For most of us who enjoy a game of online poker, we are delighted if we achieve a victory in a game when no money is at stake, let alone where real cash is available. The thrill of the win and the knowledge that you have defeated other poker players from around the globe is enough to satisfy most individuals thirst for the game.

For a select few however, winning a game is only the beginning. They hone their skills and develop their talent playing in clubs and poker online to become some of the finest players of their generation, and in the process, they earn a degree of fame and considerable fortune.

If money is an accurate measure of a poker player’s ability, then the five highest earning poker players of all time outlined below, are among the best (or luckiest) players there have ever been.

5th: John Juanda, Indonesia (Career winnings $11,993,013)

John Juanda spent his early years growing up in Medan, Indonesia, but moved to the United States in 1990 to attend Oklahoma State University. After he graduated, he spent a short time selling bibles door-to-door, but soon gave that up to follow a career as a poker professional.

He has won 24 tournaments since, and has earned four WSOP bracelets in his glittering career. Juanda is famous for his consistency in top events and his biggest victory came at the World Series of Poker Europe tournament in October 2008 when he took home the first prize of $1,724,836.

4th: Jamie Gold, United States    (Career winnings $12,235,441)

Jamie Gold is not just an accomplished poker player, but also a renowned talent agent whose clients have included US talk show host Jimmy Fallon and Charlie’s Angels actress Lucy Liu. It has been a rapid climb up the poker ladder for Mr Gold as he only began playing professional tournaments in 2005 in his spare time.

His earnings have been massively boosted due to the fact that he won the biggest prize in poker history: $12,000,000 at the WSOP $10,000 No Limit Holdem World Championship in 2006. His lofty status on the all-time earnings board comes chiefly from his world record victory as Gold now only plays once in a while.

3rd: Phil Ivey, United States (Career winnings $13,873,862)

The ‘Tiger Woods of poker’ is one of the most recognisable faces of the game across the globe and the 35-year-old American is regarded by many as the finest poker player in the world today. He has won an incredible eight WSOP bracelets, in world record time, and has also won once on the World Poker Tour. This victory, at the $10,000 L.A. Poker Classic, proved to be his biggest single win, when he took home the top prize of $1,596,100.

2nd: Daniel Negreanu, Canada    (Career winnings $14,924,143)

Born in Toronto, Daniel has become one of the most famous poker players of modern times. Initially harbouring dreams of being a snooker professional, Daniel eventually succeeded as a poker star when he enjoyed a hugely successful breakthrough period in 1997. He has two wins on the World Poker Tour and a total of four WSOP bracelets to his name.

1st: Erik Seidel, United States (Career winnings $16,978,468)

Erik Seidel was born and raised in New York and began his table gaming career as a professional backgammon player. After eight years playing at tournament level, he began to trade on the stock market before, in 1988, deciding that he would try his hand as a professional poker player. He made an immediate impact, finishing second in the 1988 World Series of Poker main event to Johnny Chan. Since then he has won eight WSOP bracelets and was elected to enter the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.