Canada is considerably smaller than the US in terms of population, with just 38 million people compared to more than 300 million in the US. Despite this, the country has contributed a lot to the world and has plenty of famous athletes and stars too. One area where Canada stands out is its famous gamblers and poker players. Over the years, gambling has become more mainstream in Canada, and the result has been a number of professional poker players and sports bettors.
While Canada doesn’t have as many big-name poker players as the US, plenty of stars still call the Great White North their home. Canadians have been able to hone their skills at poker sites in Canada, which are safe and legal to use. Let’s take a look at some of the most brilliant and notable poker players Canada has produced over the years.
Daniel Negreanu
Few names in poker are as widely known as Negreanu, which is an impressive accomplishment for a Canadian. The Toronto-born card player has been playing poker since the age of sixteen. Back then, the game was mainly played in poker rooms, but over the years, it evolved into a massive game that is played for millions of dollars in televised tournaments.
Negreanu, arguably the most famous poker player of all time, has made over $42 million in live poker earnings and was admitted into the poker hall of fame in 2014. His poker skills are what made him successful, but it’s his personality that made him a star and a fan favorite. Daniel has even had his own Netflix documentary that showed off his life and career.
As the most successful poker player Canada has ever produced, Negreanu has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour championship championships. He even won the inaugural PokerGo Cup in July 2021, demonstrating that his poker game is still as brilliant as ever three decades later.
Kara Scott
Kara Scott is the face of ESPN’s coverage of the Poker World Series and other major poker tournaments. Aside from being a journalist and reporter, the Alberta-born Scott is also a formidable player herself. She formerly finished runner-up in the Irish Open and has also appeared on several poker shows as a contestant, including the Shark Cage, Heads Up, and Poker After Dark.
All in all, she may not be the most prolific player in terms of her record, but Kara Scott has helped make poker more popular than ever in Canada. She was recently sponsored by 888 Poker, and her personality has made her one of the best-known figures in the game.
Scott is the only woman to cash in both the 2008 and 2009 WSOP Main Events, making her only the second woman in history to do so. She responded to critics in an interview after her success in the Irish Open. “I know a lot of people don’t think I can play, and there are always going to be people who say I can’t. But I have made the final of a female championship. I won a Sports Star Challenge, I went deep in the World Series of Poker Main Event, and now I’ve come second in the Irish Open.”
Sam Greenwood
Former stock trader Sam Greenwood has quietly become one of Canada’s most successful poker players. As one of three professional poker-playing brothers, Greenwood comes from a family that must have some interesting discussions around the dinner table.
Since beginning his career on the felt, Greenwood has reached some impressive milestones. So far, he’s collected more than $22 million in live earnings and regularly competes in some of the biggest tournaments. He started out with online poker and still often plays online, happy to take part in the biggest stakes competitions. Greenwood doesn’t just play poker. He also coaches it and owns a poker training site called Run it Once.