Since poker started as a popular game in 1970, it has created some great poker players.  From yesteryears when Johnny Moss and Nick “The Greek” Dandalos played that first game in the Horseshoe casino and Benny Binion realized the value of poker as a game of entertainment, even for spectators to today where big international tournaments like the WSOP, WSOPE and WPT deliver fabulous entertainment that are even televised, poker has delivered many great celebrities, male and female alike.  Fittingly, Johnny Moss also became the first ever WSOP winner in 1970, even though he won only a silver cup for this coveted title.  History was made.  Today, around hundreds and thousands of poker tables, both in the real and virtual world, poker continues to create a fair share of great names.

King of Poker Johnny Moss was instrumental in the discovery of poker as a valuable game with high entertainment value, even for spectators.  Fittingly, he played the first “public” poker game in 1970 at the Horseshoe casino and was also the poker player who won the very first WSOP in 1970.

Jeffrey “Iceman” Lisandro is known as one of the best Seven Card Stud players in the world and he certainly proved that when he was the first person ever to win all 3 7-card stud disciplines at the WSOP.

Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier also uses her nickname when she plays online.  She does not own an apartment anywhere, is basically homeless, living out of her suitcase as she travels from one tournament to the rest.  She is known for her intense stare during play.  Living her dream, she wins enough to make a comfortable living.

Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu is also a familiar face in the poker world and got his nickname because he was the youngest to win a WSOP bracelet at the age of 23 – a record he held until 2004.  He was also the Card Player magazine player of the year in 2004

Chris Moneymaker (yes, it is indeed his real name) changed the dynamics of poker when he, as a relatively unknown, inexperienced player, won the 2003 World Series of poker player.  Well, that became known as the “Moneymaker phenomenon” and opened up the big tournaments to Joe Soap and his friends.

Stu Ungar is regarded as the greatest pure poker talent to ever play the game.  What makes his story so captivating is that he was the only player to capture the titles at both the WSOP and the Super Bowl of poker and he won them 3 times each.  He never had a job in his life.  He died at the age of 42 due of heart complications due to drug abuse in the late eighties.  His legacy lives on

Peter Eastgate made history in 2008 when, at a young age of 22 years only, he won at the WSOP 2008.