As football's most legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, "Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing."
Forget the bad beats, one-outers, and misclicks—at the World Series of Poker, success is measured in green (and gold). From its inception in 1970 to the record-breaking 2024 edition, the series has seen some of poker's most unforgettable victories and created hundreds of millionaires.
Thanks to the poker boom (among other factors), it’s no shock that all of the WSOP’s biggest payouts have come in the last 25 years. The Main Event fields have exploded, and the rise of high-stakes tournaments has sent prize pools soaring to new heights.
Take Doyle Brunson’s first Main Event win in 1976. Texas Dollywalked away with $220,000, which would be worth around $1.23 million today. Not bad for beating a 22-player field, but it pales in comparison to reigning champ Jonathan Tamayo, who banked $10 million in 2024 after outlasting a record 10,112 players.
From Main Events to Big Ones, we’ve dug into the history books and crunched the numbers. For all you stats geeks out there, here are the WSOP's biggest wins of all time.
Poker’s biggest paydays have only gotten bigger, but The Big One for One Dropstill reigns supreme. Until someone smashes those early 2010s records, here are the top 10 biggest WSOP wins of all time:
| Event | Year | Player | Prize Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| WSOP Event 55 - The Big One for One Drop | 2012 | Antonio Esfandiari | $18,346,673 |
| WSOP Event 57 - The Big One for One Drop | 2014 | Daniel Colman | $15,306,668 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2023 | Daniel Weinman | $12,100,000 |
| WSOP Paradise - Triton Million | 2024 | Alejandro Lococo | $12,070,000 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2006 | Jamie Gold | $12,000,000 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2024 | Jonathan Tamayo | $10,000,000 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2022 | Espen Jørstad | $10,000,000 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2019 | Hossein Ensan | $10,000,000 |
| WSOP Main Event | 2014 | Martin Jacobson | $10,000,000 |
| WSOP Event 57 - The Big One for One Drop | 2018 | Justin Bonomo | $10,000,000 |
Please note - The top 10 above was correct at the original time of publication.
The first-ever $1 million buy-in event was won by Iranian-American poker legend Antonio Esfandiari, who outlasted a 48-player field with a $42 million prize pool. He defeated Sam Trickett heads-up to take home a record $18,346,673.
Relive Esfandiari's $18m Win Here
The second edition of this high-stakes tournament featured 42 players and a $37.3 million prize pool. Daniel Colman emerged victorious, defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up to claim $15,306,668.
Dan Colman Wins $1M One Drop
A record-breaking 10,043-player field made this the largest Main Event ever at the time. The top 1,507 finishers earned a share of the prize pool, with Daniel Weinman winning $12,100,000, setting a new Main Event record.
Weinman Wins Record-Breaking 2023 WSOP Main Event
This WSOP Paradise event, held in December 2024, drew 96 entrants. Argentina's Alejandro Lococo took the crown, defeating Ben Heath heads-up to win $12,070,000.
Lococo Beats Pros in WSOP Paradise Triton Million for $12M
Jamie Gold claimed the crown in a star-studded field that included A-listers like Charles Barkley, Lennox Lewis, and Tobey Maguire. He took home a then-record $12,000,000.
Jamie Gold Looks Back on the 2006 WSOP
The reigning champion at the time of writing, Jonathan Tamayo, won the largest Main Event field in WSOP history, with 10,112 entries. The top 1,517 players shared a $94,041,600 prize pool, with Tamayo securing the $10,000,000 top prize.
Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event
Espen Jørstad of Norway triumphed in a field of 8,663 entries, securing the $10,000,000 top prize. In the same summer, Jørstad also won his second bracelet in the $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'emevent, alongside his partner Patrick Leonard.
Espen Jørstad Wins 2022 WSOP Main Event for $10m
Hossein Ensan won $10,000,000, becoming the oldest Main Event champion since Noel Furlong (1999) and the second German champion after Pius Heinz (2011).
