Stand Out Poker Players and Their Famous Happy Endings

Once upon a time...

Since people began playing poker, even before the days of casinos, when people played in saloons and inns, there have always been some stand out players. On face value the basic rules of poker, if you are playing Texas Hold'em at least, aren't that tricky. Most people will be able to get their heads around playing the game, however if you are going to become professional and start winning serious money, then that is a different story. Being good at poker takes a lot of work and involves dedication and strategy in order to really be successful. Over the years there have been a few players who have really left their mark on the game, some have even changed the face of the game. We thought we'd take a look at a few of those players who deserve some recognition.

• Doyle Brunson Doyle is probably the most famous poker player in the world. He has been playing for over 50 years and is the first person to win the World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event two years in a row. In fact he was the first to do a number of things, most notably is being the first player to earn $1 million from poker tournaments. He has also won ten WSOP bracelets throughout his career and has written some of the most influential books there are on the game.
• Phil Hellmuth Phil's a lot younger than Doyle but he's had a really successful career. He holds a record number of WSOP bracelets - 11 in total and he won the 1989 WSOP main event. He's also known for being a 'poker brat' , which is partially due to the various comments he has been overhead saying about other players. Phil famously once got in a physical fight with Sam Grizzle after Grizzle became annoyed with Phil's endless chatter throughout the games.
• Johnny Chan Chan was just 21 years old when he dropped out of university and moved to Las Vegas in order to become a professional poker player. He has said that he believed his initial success was partly due to the fact that most players had never played against an Asian player before. He won the championship event of the WSOP two years in a row in 1987 and 1988. The following year he lost out on the award to Phil Hellmuth. Like Doyle Brunson, he has 10 WSOP bracelets.