Top Canadian Male Poker Players: 10 Poker Alphas
Canada is known for its cold winters, hockey players, and now, top poker players.
Believe it or not, our country has produced some of the best in the business and these Canadian poker players have won some of the biggest tournaments in the world. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, you can learn a thing or two from their successes and failures.
So here we’ll take a look at the top Canadian male poker players to date, and discuss a bit about their backgrounds and accomplishments.
Let’s get into it!
Who Are the Top Canadian Male Poker Players?
Canadian poker has been making rounds over the last few years, with more and more players entering the world charts.
So who does Canada have to be proud of?
Well, as it turns out, there are many who deserve praise!
1. Daniel Negreanu
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It’s no surprise that the best Canadian poker player is Daniel Negreanu. We even wrote a full article on him!
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, in 1974, Daniel had ambitions of becoming rich from the very start. Lacking in school, he channelled his energy into snooker, poker, pool, and cards, and after dropping out, he began working as a rounder at charity casinos. At the age of 22, he moved to Vegas to pursue poker professionally, which is where his career began.
Since then, Negreanu has won 6 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, 2 World Poker Tour (WPT) championships, has amassed over $46 million in winnings, and places 3rd on the All-Time Money List. Some of his most notable tournaments include:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2004 | $15,000 + 300 World Poker Tour Championship – No Limit Hold’em | $1,770,218 |
| 2014 | $1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – The Big One for One Drop (2nd) | $8,288,001 |
| 2018 | $300,000 No Limit Hold’em | $3,000,000 |
| 2019 | $100,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller (Event #83) | $1,725,838 |
| 2022 | $300,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller Bowl VII | $3,312,000 |
Apart from on-site tournaments, Daniel is also one of the best Canadian online poker players, raking in sponsorship from PokerStars and GGPoker.
2. Timothy Adams
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As one of the most famous Canadian poker players currently, Timothy Dams has a lot going for him. The Burlington native began playing poker online when he was just 18 and earned over $2.5 million by playing in online tournaments on Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. Adams won a WSOP bracelet in 2012 and the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in 2019.
At the time of writing, Timothy’s total live earnings exceed $28.6 million and he places 18th on the All-Time Money List and constituting the second biggest Canadian tournament winner behind Daniel Negreanu. Some of his greatest achievements include:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2019 | HK$2,000,000 No Limit Hold’em Triton Super High Roller Series | $3,536,550 |
| 2020 | $250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller Bowl | $3,600,000 |
| 2020 | AUD$250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller Bowl Australia | $1,446,112 |
| 2021 | $250,000 No Limit Hold’em SHRB – Europe Main Event | $1,127,500 |
The Canadian also recently won the European Poker Tour in Prague and earned €742,200.
3. Sam Greenwood
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Another one from the pool of Toronto poker players is Sam Greenwood, who has won over $6 million in online poker tournaments from PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and 888poker. Sam started participating in online tournaments in 2006 and live ones in 2008. He’s won 1 WSOP bracelet and has had 2 money finishes at the WPT.
To date, Greenwood has accumulated over $26.4 million in live earnings and occupies the 24th place on the All-Time Money List. In Canada, his earnings have raised him to 3rd place, right behind Negreanu and Adams, with the potential to succeed even more. Check out some of his events:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2018 | €100,000 No Limit Hold’em – EPT Super High Roller #7 | $1,853,387 |
| 2018 | €50,000 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – €50k Super High Roller | $1,227,792 |
| 2019 | $100,000 No Limit Hold’em – PCA Super High Roller #18 | $1,775,460 |
| 2019 | HK$750,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold’em – Ante Only (2nd) | $1,095,625 |
If you want to keep updated on Sam’s life, you can follow him on Twitter.
Related article: History of Gambling in Canada: How Did It All Start?
4. Daniel Dvoress
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Currently the 5th biggest Canadian poker tournament winner, Daniel Dvoress has had a fruitful career. Emigrating to Canada from the Soviet Union at the age of 8, he took up poker in high school and played his first online game in 2006. After college, Dvoress decided to pursue poker professionally and won the PokerStars Spring Championship in 2014.
