Largest Payouts in Poker Tournament History

Poker has made people very rich over the years. While consistent winning over time is difficult even for top professionals, anyone can get lucky and hit it big by taking down a major tournament hosted by Wunderwins and other platforms. The very best players manage to do both—win consistently and take home some of poker’s biggest prize pools.

The largest tournaments feature thousands of entrants and multimillion-dollar prize pools, often awarding seven-figure scores even to those finishing outside the top 10. Winning one of these events can instantly make even unknown amateur players into millionaires.

Let’s take a look at the 10 biggest payouts ever awarded on the poker tournament circuit.

10. Jonathan Duhamel - $8.94 million

Jonathan Duhamel was a virtually unknown 23-year-old poker player from Canada when he won the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The tournament featured a field of 7,319 players, creating a massive $68,798,600 prize pool.

As the winner, Duhamel instantly became a poker millionaire. His payout of $8.94 million was the biggest awarded up to that point in WSOP history. He was also the first Canadian to win poker's most prestigious title.

9. Daniel Colman - $15.3 million

In 2014, Daniel Colman won The Big One for One Drop tournament, part of the WSOP. The $1 million buy-in event only had 42 entrants but the massive buy-in resulted in a $37,333,338 prize pool.

As champion, Colman instantly received the largest single payout on record at $15.3 million. He opted to give no interviews after the win and later largely stepped back from poker, but his record payout stands nearly a decade later.

8. Bryn Kenney - $20.5 million

American player Bryn Kenney won the 2019 Triton Million charity event in London. With a buy-in of £1 million (the equivalent of $1.2 million USD at the time), it was the largest buy-in poker tournament in history.

Kenney outlasted a field of 54 entrants to take home over $20 million, which stands as the current record payout in a poker event. The total prize pool was over $26.4 million.

7. Johannes Becker - $26.45 million

Germany's Johannes Becker won $26.45 million by taking down the $25,000 buy-in High Roller for One Drop event at the 2017 WSOP. The tournament featured 166 high stakes pros and amateurs competing for a $24,692,800 prize pool.

Becker's payout set records at the time for the largest prize awarded outside of a WSOP Main Event. It currently stands as the second biggest tournament score ever behind Kenney.

6. Elton Tsang - $39.4 million

In 2017, Canadian player Elton Tsang won the Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza in Monaco. The buy-in was €1 million (around $1.1 million USD). With 27 entries competing, the total prize pool ended up at €38,911,000 (approximately $41.6 million USD).

As champion, Tsang took home $39.4 million including his share of the prize money along with profits he swapped from other players. This stands as the biggest poker tournament score in European history.

5. Fedor Holz - $40.9 million

German poker phenom Fedor Holz won $40.9 million finishing second in the 2018 Triton Million charity event in Jeju, South Korea. With a buy-in again of £1 million ($1.2 million USD), there were 54 entries building a total prize pool worth $60.9 million.

Despite finishing as runner-up, Holz took home nearly $41 million due to swap deals he made with other players. This stands as one of poker’s biggest single paydays ever from a tournament finish outside of first place.

4. Dan Colman - $42.1 million

Dan Colman makes another appearance on the list for his first-place finish in the same 2018 Triton Million event in which Fedor Holz finished second. As champion, Colman took home $42.1 million including his swapped action.

At age 27, Colman secured what was then the largest payout awarded in a poker tournament outside of a WSOP Main Event. It currently stands as the second richest prize ever.

3. Adrian Mateos - $51.8 million

Spaniard Adrian Mateos won $51.8 million finishing third in the 2022 Triton Million in London. The £1 million buy-in live-streamed event had 54 entries building a £52,350,000 prize pool (approximately $67 million USD).

Mateos finished third but his share was so large due to profitable swap deals he made with other players. His payout set records for the biggest prize awarded to a player finishing outside the top two.

2. Fedor Holz - $60 million

Fedor Holz makes history again with his second place finish in that same 2022 Triton Million event. Swap deals he brokered allowed Holz to secure $60 million despite not finishing first.

At age 29, Holz’s payout stands as the current record for the largest single prize awarded in a poker tournament. He cemented his place as one of poker’s biggest all-time winners.

1. Broadway - $62.59 million

Famed poker player Broadway won the 2022 Triton Million, taking home $62.59 million as part of total awarded prizes exceeding $68 million. The anonymous Super lucky frog slot mystery man often wears masks and other elaborate disguises to hide his identity.

Broadway set a new record for the biggest poker payout in history. Between his winnings and swap deals, he took home over $62.5 million. He distanced himself from Fedor Holz as poker’s biggest single-event winner.

While huge seven and eight-figure scores often go to already successful professionals, virtually anyone can win big on poker’s grandest stage. Poker tournaments have awarded over $250 million in just these 10 richest events. Dreams of life-changing money keep players coming back to the tables.