There is always a lot of debate regarding the best poker player in the world –it’s Phil Ivey by the way—or even the best online player, or the best UK player, so in this column I’m going to list my choices for the 10 best young poker players in the world.
In order to make the cut a player must be no older than their mid-twenties, and I’m not looking at name recognition or star-power, or even a players current results; the main criteria I am using is who will be around in the poker world for the next 20 years.
So without further adieu, here is the first part of my list of the Top 10 young poker players:
- #1: Jake Cody
Cody is already a Triple Crown winner at the age of 22 –having won an EPT title, a WPT title, and a WSOP bracelet, so it’s not like I went out on a limb here picking Cody! However, I didn’t pick Cody for what he has already accomplished, I chose him for what he will still accomplish. In my opinion, Cody has the makings for an all-time great in poker.
- #2: Mike “Timex” McDonald
McDonald is another youngster who has already accomplished a lot in the poker world, evidenced by the fact that he felt retirement was an option before he even turned 21! Fortunately for the poker world, McDonald decided to end his early retirement and is back at the poker tables.
- #3: Matt Marifioti
Marifioti is a brash young pro who made his bones on the Internet. Internet success aside, Marifioti has also booked over $1.6 million in live tournament winnings up to this point as well, and even poker legends like Daniel Negreanu have taken notice of his poker playing chops.
- #4: Chris “Moorman1” Moorman
Moorman is perhaps the greatest online tournament player of all-time, having won virtually every major online tournament, and a perennial contender for all of the major online awards. Perhaps his greatest achievement are his 11 Online Triple Crowns –given by PocketFives.com to a player who wins three online poker tournaments with prize-pools over $10,000 at three different online poker rooms in the span of a week.
- #5: William Reynolds
Reynolds is perhaps the best-rounded player on this last, equally adept at online and live play, as well as tournaments and cash games. With a cheerful personality to go along with his poker ability Reynolds is truly one of poker’s rising stars.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this series...
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