Apart from playing poker, he was also a coach for a poker training site-turned-poker room. Daniel’s dedication paid off when he won his first WSOP bracelet in 2020 and earned $1,489,289, which bumped his total live poker tournament winnings to over $20.8 million. Here’s what he’s done:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2019 | $250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller Bowl | $4,080,000 |
| 2019 | HK$1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – Triton Montenegro (4th) | $1,155,694 |
| 2020 | $1,500 Millionaire Maker Event #17 | $1,489,289 |
| 2022 | €150,000 No Limit Short Deck Hold’em Ante Only (2nd) | $1,266,995 |
When he’s not playing poker, Daniel has said that he enjoys venturing into the great outdoors.
5. Jonathan Duhamel
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Another celebrated Canadian poker player is Boucherville-born Jonathan Duhamel. Although Jonathan isn’t at the top of the money list and doesn’t play professionally anymore, he’s won 3 WSOP bracelets in his career and has been a member of Team PokerStars Pro. His poker career started in high school and continued during his college years.
A notable event in Duhamel’s life is his $100,000 donation to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation, which is concurrently the largest individual donation ever made to the organization. Jonathan’s $18 million in earnings come from his the WSOP, WPT, and European Poker Tour (EPT) championships, including:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2010 | $10,000 World Championship – No Limit Hold’em | $8,944,310 |
| 2012 | $25,000 + 500 No Limit Hold’em 8 Max – High Roller (2nd) | $634,550 |
| 2015 | $111,111 No Limit Hold’em High Roller for One-Drop | $3,989,985 |
| 2015 | €25,600 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller | $628,915 |
Duhamel’s income tax case with the CRA can also serve as a learning opportunity concerning the taxation of gambling winnings.
6. Michael Watson
In other poker news… https://t.co/7urSdXtitB
— Mike Watson (@SirWatts) October 7, 2022
One name that’s sure to ring a bell for all Canadian poker fans is Mike Watson. Mike is one of the most professional Canadian online poker players from St, John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and he has won the WPT and garnered over $16.4 million in total live earnings.
His fruitful career has put him head-to-head with other industry professionals and put him in the 49th place on the All-Time Money List. And although he’s never won a WSOP bracelet, Watson ranks #24 on the Global Poker Index (GPI) and his best live cash sum amounted to $1,673,770 from his WPT win in 2008. Some other notable events are:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2012 | €50,000 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – Majestic Roller | $1,304,648 |
| 2015 | €49,999 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller (2nd) | $752,518 |
| 2016 | $5,300 #26 No Limit Hold’em – PCA Main Event | $728,325 |
| 2022 | €50,000 No Limit Hold’em #20 | $895,933 |
If you want to keep up with Michael, you can follow him on Twitter since he’s most active there.
7. Mike McDonald
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As one of the youngest Canadian poker players, Michael McDonald made waves after being the youngest EPT and WPL winner. Born in Waterloo, the hub of Canadian poker, McDonald developed a keen interest from an early age. Incredibly, Mike won the German Open at just 18 years of age, raking in $1,370,161.
The player has also had numerous notable finishes in the biggest poker tours, accumulating winnings of over $13.2 million. Although he hasn’t won a WSOP bracelet or a WPT title yet, Mike is well on his way to conquering the toughest poker battles, so we’re sure to see a win soon. Until then, check out his most notable achievements:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2008 | €7,700 + 300 No Limit Hold’em – EPT Main Event | $1,370,161 |
| 2014 | AUD$250,000 No Limit Hold’em – $250,000 Challenge (3rd) | $1,701,808 |
| 2014 | AUD$100,000 No Limit Hold’em – $100,000 Challenge (2nd) | $1,343,228 |
| 2015 | AUD$245,000 + 5,000 #21 The LK Boutique Challenge (2nd) | $1,235,228 |
These events allowed for Mike to currently place 64th on the All-Time Money List. If you want to follow his life, stop by his Twitter.
