The Five Poker MTT Players With the Most 2021 Winnings

The new year is here and that means poker players around the world are reflecting on the past 12-months. Some achieved their goals, other fell well short. However, the following superstars enjoyed more winnings than anyone else during 2021.

Having a lot of winnings does not always necessarily mean a poker player is as profitable. For example, Daniel Negreanu posted his 2021 tally. He enjoyed winnings of $3,180,396. However, he spent $2,596,373 on buy-ins. Needless to say, the following five players almost certainly enjoyed more profit in addition to winnings.

Michael Addamo enjoyed the most winnings in 2021

Australia’s Michael Addamo had an unforgettable year at the poker tables. The Melbourne man tore it up in the online poker world with several million dollars in winnings. Addamo won an additional $9,487,837 from live events, too; the man is a beast.

The fact Addamo did not cash in a live tournament until September makes his massive tally more impressive. He won two events at the Poker Masters for $680,000 and $1,160,000.

Addamo remained in Las Vegas until the year-end. Three of his next six cashes weighed in at seven figures. The $3,402,000 in winnings he received for taking down the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl resulted in a career-best cash.

Amazingly, both of Addamo’s bracelet wins in 2021 came with $1+ million scores. We cannot wait to see how the Aussie gets on during 2022.

Koray Aldemir boosted his lifetime MTT winnings by more than $8 million

German professional Koray Aldemir is second in the 2021 winnings list courtesy of him becoming the WSOP Main Event champion. Aldemir won $8,096,569 in live events in 2021, with $8 million stemming from his Main Event victory. He cashed in 11 other WSOP events, the biggest prize weighing in at $15,417.

Aldemir also cashed in a $25,000 WPT High Roller, busting 13th for $60,465.

The poker world expects its world champion to travel the world during their reign. Can Aldemir continue adding to his $20,394,575 in live tournament winnings?

Ali Imsirovic comes in at number three

Addamo had the most winnings in 2021, but Ali Imsirovic was the hottest-running player. The man from Bosnia & Herzegovina enjoyed an incredible run in high stakes events in 2021. Imsirovic cashed in 34 tournaments, won 14 of those, and banked an impressive $6,094,964.

His 14th victory of the year happened to be his largest of 2021. Imsirovic won the $25,000 WPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open High Roller for $695,355. That win took his lifetime winnings past $15 million. Indeed, the money won is the third-largest score of Imsirovic’s career. Do not bet against him netting a few seven-figure prizes this year.

David Peters enjoyed another remarkable year

David Peters‘ 2021 winnings tipped the scales at $4,542,630. The fact this ranks only third in his career speaks volumes about the man from Ohio. Peters excelled in the 2021 U.S. Poker Open. He won three events here and retained the famous purple jacket.

More than a dozen cashes followed before Peters reeled in the 11th one-million-plus prize of his career. It came in a $200,000 buy-in event at Aria, Las Vegas. Peters chopped with Nick Petrangelo heads-up, and walked away with $1,387,200 in tow.

George Holmes missed out on WSOP Main Event glory

George Holmes is the surprise entry in the 2021 list of most winnings. It is surprising because he only has two cashes on his poker resume. Holmes finished 213rd in the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $50,855. He improved that massively in 2021 with a runner-up finish in the WSOP Main Event.

That bridesmaid finish came with $4,300,000 in prize money, the fifth-most of any player on the planet. Holmes revealed he simply loves playing poker for the fun of it. Indeed, he is a regular in home games in his native Atlanta, Georgia. Holmes immediately returned to those home games upon his return, although he did so as a multi-millionaire.

Brad Johnson

You name the game, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Brad has either played it or placed a wager on it! Brad calls himself a natural gambler, and someone who gains as much enjoyment from writing about the crazy game of poker as he does playing it.

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