High-Stakes Poker: How Many Players Make a Profit?

In 1999, the cost of playing in all the most expensive tournaments was around $250,000, and by 2013, this cost had risen to approximately $1.2 million. However, in 2025, the cost reached a staggering $12 million.

To make a profit in these high-stakes tournaments, players need to earn more than $12 million in prizes annually. In 2024, only three players managed to achieve this feat: Adrian Mateos Diaz with $13,109,217, Patrick Antonius with $12,488,048, and Alejandro Lokoko with $12,287,737.

Several other players also had significant earnings. Alex Foxen, Jonathan Tamayo, and Daniel Dvoress each earned more than $10 million. Additionally, forty players earned more than $5 million, 121 earned more than $2 million, and 259 earned more than $1 million. Most high-stakes tournaments have a turbo structure, which increases variance and lowers the ROI for professionals. Daniel Negreanu estimates that only 3-7 players spend more than $10 million on buy-ins annually.