As the curtain falls on 2024, the world of live tournament poker has witnessed extraordinary performances and record-breaking wins.
This year has been a remarkable showcase of skill and strategy, with players from around the globe competing fiercely for prestigious titles and life-changing prize money.
The top five live tournament winners have not only amassed impressive earnings but have also left an indelible mark on the poker community.
Leading the pack is Adrian Mateos, who topped the charts with over $13 million in winnings, followed closely by Finland’s Patrik Antonius and Argentina’s Alejandro Lococo.
Each player on this list is notable for navigating through some of the toughest fields in poker history.
Adrian Mateos – $13,109,217
In 2024, Adrian Mateos solidified his status as one of the premier poker players in the world, achieving an impressive total of $13,109,217 in live tournament winnings.
His year was marked by several victories in events stacked with top-tier talent, showcasing his exceptional skill level. It’s no surprise that even before 2024 got going many thought that he was the best NL live tournament player in the world.
He began the year strong at the EPT Paris, picking up a pair of seconds and a sixth place. A couple of weeks later it was the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju, where he won a $38,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $1.2 million, following up with a third place for $381,000.
The EPT Monte Carlo went well and then there was another win among five cashes in Montenegro when the Triton circus moved on.
Mateos continued to dominate throughout the year, capturing his fifth title at the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and securing a payout of $61,643 in another event.
His consistent performance placed him at the top of various leaderboards, including the Global Poker Index (GPI) rankings, where he finished October as the world number one.
His ability to navigate high-pressure situations and adapt to different tournament formats has made him a formidable opponent at every table.
As he continues to compete at the highest level, Adrian Mateos remains a player to watch in future tournaments, with many anticipating what he will achieve next.
Just for context, Mateos’s 2024 earnings would place him at 108th place on the all-time winners list, right in front of Shaun Deeb.
Patrik Antonius – $12,488,048
Patrik Antonius had an outstanding year in 2024, accumulating $12,488,048 in live tournament winnings.
The Finnish poker legend is on something of a career revival these days, with all of his legendary skills on full display throughout the year.
The year started off well with four cashes at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju, one of those netting him $1.7 million for a fourth place in the $100K Main Event.
A month later, the Monaco resident headed home for the much loved EPT Monte Carlo and picked up his first win since 2022 which was only his third since the poker boom years when he was more active.
Full of beans, Antonius made his way over to Montenegro for the next Triton Super High Roller Series action where he scored an incredible eight cashes against the best in the world. Even with only two top ten finishers, this was still a seven-figure score for the trip.
Next up was EPT Barcelona, which netted the Finn more than $600K, before a return to the Monte Carlo Casino for the Triton stop.
Incredibly, Antonius won again at home, this time in the $200K Triton Invitational for a whopping $5,130,000 payday.
Last month saw Antonius get whitewashed in the PokerGO High Stakes Duel 5 against Jared Bleznick, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but this is poker, right?
The last event of the year saw Antonius finish in seventh place in the $100K WSOP Paradise for a $ 354,440 score to leave him as the second most successful live tournament player in 2024.
With 2024 behind him, Patrik Antonius looks poised for continued success as he aims for even greater heights next year.
Alejandro Andres Lococo – $12,287,737
Alejandro Andres Lococo had a great year in 2024, finishing with total live tournament earnings of $12,287,737.
Lococo’s standout moment came during the WSOP Paradise, where he won the $500,000 No Limit Hold’em – Triton Million for $12 million.
This might have made up almost all of his earnings for the year but it’s not the whole story. Lococo has proven himself on many occasions throughout his eight-year live career.
Some readers might remember him from his seventh place in the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event, and he also has around $3 million in live earnings aside from this monster win this year.
Throughout the year, Lococo demonstrated consistency across various tournaments, often placing well and earning respectable payouts.
Notably, Lococo’s performance at events like the WSOP and EPT where he came close to achieving a final table shows he is a player to be reckoned with.
As Lococo looks ahead to 2025, he remains focused on building upon his successes from this year.
With aspirations for even greater achievements on the horizon, Alejandro Andres Lococo is undoubtedly a player to watch as he continues to rise through the ranks.
Alex Foxen – $11,593,726
Alex Foxen had an exceptional year in 2024, amassing $11,593,726 in live tournament winnings from 61 cashes.
The American pro is one of the busiest high-stakes regs around and has established himself as one of the leading figures in the high-stakes scene to the point where he’s in the conversation for the best in the world.
The first win of the year came only 18 days into 2024 and by the end of the month he was almost $1 million up.
A month later he took down a WSOPC Online event but that success didn’t continue into the live series in Las Vegas. Plenty of cashes over the summer, but not a single six-figure score.
The WSOP Europe at Rozvadov and several PokerGO Tour events proved to be a platform for more success.
Foxen picked up a bracelet for a win in the WSOP Online a couple of weeks before he broke with his usual routine and headed over to Europe for the Triton Super High Roller Series Monte Carlo.
His second cash of the event was a win for $1,470,000 in a $50,000 buy-in event where he defeated Aleksejs Ponakovs heads-up.
But he wasn’t done there, picking up $816,000 from his next two cashes before it was time to head to the Bahamas where we would see the hot streak continue.
$2,795,000 from sixth in the $500K Triton Million was a nice start but Foxen won the $100K Triuton Main Event for $ 3,850,000 straight after.
Four more cashes in the Caribbean ended the American’s year, and what a year it was.
Jonathan Tamayo – $10,298,455
Jonathan Tamayo had a dream year in 2024 with total live tournament earnings reaching $10,298,455
The American made headlines in the summer after taking down the WSOP Main Event, where he secured a payout that catapulted him into 113th place on the all-time winner’s list.
Tamayo’s journey through 2024 was characterised by consistent performances across various small to mid stakes tournaments.
A 3rd place in a PokerGO Tour event in April for $180,000 was a nice warm up result prior to the WSOP a month later. Other than that score and the Main Event win, Tamayo had only $150,000 in career earnings.
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