The list of 50 Greatest Poker Players was released on WSOP.com on Thursday, and as expected, it is highlighted by the all-time greats such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, Johnny Chan, Puggy Pearson, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and Chip Reese.

The list also includes many of the top players of the modern era, including John Hennigan, John Juanda, Scotty Nguyen, and Erik Seidel. There are also several players who have made their name in the last decade or less. These players include Michael Mizrachi, Fedor Holz, Shaun Deeb, and Chris Moorman.

Below is the complete list, in alphabetical order:

Not All Choices Seem Appropriate

While there are many players on the list that are clearly deserving, there are some that you have to wonder if their inclusion is more due to voter bias or a lack of general understanding of the history of the game.

Players such as Joe Cada and Tom Dwan are certainly great players but do they really deserve to be on an elite list such as this. Other players such as Adrian Mateos, Brian Rast, Steve O’Dwyer, and Fedor Holz are players that are great in one genre of poker, primarily high stakes play, but don’t really have the pedigree to be on the same level of a Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, or a Phil Ivey. At least, not as of yet.

Some would argue that some players like Allen Cunningham, Dewey Tomko, and Vanessa Selbst were indeed great during a period of the game, but either has fallen off or in the case of Selbst, aren’t even a part of poker. Bobby Baldwin has been primarily an executive for decades and hasn’t won anything of note in decades.

The inclusion of just two women on the list is also baffling. Barbara Enright was certainly a female player that had as much of an impact on the game as Selbst, and unlike Selbst, she is still regularly playing.

This list was created by a panel of poker media members and industry members. Naturally, the list can only go as far as the knowledge and the opinions on the list, but the inclusion of some names and the omission of many great players from the past and even present has to make one wonder if this list was worth compiling.

Also, based on the inclusion of some players like Joe Cada, one has to wonder if the panel thought they were voting on the best players in WSOP history rather than poker history. Take away WSOP accomplishments from players like Joe Cada, Chris Ferguson, and Dan Harrington, and they hardly have a pedigree worth inclusion on this type of list.

While I can appreciate the effort put forth to compile this list, it is clear that the list is a bit skewed and less meaningful than it should be. Of course, in a couple of weeks, this list will largely be forgotten and it will be a fun thing to look back upon in five to ten years to see where players on this list (at least those that are living) are at in their poker careers.