You might be interested: 8 Best poker Books to Help You Up Your Game in 2022
8. Sorel Mizzi
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Toronto has brought forth numerous professional Canadian poker players, and Sorel Mizzi is one that deserves recognition. Like many others, Mizzi got his start with online poker, which he still regularly plays at Titan Poker. Even though he hasn’t won the WPT or WSOP, he’s been at the final tables and has got 14 and 15 money finishes, respectively.
At the time of writing, Sorel’s total live earnings amounted to over $13.2 million, out of which more than $3 million come from online tournaments. Additionally, the player benefits from his sponsorship from betting company Titan Poker and was named 2010 BLUFF Player of the Year. Here are some of his best events:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2013 | $125,000 PartyPoker Premier League VII | $466,000 |
| 2013 | HK$1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event (3rd) | $2,073,868 |
| 2013 | €98,000 + 2,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller (3rd) | $890,471 |
| 2014 | AUD$10,600 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event (2nd) | $874,837 |
For more updates, check out his Twitter page.
9. Peter Jetten
Short deck comes to #TritonLondon…and it’s fun! All the details from Day 1 of the £25K. https://t.co/FQrVbZCaRt pic.twitter.com/vzLxJtPZKs
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) August 6, 2019
Toronto poker players also have Peter Jetten to brag about, who has over $9.3 million in live tournament earnings. During his college years at the University of Western Ontario, Peter began playing online poker, after which he decided to drop out and pursue this passion as a career.
In 2005, Jetten played his first live tournament and in 2006, he finished 8th at a WSOP event, putting himself in the rank. Even though most of his money comes from tournaments, Peter hasn’t stopped playing online poker and engaging in regular high-stakes cash games. His fruitful career has much to show, including:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2013 | $2,000 + 150 Open Face Chinese | $52,280 |
| 2018 | HK$1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em (3rd) | $1,019,373 |
| 2019 | HK$1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – Triton Montenegro (3rd) | $1,223,148 |
| 2019 | HK$2,000,000 No Limit Hold’em (4th) | $1,323,634 |
Peter is currently 123rd on the All-Time Money List.
10. Mike Leah
Better then a pair of aces 🥰@Chri57ined pic.twitter.com/nDBe38sUk5
— Mike Leah (@GoLeafsGoEh) August 20, 2021
Last but not least on our list of Canadian poker pros is Mike Leah, a Toronto-born WSOP bracelet winner. Leah has had an interesting life so far, starting his career in wrestling, then onto sales, before pursuing poker after developing a love for the game from online tournaments.
At the time of writing, Mike had a total live earnings amount of $7.9 million under his belt, sitting comfortably in the 155th place on the All-Time Money List. After a considerable amount of wins and placements, Mike Leah has made a name for himself in the poker world. For a clearer picture of his accomplishments, check out this table:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2014 | AUD$25,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller | $524,411 |
| 2014 | $5,300 No Limit Hold’em SHRPO Main Event (2nd) | $1,047,638 |
| 2015 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Championship (2nd) | $701,350 |
| 2018 | CAD$4,700 + 300 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event | $358,531 |
Follow Mike on Twitter to get an insight into his life and career.
Conclusion
So there you have it – a complete list of the top Canadian male poker players. With this knowledge, you’re one step closer to venturing into the world of poker and discussing games and tournaments with poker pals.
These guys can be great sources of inspiration.
FAQ
The best Canadian poker player is Daniel Negreanu, with total live earnings of over $46 million. 6 WSOP bracelets and 2 WPT titles at the time of writing.
American Bryn Kenney is currently leading the All-Time Money list, with over $57.2 million earned to date.
ABOUT AUTHOR
Toni always had an appetite for learning new things and random facts about almost everything, which is why when he got offered the job to work as a content writer he took it without hesitation. Writing daily took his love for words and research to a whole new level, and made him realize that this is a career he would love to pursue. Although he spends most of his time researching his next piece, you can also find him on the football court, in the gym, or at home with a book in his hand.
