Biggest Poker Winners of 2025: Who Ruled The Live Poker World

The 13-Million-Dollar Men: Mokri, Lonis, Davies

Kayhan Mokri – $13.16M and a Triton crown at Paradise

Norway’s Kayhan Mokri ended up at the top of the 2025 money list, raking in roughly $13.16 million from just ten cashes. What’s even wilder is that six of those cashes were actually outright wins.

Two moments really defined his year: a $7,725,000 payday for taking down the $250,000 Triton Invitational at WSOP Paradise—his third Triton trophy—and another $3.84 million win in the $150,000 Triton Jeju 8-Handed. Beyond the Triton circuit, he picked up high-roller titles at EPT Barcelona and the Bombay Big 50, proving he can beat the world's best anywhere.

Since most of his play was in those $50k to $250k fields packed with elite pros, his win rate is honestly staggering.

Jesse Lonis – volume, trophies, and $13.01M

If you want to talk about the pure grind, Jesse Lonis is probably the real MVP of 2025. He had an incredible run, putting up 56 cashes and nine wins to finish with about $13.01 million in live earnings.

His biggest highlights were $3.44 million for winning the $100,000 Triton Montenegro Main Event and a $1.74 million win in the $102,000 Onyx Super High Roller Invitational—where he notably beat Phil Ivey heads-up. He also managed several other seven-figure finishes on both the Triton and EPT circuits.

Lonis was everywhere: Triton, EPT, WSOP, and regional high-stakes series. He didn't just get lucky at one festival; he was putting up results month after month all year long.

Seth Davies – bracelet, Triton title, and $12.31M

Seth Davies rounds out the top three after a massive year, finishing with $12.31 million across 15 cashes and two major wins.

He took down the $250,000 WSOP Super High Roller for $4.75 million, finally landing his first bracelet. Earlier in the year, he also grabbed a $1.49 million win in the $50,000 Triton Montenegro. On top of that, he took second in a $200,000 Triton Invitational and had some deep runs at EPT Barcelona.

While Mokri has the edge on total dollars, Lonis takes it on pure volume. Davies is right there with them, though, with a perfect balance of success at both the WSOP and Triton.

WSOP 2025: Mizrachi’s double and Deeb’s POY

Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi – Main Event and Poker Players Championship

You can't talk about 2025 without mentioning Michael Mizrachi. He hit a career high at this year's WSOP.

He won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $1.33 million, the fourth time he's won that specific event, and then went on to capture the $10,000 Main Event for $10,000,000 and his eighth bracelet. That historic double made him the center of the summer and basically guaranteed his spot in the Hall of Fame.

Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi had a stellar year. 

Shaun Deeb – second WSOP Player of the Year

Shaun Deeb might not have won the Main Event, but he absolutely dominated the series through pure volume.

He put up 24 cashes and five final tables, including a $2.96 million win in the $100,000 PLO High Roller—a career-best for him. With roughly 4,191 points, he secured his second WSOP Player of the Year title, joining Daniel Negreanu as the only people to ever do it twice.

Deeb’s year is a perfect example of how a packed schedule and consistent deep runs can be just as impressive as winning the Main Event.

Benny Glaser – three bracelets in one summer

Benny Glaser had a summer for the history books in the mixed games. He picked up three bracelets in 2025, bringing his total to eight and proving he belongs right up there with legends like Phil Ivey.

He didn't win the overall POY race, but winning three bracelets in one summer is the kind of achievement that stays on the highlight reels for a long time.

Players of the Year: Punsri, Kristen Foxen, Lakhdari

Punnat Punsri – GPI Player of the Year and an Asian landmark

Thailand’s Punnat Punsri made history this year as the first Asian player to win the Global Poker Index Player of the Year, finishing with 4,458.06 points.

He spent the season racking up Triton titles and big scores at the WSOP, EPT, and Asian Poker Tour, finishing with nearly $11 million in 2025 live cashes. For WPT® fans, the big moment happened at Wynn Las Vegas, where Punsri officially locked up the GPI race during the World Championship festival in December.

