The Top “4”

Poker is a game of thrills and big wins. Yet, for some players, big wins never come. For others, they do, but the lack of thrill upon winning big is just not enough to continue playing. A game that requires strategy, skill, and a tad bit of luck, poker is a card game that requires players to behave like athletes more than any other casino game. It is not everyone's cup of tea. Yet, for some, it is the passion of their lives. Throughout the history of professional poker we have witnessed massive wins, and some heartbreaking losses. 

This time around, we're going to talk about the players who have enjoyed the game, played well enough to reach the pinnacle of the game, but in the end decided that poker life is not for them. You heard it well, there are folks out there who have managed to win millions playing their favourite game, only to disappear from poker tables after securing the bag. For some, that's the best way to go out. Here are the top players who went out in style. In no particular order, they are: 

Peter Eastgate

If you're even remotely into poker you have heard about Peter Eastgate. For a while he was the youngest person ever to win the World Series of Poker. He did the feat back in 2008, but has been silent as far as the game goes since. The Danish poker player won a massive prize of $9,152,416 in 2008 after defeating Ivan Demidov. After that, his passion for poker was gone. He was 22 at the moment of winning this prize, and has become the youngest player to do it since 1989. A record that stood for almost 20 years was gone in a day. The interesting part was that at first, Eastgate continued playing the game he loved so much. The Dane even defended his title in 2009 but lost in the main event after six days of poker. His elimination came at the spot 78, after his opponent came out with a rivered flush. 

Peter Eastgate announced his intention to retire in 2010, as he felt that his goal of financial independence was achieved. For him, the idea of playing poker for the rest of his life was not something that was feasible nor something that he really wanted to do. Considering that he secured his financial independence in 2008, taking a break felt natural. Yet, he decided to end his hiatus in 2011, and his fans were rejoiced, only for Eastgate not to appear in any major tournament since 2013. Back in 2018, on the tenth anniversary of his World Series of Poker he was asked if he would be willing to participate in the monumental event, only for fans and the press to receive another negative response. The main WSOP event in 2018 was held in Las Vegas and when prompted to answer about his participation, Eastgate said: "Absolutely not. It doesn't matter to me."

Eastgate is probably the biggest name in poker, who had walked out of the game when he was at the top of it. Winning a massive prize of over $9 million at the young age of 22 was a life defining moment for the Danish player. He remembers the win quite fondly, and he is not shy to tell his tale. Talking about the world of competitive poker, Dan added: " It was very enjoyable. It's a privilege to travel the world and play the game that you love . It is like being a professional football or basketball player. I don't have many complaints. It was perfect."

The part that Eastgate hated about the game of poker is the fame that comes when you're one of the best players in the world. He disliked the publicity that came with it, the interviews, public appearances, and fans following you at the events nonstop. In his own admission, Eastgate is an introverted guy who did not enjoy the spotlight even for a minute. At times he has felt as if returning to the high stakes table was not the right idea as he considered that modern poker and online versions such as poker on Stake have passed him by due to the advancements in the game and his lack of competitive gaming. Yet, Eastgate doesn't hide the fact that he still plays online, and advises the players that they sit with him at the tables, as he is not as prolific as he once was and that there are many amateur players better than him out there. As for what he's up to now, Eastgate described it as: "Overall, I'm very unproductive, just imagine a Sunday, and I live that every day of the week, but I'm enjoying myself." Winning massive at a WSOP tournament and retiring early will do that for you, and we can only envy Eastgate for the life he's having. 

Pius Heinz

Pius Heinz is another interesting name in the world of poker. He came, he conquered, and then disappeared. Heinz is a professional German poker player from Bonn. He became a fan of the game by watching high stakes poker events on television. Once he realized that it is in essence a game of skill, and after playing it mostly with friends, he gave it a shot online after studying the game. Online poker suited Heinz rather well, and before he started playing it live it is rumoured that he took home close to $700,000. While live events were not his thing due to the game not being as rapid as it is online, Heinz enrolled to play competitive poker due to the fact that there are big wins to be made when you play the top tournaments. 

