Poker dominated the casino gaming world. Asia, being the largest continent both by size and population, has so many great poker players. They have been overtaking tournaments and cash games all around the world. Listing the top Asian poker players is not an easy feat, considering there are so many choices. This list is not a comprehensive one. But, it includes three of Asia’s most elite poker players known worldwide. Let us have a further look.

John Juanda

Indonesia’s John Juanda tops the list with no contenders. Everyone who knows poker agrees that he is one of the world’s most successful poker players. Even top poker player Daniel Negreanu commended him. Negreanu considers him the most underrated and neglected superstar in poker. His unrivalled consistency led him to win more than twenty-four million dollars. Juanda entered his first major tournament in 1999 when he burst onto the poker scene. He became victorious in five different poker variants. The list of Juanda’s poker success goes a long way. His most renowned was his epic win in the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He battled at the final table for over nineteen hours to defeat Stanislav Alekhin. In 2015, the Poker Hall of Fame inducted him. A lot of people consider Juanda to be a safe bet. He is someone who will make a final table and win a considerable prop bet. His total winnings amount to more than twenty-five million dollars.

Elton Tsang

Elton Tsang Ka Wai is a very controversial persona. Richard Yong and Paul Phua got arrested in the United States for illegal sports betting. They are both known to be his close friends when he was in Canada. Tsang now plays under the Chinese flag, landing him on this list. Tsang’s first live tournament cash was in 2006 where he landed the fourth spot in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. The PanAsia Poker Tour held that event. In 2010, he became the champion of the Asian Poker King Tournament. He gained his first tournament win with an earning of more than seventy thousand dollars. Tsang was then invited by someone to join an exclusive poker tournament. That “someone” was none other than Cirque du Soleil’s founder, Guy Laliberté. He defeated twenty-five players in that $1,000,000 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza. By winning the tournament, he earned more than twelve million dollars. That was the third-largest single payout in poker history.

Paul Phua

Macau’s Paul Phua is not only known as an outstanding poker player. He is also famous for owning a poker strategy website. A lot of known players contribute videos and tips for the site. These include top poker players Phil Ivey, Dan Colman, Daniel Cates, Tom Dwan, and Sam Trickett. In the late 1990s, Phua became business partners with Richard Yong. Then in the early 2000s, they supplied Macau’s casinos with rich Asian people. In return, the casino paid them 1 per cent of the total revenue. Phua played at the Asian Poker Tour 2010. Rumours that productive Asians play in Macau started to spread fast. He was soon playing with John Juanda, Phil Ivey, and other famous players. His first prize money was at the Aspers 100K High Roller. He had a winning amounting to more than one million and six hundred thousand dollars. Soon he became a well-known bookie among top poker players. Phua landed the second spot in Trion London Main Event in 2019. It was in this event where he won the most considerable prize money of his career. He won more than three million dollars in that event. He has a total of five winnings with a seven-digit.

Asians are becoming more open to casino gaming. Their effort to give their best to win tournaments here and there is discernible. They commit to improving as a player, and they use all the tools at their disposal. Poker is all about skill, practice and a bit of luck. Their eagerness to enhance their strategy is making them stay in the long run. You will learn more when you play more. Because of that, we could say that the future for Asian poker players will be fruitful. It is a lot of fun to see how Asian poker players turn out.