The 54th Annual World Series of Poker is almost here, starting on Tuesday, May 30th, and continuing through Tuesday, July 18th, at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
The annual poker fete will surely attract professionals, amateurs playing the WSOP as their bucket list items, and a wide variety in between. It’s a global event with multiple nations represented, with players proudly looking to make their home countries proud and win big money.
Canada is a country that’s well-represented at the WSOP by multiple professional poker players. In this article, we’ll look closely at five top Canadian poker players to watch for this 2023 WSOP, including Alex Livingston, Sam Greenwood, Kristen Foxen, Xuan Liu, and Daniel Negreanu. All of these players are heavy contenders in the series, if poker statistics and tournament cashes are any indication.
Alex Livingston
Alex Livingston was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and currently resides in Las Vegas. His total live earnings are just under $7 million. A large part of that amount is when he placed third in the WSOP Main Event in 2019 for $4 million. He’s had multiple cashes so far this year going into the WSOP and is already a WSOP bracelet winner after topping the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Event last year. Alex attended Tufts University and, according to WSOP.com loves to play golf and bowl, plus he’s a former chess champion.
Sam Greenwood
Sam Greenwood was born in and still resides in Toronto, ON, Canada. His very impressive live earnings currently hover at almost $31 million, good for second on Canada’s all-time money list, trailing only Daniel Negreanu. Sam is also a WSOP bracelet winner, clinching first in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'em event in 2015. He’s started 2023 strong with a win at the $250,000 No-Limit Hold 'em Super High Roller event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), which added another $3,276,760 to his live career earnings.
Sam is part of a very successful poker family. His brother Max Greenwood has a bottom line of $2.1 million in live earnings, and Sam’s twin brother Lucas Greenwood has amassed a nifty $4.765 million himself.
Kristen Foxen
Kristen Foxen is from St. Catharines, ON, Canada, and has approximately an astonishing $5.9 million in live earnings. She resides in Las Vegas and is 15th on Canada’s all-time money list. She’s won three WSOP bracelets, including one in the 2016 $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'em Bounty event, bringing her $290,768 on top of the bracelet.
This year, she’s already won over $300,000 in tournaments, including taking fourth in the USPO $10,000 No Limit Hold 'em PokerGO Tour event held in Las Vegas in March.
Xuan Liu
Xuan Liu, a famous professional poker player, resides in Toronto, ON, Canada, and has racked up $2,206,241 in total live earnings — good for 49th place on Canada’s all-time money list. Her most considerable cash to date is $600,000 after finishing fourth in the 2012 $10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold 'em – Main Event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Xuan has already finished in the money in three tournaments this year and finished up 2022 strong placing third and winning $96,200 at the PGT Poker Masters event held in September in Las Vegas.
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is one of the most recognizable poker players in the world and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame. He was born in Toronto and currently resides in Las Vegas. His total live earnings rest a little above $50 million. He’s won six bracelets at the WSOP, including a victory in 1998’s $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'em event for $169,460 and 2008’s $2,000 Limit Hold 'em event for $204,874. Daniel has already cashed in 13 tournaments so far this year, bringing home hundreds of thousands of dollars and bringing serious momentum into this summer’s WSOP.
Plus, he has shared his jam-packed WSOP schedule with the world on Twitter:
Finally, Daniel does annual vlogs about his WSOP experiences, which makes it easier to follow along with his time playing throughout the summer.
These five top Canadian players definitely add to the excitement building for the 2023 World Series of Poker. Social media and constant updates make it easier to follow their stories and root for your favorite one.
*All numbers cited for this piece are duly accredited to the Hendon Mob poker database.
Christina Bradfield is an author currently living in Las Vegas. Her love for poker began at a young age when her mother introduced her to Texas Hold 'em in a home game where she learned not to put her cash winnings in her pockets.