Hossein Ensan Wins the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $10m
Martin Jacobson claimed $10,000,000 after besting a field of 6,683 players who were battling for a $62,820,200 prize pool.
Martin Jacobson Wins the 2014 WSOP Main Event for $10m
Three-time bracelet winner Justin Bonomo conquered the 27-entry field, defeating Fedor Holz heads-up to secure $10,000,000.
Justin Bonomo Wins 2018 Big One for One Drop
The top 10 biggest tournament prize pools at the WSOP have all come in the Main Event, with both 2023 and 2024 smashing the $90 million barrier. Here’s a look at the largest prize pools in WSOP history:
| Event | Prize Pool |
|---|---|
| 2024 WSOP Main Event | $94,041,600 |
| 2023 WSOP Main Event | $93,399,900 |
| 2006 WSOP Main Event | $82,512,162 |
| 2022 WSOP Main Event | $80,782,475 |
| 2019 WSOP Main Event | $80,548,600 |
| 2018 WSOP Main Event | $74,015,600 |
| 2010 WSOP Main Event | $68,799,059 |
| 2017 WSOP Main Event | $67,877,400 |
| 2011 WSOP Main Event | $64,531,000 |
| 2008 WSOP Main Event | $64,333,600 |
Nineteen of the twenty-one largest prize pools in poker history come from WSOP Main Events, with the only exceptions being the Triton Million - A Helping Hand for Charity. As we look ahead, could the 2025 edition of the WSOP Main Event shatter records once again?
The WSOP Main Event has experienced extraordinary growth since its modest beginning in 1970. The early years were marked by smaller prize pools, with the 1971 event offering just $30,000. However, as poker gained popularity, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the prize pools saw a dramatic increase.
Early Growth (1970s–1990s)
From the 1970s through the 1990s, the prize pool grew steadily, with significant increases as the event gained more traction. By 1982, the prize pool had surpassed $1 million for the first time, a significant milestone. During the 1990s, the WSOP prize pool reached the multi-million-dollar range, with the 1999 prize pool reaching $3.93 million.
The Poker Boom (2000s)
The most notable change came in the early 2000s, when online poker and the "Moneymaker Effect" transformed the landscape of the WSOP. Chris Moneymaker's victory sparked a global poker boom, resulting in a massive increase in the prize pool. In 2004, the prize pool jumped to $24.2 million, and by 2006, it reached a remarkable $82.5 million when Jamie Gold won the event.
Post-Boom and Stabilization (2010s–2020s)
After the initial boom, the prize pool fluctuated but remained exceptionally high, with several years surpassing $60 million. In 2019, the prize pool reached new heights at $80.5 million, before the record for the largest prize pool was set in 2024 at an astounding $94 million.
The Big One for One Dropdominates as the most expensive tournament at the WSOP, with its $1,000,000 buy-ins - the largest in poker tournament history. These events were held in 2012, 2014, and 2018 at the WSOP, drawing the biggest names in the game for massive prize pools.
Here’s a look at the three Big One for One Drop tournaments and their one million dollar buy-ins:
| Year | Buy-in | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $1,000,000 | Antonio Esfandiari | $18,346,673 |
| 2014 | $1,000,000 | Daniel Colman | $15,306,668 |
| 2018 | $1,000,000 | Justin Bonomo | $10,000,000 |
One interesting aspect of the WSOP Main Event is how the buy-in has remained consistent at $10,000 over the years. While prize pools have grown significantly due to larger fields and inflation, the buy-in has stayed the same.
This has helped keep the event accessible to a wide range of players, from seasoned professionals to amateurs, and has played a key role in the steady increase in participation. What began with just a handful of players in 1970 has now grown into consistently one of the largest poker events in the world.
Looking ahead, 2025’s largest buy-in event will once again be the $250,000 Super High Rollerfrom June 15-18, 2025, with a $250,000 buy-in. Last year, Santhosh Suvarna took down the title for $5,415,152.