Top 10 Biggest Poker Pots Ever Won

Poker as a game has been cherished for centuries. Players have always tried to gain an edge in the sport with skill, determination, strategy, and luck. With an ever-increasing player base, the game has attracted people who like higher and higher stakes with pots going up in the millions! 

This, in turn, has only attracted more aspiring players to the sport. Be it professionals or enthusiasts, everybody can agree that there’s nothing quite like a high-stakes poker game.

The atmosphere, the amusement, and if a crowd is watching, the showmanship involved is next to none! That being said, let’s take a look at the 10 biggest pots we have ever seen in Poker!

10. Phil Ivey - $425,400

Ivey was a regular appearance in the TV show  “High Stakes Poker”. The show featured no-limit Texas hold 'em matches played by professionals that garnered many viewers! One such session was between Gus Hansen, Eli Elezra, Jason Mercier, and Phil Ivey, let’s take a closer look!

The game would start off slow, with a few folds coming in and the pot sitting at $22,100. However, the flop would change all that as Ivey seized the initiative raising to $50,000 after Mercier raised to $28,700. 

Mercier would see that and go all in with a re-raise of $107,000. Ivey’s chances were looking better and better and with the river bringing in 8♣ and Q♠, Ivey would win the entire pot worth $425,400!

9. Phil Ivey - $460,997

Phil Ivey has been one of the most prominent American poker players in recent history. He is widely regarded as one of the best poker players ever. The late 2000s were golden years of poker with extremely high stakes, just like this one. 

Phil Ivey and Viktor Bloom were big names at the time and would go against each other in a two-table heads-up $500/$1,000 no-limit hold’em match. This 2009 game between Ivey and Bloom started small at only $3,000. 

However, seeing a possible flush, Ivey bet $32,000. Bloom, known for his massive pots, put an extra $342,485 on the line. Long story short, Ivey had a full house waiting and got $460,997 for it!

8. Tom Dwan - $512,455

Tom Dwan has been an underrated name in poker. He has participated in some high-stakes games as well. This time, however, Dwan would make history in a No Limit Hold’em cash game. The game started with five players on the table, with Dwan occupying the big blind slot. 

The beginning would see players keep raising the pot which was at $70,300 by the time the flop came. The turn would bring a 4♥. Dwan, sensing his edge, went all in for $233,000! He had 5♠6♦, but he needed some luck, and the river would bring just that, a 7♦. With a straight, Dwan raked in the entire $512,455 pot!

7. Gus Hansen - $575,700

Affectionately called the Great Dane, Gus Hansen is a distinguished poker player with years of experience behind him. Although retired for a while, he has been making a comeback playing professionally worldwide. Here’s an older game where he went up against Daniel Negreanu!

Hansen started off strong with a raise to $2,100 with 5♦5♣ which was followed by Negreanu three-betting to $5,000. By the time of the flop both players had hit three of a kind! 

After this Hansen started betting aggressively with $26,000 once and $24,000 a little while later. The river saw Negreanu bet $65,000 to which Hansen went all in with $167,000. By the time Negreanu calls, Hansen had pocketed a clean $575,700!

6. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom - $787,999

Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom is quite the character, known for participating in several prominent nosebleed poker games. Many know his monumental rise with over $5.98 million to his name Although unable to replicate his success as of late, here’s an instance where Bloom got his way.  

The Swede went up against Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies in a Pot-limit Omaha game on Full Tilt Poker back in 2009. Ziigmund has kings up his sleeve whereas Isildur1 had a pair of aces and these would result in a five-bet to $81,000 pre-flop! With over $788,000 on the line, the third betting round would see Blom cash out over $787,999! 

5. Patrik Antonius - $878,959

Patrick Antonius is one of the wealthiest Poker players with a recorded $11,891,192 total live earnings to his name. Antonius and Bloom would make history at the time with the biggest online poker pot seen till then, a monsterpotten of $878,959!

The beginning of the game would heavily favor Antonius with a top pair, the nut flush draw, and a gutshot straight draw with him. He check-raised to $21,000 which Bloom decided not to fold. The turn came with an A♦ which was enough for Antonius to raise to $192,000. Bloom would take it in stride and commit his entire stack of $415,000! The river card would be an 8♦ which resulted in a gutshot straight draw win for Patrick Antonius for over $878,959! 

4. Almedin "Ali" Imsirovic - $974,631

Almedin "Ali" Imsirovic is a relatively recent name in the poker scene. A match in 2020 against Tan Xuan would definitely cement his legacy on GGPoker. The game is over $500/$1,000 with a $200 ante and a $2,000 straddle! 

Xuan started off with 9♦ 7♦ going over $4,278. Imsirovic sensing his good cards, gets it up to  $21,000 on the mandatory Big Blind. By the time the flop comes around, the pot is already $45,700. After turn, Xuan bets an additional $101,046 while Imsirovic calls. The river comes out with 8♠ and Xuan adds $309,719 more to the pot. Imsirovic calls and pockets the whole pot worth $974,631!

3. Tom Dwan - $1,100,000

The 2010 Million Dollar Cash Game was one of the most memorable poker tournaments to date. However, the game between Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey was really the star of the show! Both Dwan and Ivey had considerable amounts of money on them and this game with blinds at $1,000/$2,000 and a $500 ante was ready to pop off!

The game started off with both players betting considerable amounts. By the time the flop came around, Ivey added an extra $49,500 to the $35,000 pot. The pot was increasing with each hand has both players thought they had an edge. Put it simply, by the time the river brought a  J♥, Ivey had went all in and the pot was siting at a massive $1,100,000. Dwan made the call and raked in the entire pot!

2. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom - $1,127,955

Viktor Blom and Phil Ivey had many subsequent matches which wouldn't be so favorable for Ivey. This particular session of $500/$1,000 PLO heads-up match saw bets as high as $638,457! Let’s take a closer look at the hands. 

The match would start off with bets racking up. Ivey started off with a raise of $3,000 and Blom tripled the amount with a three-bet.

Eventually, a flop came about with J♠K♠J♦ to which both players checked. The 10♦ was the turn card to which Ivey bet $41,000. After further raises, the river card was 5♦ which Ivey would later call off the remainder of his chips for. Blom began the hand with $638,457 while Ivey went at it with $563,977.

Blom hit an incredible full house on the flop. Ivey’s hand went muck and Blom pocketed an eye-watering $1,127,955! 
 

1. Patrik Antonius - $1,356,946

Yup, you saw that right. This pot is widely considered the biggest online pot in poker history. Fittingly, it was played by two of the most prominent names in Poker too, Patrik Antonius and Viktor Blom. This high stakes Pot Limit Omaha game was nothing like any other!

Full Tilt Poker was the host and the beginning of the match saw bets flying from both sides. By the time the flop came about, the pot was already at $162,000. After the flop, however, the betting would only pick up pace. From Blom raising it to $435,000 to Antonius raising it to $773,000.

Come to find out, Antonius had a wheel (5-4-3-2-A) whereas Blom had a higher straight draw. By the time the trun came with 5♥, the odds were already looking bad for Blom. The river with 9♣ would only cement that fate and Antonius went home with the full $1,356,946 pot!

Those were the biggest pots we had seen in poker history. These massive pots show us how skill, strategy, and forward thinking can come a long way when it comes to poker. Although nosebleed pots are becoming scant, they are by no means going away.

Seasoned professional or rookie, these pots serve as an insight into the high risk and high reward aspect of poker! The thrill that comes with millions on the line may not be for everybody but for the people enamoured by it, will you take your chances?