Record for Poker Millionaires Set in 2017

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Did you know there were more “poker millionaires” in 2017 than at any time in poker history? According to an article published by Cardplayer Lifestyle on Thursday, there were 125 players in 2017 that won at least $1 million playing live poker tournaments in 2017.

This number set a new record, breaking the previous mark of 104 in 2016. What’s amazing is the growth of the “poker millionaire” over the year, and the article looked deep into the game’s past and tracked its evolution.

Phil Hellmuth Was First Player to Win $1 Million

An interesting stat in the article was that 1989 WSOP Main Event winner Phil Hellmuth was the first player in history to win at least $1 million in a year playing live tournaments. Prior to 1989, no player had won seven figures in a year.

It should be noted that before the Poker Boom there were a limited number of poker tournaments that produced six-figure prizes. The WSOP Main Event was the most lucrative tournament around and the winner of that even was often that year’s money leader.

Starting in 1989, only one player each year won at least $1 million until 2000. That player was always the WSOP Main Event champion. Starting in 2000, we started seeing more players win more than $1 million in a year.

Daniel Negreanu Leads All Players With Most $1 Million + Years

Another fascinating stat from the article is the number of players that won at least $1 million in more than once. Since 2000, 644 players have won $1 million or more in a year playing live events. Surprisingly, 180 players have accomplished that feat at least twice in their careers.

Atop the list of players with multiple $1 million years is Daniel Negreanu. The face of PokerStars has won $1 million or more 11 times since 2000, the only player in double digits for this feat. Jason Mercier is second, accomplishing the feat 9 times. Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey have won $1 million or more 8 times since 2000.

Other players with five or more years of $1 million or more in earnings are Jake Schindler, David Peters, Bryn Kenney, Stephen Chidwick, Justin Bonomo, Dan Smith, Isaac Haxton and Brian Rast.

Second Explosion in Number of Millionaires Started in 2013

The article looked deeper into the growth of millionaires through this year and from 2005 to 2012 the number of poker millionaires hovered from 42 to 69. However, starting in 2013, the number of millionaires started shooting up.

In 2013 there were 80 millionaires followed by 85 in 2014, 90 in 2015, 104 in 2016 and 125 last year. So far in 2018 there are 14 players who have won at least $1 million and the poker year is just now beginning to ramp up.

Anyone paying attention to trends will attribute this growth to High Roller tournaments, but they are not the only reason for this growth.

Combination of High Stakes Tournaments and Industry Innovation Has Led to This

It’s no secret that High Roller tournaments started gaining traction in 2012 and 2013 and nowadays they are a staple of the live tournament circuit. There are some players that almost exclusively play high rollers.

There are multiple High Roller tournaments each month and they are likely to keep growing as long as there’s a demand. However, High Roller tournaments only contribute to part of this growth.

Industry innovation by various tournament organizations has also contributed. Look at the number of gimmick events run by organizations like the World Series of Poker in recent years. These events help to draw in more players to the games and more players means more prize money and more players eligible to win at $1 million or more.

Trend Likely to Continue for Foreseeable Future

The article concludes with forward-looking statements about poker’s future. They see the number of poker millionaires continuing to grow as the demand for High Roller tournaments and innovations from the poker industry continues.

While this is clearly a given based on the state of the poker world, this was still a fun look at the evolution of poker millionaires and gives use a bit of insight on what to expect in the near future.