His first notable wins came in 2010 at Full Tilt Poker Sunday Mulligan and at PokerStars tournament at which he won $150,000. After that he hit the big leagues. Early in his career, Heinz applied for WSOP events in 2011, and rose through the ranks steadily. Heinz was not expecting big things at the World Series of Poker in 2011 in Las Vegas, and yet he fully delivered. When it was all said and done, he was the best man on the week among 6,865 players who entered the tourney. In the final he was better than Martin Staszko and took home a staggering win of $8,715,638. It was the biggest and the final win of his career. 

Pius Heinz was good at poker, but never really a fan of the live game. The sensation that he had as a young player that the game moves too slowly at the highest level stuck with him all the way to professional waters, and after winning the biggest tournament in poker and millions to boast, he decided to call it a day. Winning the main event at WSOP always carries a lot of money with itself, and as far as poker goes it cannot get any better than that. Heinz decided to spend his money in peace, without living the extravagant life of a former poker champion. 

While he still occasionally plays high stakes poker, Pius Heinz has managed to live his life outside of the public eye. It is said that he now lives in Vienna, and that he has invested the majority of his money, and that he now lives a quiet life where the stakes are not as high. His most recent notable win came back in 2016 at the Eureka Poker Tour SHR where he won the 1st prize and went home with €44,814. Poker at the level he likes it the most. 

Daniel Colman

The American poker player from Massachusetts, Daniel Colman is best known for his exploits playing online poker under the monikers “mrGR33N13” and “riyyc225”. He was quick to realize that there's money to be made by playing poker, but never hid the fact that his love for the game is strictly professional. Back in 2013 he managed to win more than $1 million by playing hyper turbo tournaments, winning the prize inside the span of a single year. It took him only nine months to achieve the feat. 

After securing $1 million on PokerStars he was gearing up to say goodbye to poker and dedicate his time to higher education. Yet, after messing up his college application he decided to stay in poker for a bit longer, and that has proven to be a great life decision. Daniel Colman is one of those people who simply doesn't see poker as a sustainable way to have income, but is good enough in it to prove otherwise. It is due to his stance that he avoids talking to the media, and remains away from the spotlight. His biggest win happened in Las Vegas back in 2014 when he took home $15.3 million from Nevada after winning The Big One for One Drop bracelet. Talking about the event, Dan only said that it is a good thing that many of the money gathered at the tables during the events get to charity, because if it all went to the players, organizers, and sponsors, such events would be worthwhile.

While the love for the game is not there with Dan, it didn't stop him from raking up the wins left and right. At the moment he is in top ten earners on the All-Time Money List. In addition to The Big One for One Drop bracelet win he also took home $2.2 million from EPT Monte Carlo in April 2014 where he was the best high roller and won an additional €100,000 Super High Roller. At the 2015 WSOP he took the third spot at the $10,000 Heads-Up event but was the winner of The Big One for One Drop for $15,306,668.

Daniel Colman still plays poker, and his wins are still big, making his total winnings be over $21,500,000 he still hasn't fallen in love with the game. Due to this fact he found his place on our list. Even as a still active player, it is rare that you will hear a thing or two about Dan's exploits in or out of the game despite being a poker millionaire. 

Jerry Yang

A true on hit wonder, Jerry Yang was an amateur player that stumbled his way up to the final of an WSOP event in 2007, won, and never looked back. After winning only $225 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, he decided to take that money and apply to the World Series. Before the WSOP he only had a few amateurish wins to his name. After an impressive string of wins throughout the first few days of the 2007 World Series of Poker, Jerry Yang found himself playing with the top eight players on the tournament. 

He had the least amount of chips at the beginning, but as time moved on he became the one holding the most, and never looked back nor lost his advantage. When the showdown came down to two men he was pitted against Tuan Lam and he managed to beat him with a pair of 8s after the table worked in his favour and handed him a nine high straight for the win. His final pot amounted to $8,250,000. Even today, almost two decades after his wins, Jerry's total winnings from poker remain to be around a tad bit over $8 million. Yes, he continued playing, but almost never again won any substantial sum from poker. 

With $8 million in his pocket, Jerry Yang decided to get back to his regular life in California, spend time with his family, and enjoy the spoils of a single lucky run. While his strategy at the WSOP revolved around exploiting the weaknesses of his opponents and playing each hand with aggression, no one can hide the fact that he was dealt quite a few good hands throughout the tourney and that he had lady luck on his side in 2007, only to never hear from her again. Nor was there a need.