Top Earners in Poker History per State - Segment Six
In the competitive world of poker, the only scoreboard that truly matters is the amount of money won. With the 2025 World Series of Poker around the corner, Poker News Daily has turned to the Hendon Mob poker database for an intriguing question: Who are the all-time money leaders by state?
Our series kicked off by covering twenty-five states, including the District of Columbia, and we are now delving into more territories. Let's explore the state of Montana next.
Montana
What makes Montana's top three peculiar is the noticeable difference between the top place and the remainder of the state. Leading the charge for Big Sky Country is David 'Doc' Sands, who has amassed nearly $8.5 million in his poker career, despite currently residing in Las Vegas. The second-place participant is Bradley Anderson, with a career earnings of $828,656, approximately ten times less than that of Sands, highlighting the significant gap between the two.
As it stands, Sands is undisputedly atop Montana's all-time standings:1. David 'Doc' Sands (Bozeman, MT): $8,459,9212. Bradley Anderson (Bozeman, MT): $828,0443. Ian Gordon (Missoula, MT): $742,281
Nebraska
A recent shakeup has occurred on Nebraska's leaderboard as Mike Vanier has overtaken Daniel Sindelar. Two World Poker Tour finishes, resulting in a 20th-place win at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and a six-way chop at the WPT Choctaw, were enough for Vanier to claim the top spot, moving past Sindelar. The third position on the list is held tightly by Ryan Phan, trailing both Vanier and Sindelar by a mere $300,000, making the race for the top slot competitive.
The current top three all-time money leaders for Nebraska are:1. Mike Vanier (Lincoln, NE): $2,351,4152. Daniel Sindelar (Lincoln, NE): $2,268,6263. Ryan Phan (Omaha, NE): $2,006,691
Nevada
Compiling the Nevada list is a complex challenge due to The Hendon Mob's placement of players in states where they were born. However, despite this, we bring you the Top Ten with significant career earnings:
On the top of Nevada's standings is Dan Smith, born in New Jersey, but his astounding $59 million career earnings would top almost any state he was assigned to. Following Smith is Antonio Esfandiari, born in Tehran, Iran, who won the first Big One for One Drop, and Colorado native Jeremy Ausmus, who rounds out the top three with considerable career earnings.
New Hampshire
The state of New Hampshire presents some intriguing numbers. Dan Chalifour, the all-time money leader, boasts no six-figure wins on his sixteen-year poker résumé, but he remains a 'poker millionaire' by earning over a million dollars from his 102 finishes. Surprisingly, Chalifour has maintained his position recently with two tournament finishes in Florida, earning almost $60,000.
If Chalifour's lead is to be challenged, it may come from Daniel Geeng, who trails him by only $100,000. Geeng frequently competes in high-stakes tournaments and could quickly overtake Chalifour with one impressive performance.
New Jersey
The New Jersey leaderboard is headlined by Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey. Absecon, NJ was Ivey's hometown, and he has made a significant impact in the Garden State with over $48 million in career earnings. Although there may seem to be a heated battle behind Ivey, the competition pales in comparison to his dominance.
Tom Marchese and four-time WPT champion Darren Elias follow Ivey, with combined career earnings totaling less than half of Ivey's total earnings. Chris Klodnicki narrowly misses the podium, making the final four players with over $10 million in career earnings.
We will postpone examining the state of New York and the rest of the states until our next edition of the countdown. Have you noticed any surprising top threes in our coverage so far? Has your state been included in our analysis?
Our series is now beyond the halfway mark, so keep a lookout for our coverage of the remaining states in the upcoming days!
- The poker world values wins, as shown by David 'Doc' Sands' nearly $8.5 million earnings, maintaining his lead on Montana's all-time standings.
- In Nebraska, Mike Vanier has recently overtaken Daniel Sindelar for the top spot, boasting career earnings of $2,351,415.
- In a complex placement due to state assignment, Dan Smith heads the Nevada list with an astounding $59 million in career earnings.
- Dan Chalifour, New Hampshire's all-time money leader, remains a millionaire despite no six-figure wins, with career earnings of over $1 million.
- New Jersey is dominated by Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey, who has secured over $48 million in career earnings.
- Poker News Daily's countdown series, featuring all-time money leaders by state, continues to cover the remaining states, offering surprising top threes for readers to explore.
