Canadian poker players have accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in tournament winnings over the past two decades. Their success spans from the World Series of Poker Main Event to high-stakes tournaments in Macau, London, and the Caribbean.
The numbers tell a story of consistent performance at poker’s highest levels, with several Canadians ranking among the sport’s top earners globally.
Where Canada’s Top Players Built Their Bankrolls
Before dominating live tournaments around the world, many of Canada’s most successful players developed their skills on various platforms.
Daniel Negreanu started playing in Toronto’s underground card rooms and charity casinos before moving to Las Vegas, while Timothy Adams earned nearly $2 million on PokerStars under the username “Tim0thee” alongside another $530,000 on Full Tilt Poker.
Sam Greenwood accumulated over $6 million in online tournament winnings across multiple sites, with $3.5 million coming from PokerStars alone.
The paths these players took to success varied considerably, from local card rooms in Vancouver and Montreal to online casinos in Canada and international poker sites.
Jonathan Duhamel famously qualified for his 2010 WSOP Main Event victory through an online satellite tournament, while Mike Watson built his reputation primarily through online play before transitioning to live events, earning him recognition as one of Canada’s strongest internet players.
Daniel Negreanu’s $56.9 Million Legacy
Daniel Negreanu sits at the top of Canada’s poker hierarchy with US$56.9 million in live tournament winnings as of August 2025.
His career includes seven World Series of Poker bracelets, with the most recent coming in 2024 when he won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $1,178,703. That victory ended a ten-year period without a bracelet win.
Negreanu has reached 36 WSOP final tables and cashed 103 times in WSOP events. The Global Poker Index named him the best poker player of the previous decade in 2014. He won WSOP Player of the Year honors in 2004 and 2013, becoming the only person to win that award twice.
Timothy Adams and His $38.9 Million Career
Timothy Adams holds second place among Canadian tournament players with $38,911,549 in total live earnings. His most recent cash of $9,700 came on December 18, 2024.
Adams won the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju HKD 2,000,000 Main Event in March 2019, collecting $3,536,550. Between January and June 2020, he cashed for approximately $5.9 million in tournaments.
His major victories include the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl in Macau for $3,600,000 and the 2019 Super High Roller Bowl London for $2,765,000. Adams played online tournaments under the username “Tim0thee” on Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, earning approximately $2.5 million combined across both platforms.
Sam Greenwood Crosses $34 Million Mark
Sam Greenwood ranks third among Canadian poker players with over $34,000,000 in live poker tournament earnings as of December 2023. He became the 18th player in poker tournament history to surpass $30 million in recorded earnings.
At the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Greenwood secured his biggest career cash by winning the $250,000 buy-in Super High Roller for $3.3 million.
Greenwood won his first WSOP bracelet in 2015 in Event #22: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $318,977. His online poker tournament winnings exceed $6 million, with nearly $3.5 million earned on PokerStars and over $1 million each on Full Tilt and partypoker.
Jonathan Duhamel’s Historic Main Event Victory
Jonathan Duhamel became the first Canadian to win the WSOP Main Event in 2010, earning $8,944,310. By March 2021, his live tournament winnings exceeded $18,000,000. In June 2015, Duhamel won the $111,111 buy-in WSOP High Roller for One Drop, adding $3,989,985 and his second WSOP bracelet to his record.
Four months later, in October 2015, he captured the $25,600 No Limit Hold’em High Roller at the World Series of Poker Europe for $628,815 and his third WSOP bracelet.
As of November 2021, Duhamel no longer plays professionally, though he still participates in poker games recreationally.
Kristen Foxen Makes History
Kristen Foxen, formerly Kristen Bicknell, was born on December 29 in Ontario, Canada. She won her first WSOP bracelet at the 2013 $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, earning $173,922.
Three years later, she captured the WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em bounty event for her second bracelet and $290,768.
Foxen won her third WSOP bracelet by taking down the $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed event in 2020 for $356,412. She became the first female player to win a fourth WSOP bracelet when she won the WSOP Online $888 No Limit Hold’em Crazy 8’s event in 2023. At the WSOP 2024 Main Event, she finished 13th out of 10,211 players, earning $600,000.
Canada’s Poker Circuit Expansion in 2024
The World Series of Poker Circuit held its first Toronto series from March 22 to April 1, 2024. Eight tournaments focused on No Limit Texas Hold’em attracted over 6,000 entries, including 324 players who qualified online via GGPoker and GGPoker Ontario.
The total prize pool exceeded C$5.5 million. Toronto’s second year hosting the circuit in 2025 saw prize money increase to $7.57 million CAD from $5.589 million CAD in 2024.
Montreal hosted the WSOP International Circuit from August 19 to September 3, 2024, at Playground Poker Club in Kahnawake, Quebec. The WPT Prime Montreal Championship ran from May 9-22, while the Pure Poker Tour visited Edmonton, Calgary, and Yellowhead in Alberta, offering various poker formats to players across the province.
Conclusion
Canadian poker players have earned their place among the world’s elite through consistent performance and massive tournament scores. From Negreanu’s $56.9 million in winnings to Foxen’s four WSOP bracelets, these players demonstrate skill across different formats and buy-in levels.
The expansion of major tournament series throughout Canada, with multi-million dollar prize pools in Toronto, Montreal, and Alberta, provides more opportunities for the next generation of Canadian players to compete at the highest levels.
The combination of established champions and growing tournament infrastructure positions Canada as a major force in professional poker for years to come.
