Professionals & Ambassadors

Professional poker players sometimes get the opportunity to be a sponsored player for a poker site. These players, the likes of Fedor Holz, Jamie Staples and Lex Veldhuis, are currently listed as ambassadors for various popular poker sites around the world. But what do they do, who are the biggest ambassadors and can you be a poker ambassador yourself?

Player Country Sponsor Total Winnings
Daniel Negreanu Canada
Daniel Negreanu
Canada
Canada
GGPoker $52,415,151
Fedor Holz Germany
Fedor Holz
Germany
Germany
GGPoker $41,686,203
Bertrand Grospellier France
Bertrand Grospellier
France
France
GGPoker $15,396,857
Sam Grafton United Kingdom
Sam Grafton
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
PokerStars $15,350,348
Ramon Colillas Spain
Ramon Colillas
Spain
Spain
PokerStars $6,398,613
Felipe Ramos Brazil
Felipe Ramos
Brazil
Brazil
GGPoker $3,769,611
Jeff Gross United States
Jeff Gross
United States
United States
GGPoker $3,705,957
Andre Akkari Brazil
Andre Akkari
Brazil
Brazil
PokerStars $3,610,498
Rafael Moraes Brazil
Rafael Moraes
Brazil
Brazil
PokerStars $2,234,707
Diego Ventura Peru
Diego Ventura
Peru
Peru
GGPoker $2,060,866
Parker Talbot Canada
Parker Talbot
Canada
Canada
PokerStars $1,692,127
Ian Simpson United Kingdom
Ian Simpson
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
888poker $1,181,233
Vivian Saliba Brazil
Vivian Saliba
Brazil
Brazil
888poker $845,261
Lex Veldhuis Netherlands
Lex Veldhuis
Netherlands
Netherlands
PokerStars $699,078
Maria Konnikova United States
Maria Konnikova
United States
United States
PokerStars $553,286
Raigo Aasmaa Estonia
Raigo Aasmaa
Estonia
Estonia
OlyBet $526,209
Jukka Juvonen Finland
Jukka Juvonen
Finland
Finland
OlyBet $511,697
Patrick Tardif Canada
Patrick Tardif
Canada
Canada
GGPoker $496,675
Alexandre Mantovani Brazil
Alexandre Mantovani
Brazil
Brazil
888poker $480,638
Jen Shahade United States
Jen Shahade
United States
United States
PokerStars $480,254
Kevin Martin Canada
Kevin Martin
Canada
Canada
GGPoker $472,994
Benjamin Spragg United Kingdom
Benjamin Spragg
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
PokerStars $467,948
Michael Acevedo Costa Rica
Michael Acevedo
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
GGPoker $262,900
Lucia Navarro Spain
Lucia Navarro
Spain
Spain
888poker $206,937
Fintan Hand Ireland
Fintan Hand
Ireland
Ireland
PokerStars $134,828
Jaime Staples Canada
Jaime Staples
Canada
Canada
partypoker $134,479
Felix Schneiders Germany
Felix Schneiders
Germany
Germany
PokerStars $127,973
Georgina James United Kingdom
Georgina James
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
PokerStars $75,119
Paavo Korkka Estonia
Paavo Korkka
Estonia
Estonia
OlyBet $73,429
Ricardo Mateus Portugal
Ricardo Mateus
Portugal
Portugal
888poker $72,685
Matt Staples Canada
Matt Staples
Canada
Canada
partypoker $70,319
Hristivoje Pavlovic Australia
Hristivoje Pavlovic
Australia
Australia
GGPoker $65,826
Arlie Shaban Canada
Arlie Shaban
Canada
Canada
PokerStars $65,362
Jordan Banfield Canada
Jordan Banfield
Canada
Canada
888poker $45,727
Priit Turner Estonia
Priit Turner
Estonia
Estonia
OlyBet $34,837
Neymar Brazil
Neymar
Brazil
Brazil
PokerStars $32,131
Pamela Balzano Argentina
Pamela Balzano
Argentina
Argentina
GGPoker $30,047
David Kaye United States
David Kaye
United States
United States
PokerStars $21,101
Nicholas Walsh United Kingdom
Nicholas Walsh
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
PokerStars $20,974
Leo Jokura Brazil
Leo Jokura
Brazil
Brazil
888poker $18,264
Sebastian Huber Austria
Sebastian Huber
Austria
Austria
PokerStars $5,765
Ali Nejad United States
Ali Nejad
United States
United States
GGPoker $5,710
Aaron Barone United States
Aaron Barone
United States
United States
888poker $4,943
Josh Manley United Kingdom
Josh Manley
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
888poker $3,612
Steve Enriquez Spain
Steve Enriquez
Spain
Spain
GGPoker
Lasse Jagd Lauritsen Denmark
Lasse Jagd Lauritsen
Denmark
Denmark
PokerStars
Nick Eastwood United Kingdom
Nick Eastwood
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
888poker
Andrei Cosmin Romania
Andrei Cosmin
Romania
Romania
888poker
Jack Dean United Kingdom
Jack Dean
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
888poker

What are poker ambassadors?

Poker ambassadors are professional poker players that are chosen by companies like PokerStars and GG Poker to represent and promote their brand.

For this reason, the biggest and most popular names in poker are often the best choices to be ambassadors. Players like Daniel Negreanu are hugely well known and liked by the community, so having the Canadian as an ambassador is very valuable to any brand.

Do poker ambassadors get paid?

While each deal will vary per player, most, if not all, poker ambassadors will be paid by the company they work for. Not only that, but they might also get other perks - such as getting staked into large buy-in tournaments. This saves the ambassador money, while benefiting the company as their player will seen to be in a staple, high-profile tournament.

How do you become a poker ambassador?

While there are no set dimensions or requirements you must meet to become a poker ambassador, you must bring a certain amount of value to the company. A streamer with 10,000+ viewers is going to have a greater chance of becoming an ambassador than a streamer with 10 weekly viewers.

That being said, it’s not all just about the size of an ambassador’s following. A player streaming Stud Hi-lo is going to be valuable to a company than someone with the same number of viewers streaming No-Limit Hold’em, as the former is bringing more niche content to the fray.

All in all, it’s extremely difficult to become a poker ambassador at one of the main sites/companies, but it is possible. You either need a large enough following or bring something new to the table.

Professional Poker Players & Ambassadors FAQs

Who is the biggest poker ambassador?

While the point is up for debate, many would agree that Daniel Negreanu is the biggest ambassador in poker right now. The Canadian has won more money in tournaments than any other ambassador, and is one of the most well known names in poker. His move from PokerStars, a company he was the face of for many years, to GG Poker shook up the industry.

Is Phil Ivey a poker ambassador?

Yes, Phil Ivey is a poker ambassador. In November 2022, he signed with the World Poker Tour (WPT), one of the largest organisations of poker tournaments globally. Ivey is considered by many to be one of, if not, the best poker players in history.

Is Dan Bilzerian a professional poker player?

Yes, you could consider Dan Bilzerian to be a professional poker player. Although exact figures are not clear, he has been a part of the poker high roller scene and has made money in poker.

However, he is definitely not one of the best poker players, or close to the ability of many poker professionals who dedicate their lives solely to poker. In contrast, Bilzerian is more of a businessman, with many different entrepreneurial ventures in different industries currently occupying a lot of his time.