The Most Famous Jewish Poker Players

All through the decades-long historical past of the trendy sport of poker, Jewish poker gamers have skilled notable success. As per Al Alvarez‘ legendary poker e-book The Largest Recreation in City, again within the early Eighties, Doyle Brunson as soon as guess Hollywood star Gabe Kaplan on the World Sequence of Poker “Texans versus Jews”, which means that there have been a lot member of each “tribes” competing within the WSOP Primary Occasion even in its early life. Jewish poker gamers stay a drive on the felt to this very day, with notable names popping up as bracelet winners, large money sport winners, and Poker Corridor of Famers.

Beneath, we’ll characteristic 5 of essentially the most well-known Jewish poker gamers, their accomplishments, and their notable achievements over their enjoying careers. Beneath that, we’ll have an “honorable talked about” part, itemizing one other dozen or so Jewish poker gamers and personalities who’ve achieved a lot and gained notoriety each on the felt and within the broader poker business.

Michael Mizrachi

In 2026, it could be laborious to argue that every other individual apart from Michael Mizrachi must characteristic atop a listing of the world’s most well-known Jewish poker gamers. Maybe most notably, Mizrachi had a magical run final 12 months to win the WSOP Primary Occasion. That outmoded a earlier run to the WSOP Primary Occasion last desk 15 years prior. Within the interim, Mizrachi received the Poker Gamers Championship a report 4 occasions. Instantly upon clinching the 2025 WSOP Primary Occasion title, the Grinder was “snap-inducted” into the Poker Corridor of Fame.

Picture Credit score: WSOP

Mike Matusow

A four-time WSOP bracelet winner, Mike Matusow‘s biggest poker triumph was probably his win within the 2013 $25K NBC Nationwide Head’s Up Poker Championship. Identified for having made a number of deep runs on the World Sequence Primary Occasion, regardless of vastly rising subject sizes, Matusow was the primary participant to have two separate million-dollar cashes throughout the identical World Sequence. “The Mouth” is commonly acknowledged as a lot for his televised vocal outbursts as for his successes on the felt, and he’s just lately gotten into the content material sport, internet hosting his podcast The Mouthpiece.

Picture: Poker.org

Ari Engel

Ari Engel just lately surpassed “Miami John” Cernuto because the all-time chief in poker event cashes. That statistic alone is testomony to Engel’s consistency on the felt over his 20 years within the sport. With near $10 million in all-time event earnings, Engel is a four-time WSOP bracelet winner, winner of the 2016 Aussie Hundreds of thousands Primary Occasion, and at all times at or close to the highest of the all-time WSOP Circuit ring leaderboard.

Eli Elezra

Hailing from Israel, the previous IDF Golani Brigade officer has received 5 WSOP bracelets since turning professional within the Nineties. Additionally a previous WPT champion, Eli Elezra is particularly greatest often called a money sport participant, with combined video games being his forte. He was a staple on tv throughout poker’s “Golden Period” on exhibits like Excessive Stakes Poker and Poker After Darkish, and to this present day nonetheless options on quite a few well-liked dwell stream poker broadcasts. Inducted into the Poker Corridor of Fame in 2021, Elezra’s autobiography Pulling The Set off was printed in 2019.

Picture credit score: PokerGO

Erik Seidel

The winningest Jewish poker participant of all-time, Erik Seidel boasts a whopping 10 WSOP bracelets (and an iconic WSOP Primary Occasion runner-up end, immortalized in Rounders). That’s alongside a WPT title, an EPT title, and practically $50 million in profession event earnings. Whereas he began enjoying poker professionally within the Eighties, extremely the majority of Seidel’s profession winnings got here after he was inducted into the Poker Corridor of Fame in 2010!

Picture: Mathew Berglund for PokerNews

Well-known Jewish Poker Gamers – Honorable Mentions

The very fact of the matter is that there are a plethora of Jewish poker gamers who’ve made massive names for themselves on the felt over time. We don’t have area to checklist all of them, however listed here are a number of the most notable, together with a couple of individuals who’ve had a really important impression within the poker business away from the felt.

Stu Ungar – 3x WSOP Primary Occasion Champion, 5x general WSOP bracelet winner, Poker Corridor of Famer

Barry Greenstein – 3x WSOP bracelet winner, 2x WPT champion, Poker Corridor of Famer

Yuval Bronshtein – 2x WSOP bracelet winner

Jeff Platt – WSOP commentator, sideline reporter and producer, MSPT champion

Barry Shulman – World Sequence of Poker Europe Primary Occasion Champion, former writer of Card Participant Journal

Lyle Berman – Founding father of the World Poker Tour, 3x WSOP Bracelet winner, Poker Corridor of Famer

Robert Mizrachi – 5x WSOP bracelet winner

Phil Gordon – Poker writer and commentator, WPT champion

Cary Katz – Founding father of PokerGO/PGT, WSOP bracelet winner, high 20 all-time cash checklist

Isai Scheinberg – Founding father of PokerStars, WPT Honors recipient

Gabe Kaplan – WSOP and Excessive Stakes Poker commentator, high-stakes money sport participant

Perry Inexperienced – 3x WSOP bracelet winner

Jay Heimowitz – 6x WSOP bracelet winner

Mickey Appelman – 4x WSOP bracelet winner

Howard Lederer – 2x WSOP bracelet winner, 2x WPT champion, (disgraced) founding father of Full Tilt Poker