The most popular poker players in Texas
Ethan Miller // Getty Images
The most popular poker players in Texas
Poker in the United States is booming—again.
Last year, the World Series of Poker accepted a record 10,043 entrants, who each had to fork over $10,000 to sit at the no-limit hold ’em tournament with a $93.4 million purse, including $12.1 million for the winner.
The event, which started in 1970 with seven participants, took off in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker burst onto the scene, The Financial Times reported. The Tennessee accountant won $2.5 million after qualifying for the main event in an $86 online satellite tournament, and poker hasn’t been the same since.
The World Poker Tour, which arranges and hosts international poker tournaments, was launched the previous year. Added to that, the increased availability of broadband internet plus unregulated online poker rooms and the entertainment value of televised events helped foster a rise that lasted until the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 prevented businesses from accepting payments from people participating in illegal gambling.
Online poker took another huge hit in 2011, when the Department of Justice on what is known as Black Friday seized the domains of super sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet—and $34 million from players. It made a comeback, however, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the sprouting of new platforms, and subsequent developments and innovations made the game more attractive.
Still, it’s been a slow burn, and while poker has seen its share of ups and downs as the gambling industry ebbs and flows, more and more players are sitting down to ante up.
To see which players had the most eyes on them, Clubs Poker compiled a ranking—based on a national analysis—of the most popular poker players in Texas using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in Texas were ranked according to the unique pageviews on the website starting from Jan. 1, 2008. Data about each player’s live cash earnings were added as supplementary insights. Data is as of March 13, 2024.
#10. Lance Garcia
– Total live earnings: $3,646,988
— 566th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $638,880
– Residence: Houston, Texas
– Unique hits: 46,122
#9. Clonie Gowen
– Total live earnings: $1,639,064
— 1,567th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $437,775
– Residence: Sachse, Texas
– Unique hits: 50,553
#8. Ankush Mandavia
– Total live earnings: $6,148,131
— 270th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $787,640
– Residence: Austin, Texas
– Unique hits: 55,240
#7. Upeshka De Silva
– Total live earnings: $3,805,790
— 525th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $424,577
– Residence: Katy, Texas
– Unique hits: 55,756
#6. Alex Keating
– Total live earnings: $3,930,539
— 496th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $701,688
– Residence: Austin, Texas
– Unique hits: 61,248
#5. William Perkins
– Total live earnings: $5,449,472
— 317th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $2,678,386
– Residence: Houston, Texas
– Unique hits: 62,600
#4. David Benefield
– Total live earnings: $4,501,376
— 420th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $944,650
– Residence: Arlington, Texas
– Unique hits: 65,394
#3. Sam Farha
– Total live earnings: $2,933,898
— 752nd highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $1,300,000
– Residence: Houston, Texas
– Unique hits: 89,208
#2. Thomas John Cloutier
– Total live earnings: $10,498,580
— 126th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $896,500
– Residence: Richardson, Texas
– Unique hits: 113,366
#1. Doug Polk
– Total live earnings: $10,493,951
— 125th highest live poker earnings of all time
– Best live cash: $3,686,865
– Residence: Austin, Texas
– Unique hits: 259,293
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
This story originally appeared on Clubs Poker and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
