Mar 9 2010

Top Poker Player Incomes

The top poker players in the world make more which than many athletes. When you count their winnings, endorsements, book sales and additional sources of income, poker players hold one of the best-paid jobs there is. Of course, we’re just considering celebrity experts, though. There are numerous other players who squeak by on a few thousand a month and technically are considered “professional.”

There’s no single way to know exactly how much which the top poker players earn. It’s easy to check their stats on the internet for big tournament finishes but those stats only describe a part of the story. For every major victory you see listed under a player’s name, there are countless other poker tournaments that player played in but didn’t place. With numberous tournaments costing nearly $10,000 a pop, it doesn’t take much time for those entry expenses to add up.

On top of that, those records only consider tournaments. There are skilled poker professionals around the world who silently earn millions of dollars a year grinding away in untelevised cash games. It’s even harder to track these peoples’ earnings because cash tables don’t have specific, published payouts. Internet poker makes things even more difficult because internet wins aren’t available at any one resource.

On the positive side, we have a pretty good idea of how much many of the top poker professionals earn. Numerous major online poker professionals keep detailed websites and are completely honest about how much they make each year. Some of the biggest online cash game players bring home six figures a month. Such players can earn anywhere from $5 million or more in a single year.

As far as the famous poker professionals on TV go, it’s tricky telling exactly how much money they earn. Their star position helps them earn a ton of money beyond poker. If we consider their endorsements, contracts and other sources of income, they probably bring in five to 10 million dollars per year. This all just conjecture, though, until a big name pro announces to us exactly how much he makes.

Pros like Phil Hellmuth receive endorsement contracts to represent poker rooms such as Ultimate Bet. As a part of Team UB, Phil Hellmuth earns a lot of additional money without even having to sit at the poker tables.

If you plan on becoming a pro, know that these figures are only referring to the biggest professionals in the industry. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I’m just letting you know that poker is not an easy way to make tons of money. Just like any other competitive occupation, poker demands an extraordinary work ethic. If you’re prepared to make the effort, though, there is plenty of money to be made.

Speaking of money, make sure you visit Ultimate Bet for a huge poker bonus. Whether you’re a new player or seasoned vet, an extra $1100 is always a great bonus. All you have to do is type in the Ultimate Bet Referral Code when you create an account at UB.