Poker is a global game that’s played people from all over the world. Like a lot of games that have a large global player base, the professional player rankings are usually dominated American players. Still, there are lots of other nationalities among the top ranks, including the British. Despite being home to only 60 million people, the UK has been fairly successful at producing top poker players over the years.
The UK has put on lots of major live poker tournaments, such as the UK Poker Tour and Live at the Hippodrome. In addition, online poker is completely legal, which has helped allow loads of people to get into the game and sharpen their skills. As a result, loads of UK players are ranked in the top 100 of the world and regularly compete in the biggest tournaments such as the WSOP. Here are a few of the best poker pros from the UK.
To Lewis
To Lewis has amassed more than $8 million over the course of his career, mostly from live poker tournaments. He’s currently ranked as the sixth best player in the UK, although he’s the 276th player in the world on the Global Poker Index. His biggest ever win was an astonishing $599,984 at the 2010 European Poker Tour main event. So far, he hasn’t won a bracelet at the WSOP but has had plenty of success at other tournaments.
Chris Moorman
Chris Moorman is a 37-year-old poker player from the UK who is currently listed as the number five rank in the country. In 2017, he had one of the top online poker career earnings at an incredible $14 million. However, Moorman also excels at live poker. He’s won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker while making an impressive 82 money finishes. In addition, he has a World Poker Tour title, and three money finishes as well as three money finishes at the European Poker Tour.
Steve Wilkie
Steve Wilkie is currently number four in the UK Global Poker Index rankings. While he might not be as well known as some of the other top UK players, he’s put in some impressive performances over the last few years to climb the rankings. His biggest ever live win came in 2019 when he secured an $85,000 prize from the Mid-States Poker Tour. While he’s from the UK originally, he currently resides in Colorado.
Benny Glaser
Benny Glaser is one of the most successful UK players in terms of big wins. Over the course of his career, he’s won an impressive four WSOP bracelets. These are the highest possible achievement in poker and are coveted top players all over the world. Glaser has made close to $3 million in live tournament winnings and is currently the third-ranked Brit according to the Global Poker Index. His four WSOP bracelets make him the most successful British player at the world’s biggest poker tournament.
Stephen Chidwick
Stephen Chidwich is one of the world’s top-earning poker players, having amassed a fortune worth more than $43 million. He previously led the Global Poker Index between Spring and Autumn of 2018 but is currently ranked 60th in the world and second in the UK. Although he’s had a better career than any other player on the UK rankings, he’s slipped slightly in recent years. Still, he’s one of the best, and at 33 years old, he will likely keep playing for many years.
Jack Hardcastle
Jack Hardcastle is currently the UK’s highest-ranked player according to the Global Poker Index. This is a ranking of how players fare in tournaments around the world, with the weighting depending on the status of the tournament. As well as being the UK’s number one, Hardcastle is also number 54 in the world. He recently won a major high-stakes event in London, scooping $60,000 in winnings. He recently stated that he believes live tournaments are tougher in the UK compared to the US.