Kristen Foxen – record fifth GPI Female POY

Kristen Foxen took home the GPI Female Player of the Year title for the fifth time in just eight years.

She earned over $4.6 million in 2025, grabbing several PokerGO Tour titles early in the year and a $1.1 million payday for third place in a $125,000 Triton Jeju event. That score actually pushed her to the top of the women’s all-time money list.

Her year really shows just how much the top female players are now competing—and winning—in the biggest buy-in events in the world.

Omar Lakhdari – GPI Mid-Major POY

In the mid-stakes world, Omar Lakhdari won the GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year by crushing events with buy-ins under $2,500.

He managed nine top-three finishes this year, including wins on the WPT® Prime and WSOP Circuit. To a lot of pros, that kind of consistency is just as impressive as a one-off high-roller win. It also shows just how much money is up for grabs in these mid-stakes festivals nowadays.

Breakout Story: Bernhard Binder’s $10M leap

2025 also gave us a real breakout star.

Bernhard Binder won the $25,000 WSOP Winter Edition Super Main Event in the Bahamas, taking home $10,000,000 and his first bracelet. Before that, his total earnings were only around $328,000. Back in Austria and Germany, the media called it a total transformation from a regional grinder to a world champion overnight.

The big question now is whether Binder can stay at the top or if 2025 was just a once-in-a-lifetime run.

WPT® Flagships at Wynn Las Vegas: Thornton and Johnson

Schuyler Thornton – WPT® World Championship winner

The WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas was once again a massive highlight. This year, Schuyler Thornton beat out 1,865 entries in the $10,400 buy-in event to take the title. The prize pool hit $18,277,000, and Thornton walked away with $2,258,856.

But this win was about more than just a new trophy. The festival was also where Punnat Punsri made his final push to win the GPI POY, making it a huge part of the 2025 story.

Schuyler Thornton took home the biggest title in WPT® in 2025.

Aaron Johnson – WPT® Prime Championship breakthrough

At that same festival, Aaron Johnson won the WPT® Prime Championship. That $1,100 event was huge, with 9,876 entries and a prize pool of over $9.5 million. After making a deal heads-up, Johnson took home $1,010,400 and a seat in the 2026 World Championship.

His story is probably the one most people can relate to. You don't have to play six-figure buy-ins to be one of the year's big winners. Someone who satellites into a Prime event and survives a massive field can walk away with a seven-figure year from just one tournament.

What 2025’s Winners Tell Us About Poker Right Now

Looking at these winners, a few patterns start to emerge.

• High rollers now drive the top of the money list. Most of the eight-figure years for guys like Mokri, Lonis, and Punsri came from Triton events and massive $250k WSOP tournaments. It seems like if you want to hit that $10 million mark, you have to be playing at that level.
• Awards are becoming just as important as the money. Titles like Deeb’s WSOP POY or Punsri’s GPI win come from a year-long grind, not just one lucky score. For these players, ranking points and trophies are a huge part of what it means to "win" the year.
• Mid-stakes and WPT® festivals are still turning players into millionaires. People like Thornton, Johnson, and Binder proved you can have a seven-figure year without playing every $100k event. The big $1k–$3k tournaments at places like the Wynn or the WSOP can still completely change a career.
• Women and Asian players really stood out this year. Between Kristen Foxen’s record-breaking run and Punnat Punsri’s POY title, it’s clear that the faces at the top of the leaderboards are changing.

For WPT® and WPT® Global fans, the takeaway is pretty simple. The biggest winners didn't stick to just one tour. They moved between Triton, WSOP, EPT, and WPT® stops to find the best games and the biggest prizes.

If you're looking to jump into the mix or qualify online, expect more of the same in 2026: massive fields at the Wynn, life-changing Triton invites, and Player of the Year races that go right down to the wire.