Which New Hampshire Poker Players Have Won The Most Money?
The Granite State of New Hampshire is the fifth smallest in the United States and the tenth least populous. It is not the first state you think about when asked about poker greats, but New Hampshire does have some decent players inside its borders.
The five players occupying the current top five in live tournament winnings have combined earnings of $3,274,921. Let us take a look at whom that quintet is.
Dan Chalifour is the Biggest Winner in New Hampshire
Dan Chalifour of Spofford, New Hampshire, is the state’s biggest poker winner. Chalifour has $741,666 in earnings, and is the only active player on our list.
Chalifour has racked up almost 70 cashes during his career, all but one of which stems from playing in the United States. He has several five-figure scores on his resume, including back-to-back cashes in the 2016 and 2017 WSOP Main Event.
The New Hampshire native’s largest prize weighs in at $88,930. This was Chalifour’s reward for finishing eighth in a $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in April 2019.
His last live cash came in February 2020. Chalifour took an enforced break, like many Americans, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael Drummond is a WSOP Bracelet Winner from New Hampshire
The tiny town of Rye, New Hampshire is where you find Michael Hammond. He is second in the state’s all-time money listing courtesy of $735,564 in winnings. The bulk of that sum, $541,747 to be exact, comes from a single result. But what a result.
Drummond bought into the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Handed event at the 2014 WSOP. He took it down three days later and won a coveted gold bracelet and a cool $541,747.
We last saw Drummond at the 2019 WSOP. He cashed in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller but has not cashed since.
James Guinther is a WPT Champion
James “Jimmie” Guinther burst onto the poker scene in 2007 when he won a World Poker Tour title. Guinther took down the $2,650 WPT Borgata Poker Open in New Jersey and banked an impressive $234,850.
Another victory followed two months later in Las Vegas. Guinther won a $1,590 side event at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. That result saw Guinther’s bankroll swell by $94,996.
Guinther, like many looks to have stepped away from poker. He last cashed in a €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event in France at the WSOP Europe festival. Maybe he switched to online poker from his Hudson, New Hampshire, home?
Cylus Watson is Awaiting His First Victory
Cylus Watson has $593,478, placing his fourth in the New Hampshire winnings list. Almost $295,000 of Watson’s winnings come from an impressive run in the 2012 WSOP Main Event.
Watson navigated his way through most if the 6,598-strong field before falling in 22nd place for $294,601. That year’s Main Event had a whole host of stars who made it deep. Greg Merson, of course, walked away with the title, bracelet, and $8,531,853 in prize money.
The man from Madbury, New Hampshire last cashed at the 2019 WSOP; he cashed in a $600 PLO event.
Jeff Cohen Stepped Away From Poker in 2015
Jeff Cohen hails from Rye, New Hampshire just like the aforementioned Drummond. Cohen ranks fifth in the state courtesy of $560,233 in winnings. Cohen collected a career-best score of $176,445 back in 2005. He won the $1,060 buy-in Bellagio Festa Al Lago IV.
Cohen last recorded a live cash in April 2015 is Mashantucket. He finished second to William Dang in the $600 No-Limit Hold’em Mega Stack Challenge at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
With the majority of the current top five winners not being active, we expect some chasing pack to replace them in the standings. Daniel Dipasquale has $526,004 in winnings and is lurking outside the top five. Rory Brown ($519,804) and Corbin Avery ($317,863) are not too far behind either.