There are many Japanese professional poker players who are active all over the world. This time we will introduce the 10 latest top poker players of 2021 (as of August 2021).
We also explain each poker player's winnings, the largest amount ever won, their career history, and their current activities. Please refer to it if you are aiming to become a top player in the future!
1st place Tsugunari Toma
The total prize money that Tsugunari Toma has earned is $2,271,374 (250 million yen) as of August 7, 2021 (the same applies hereinafter). The prize money earned in one week of the 2019 EPT tour was approximately 95 million yen!
Tsugu-nii, also known as Tsugu-nii, is the leading Japanese poker player who signed a professional contract with the All Japan Poker Championship in 2020, becoming the first professional contract with a Japanese company. He started playing poker after watching the movie ` `007 Casino Royale'' and honed his skills by going to amusement casino bars.
He started playing poker in 2010 and competed in an overseas poker tournament the following year, and although he lost badly that time, he seems to have started to excel in tournaments since then.
In 2019, he won the Japan Player of the Year award, and in 2020 he signed professional contracts with three companies, including Sports Nippon Shimbun. Although he is undoubtedly the best poker player in Japan, he is a superhuman who also has the face of the manager of a consulting company!
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: December 15, 2019
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money won: €523,120 ($581,943)
- Tournament name: European Poker Tour-EPT Prague
- Tournament Name: €10,300 No Limit Hold'em - EPT Prague High Roller (Event #39)
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2nd place Kazuhiko Yotsushika
The total prize money won by Kazuhiko Yotsuka is $1,682,650. He was originally a famous backgammon player, but in 2019 he suddenly appeared as a poker player in second place in the Japanese prize money ranking. He is actually the manager of a real estate company based in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: September 1, 2018
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money: €370,300 ($431,092
- Tournament name: European Poker Tour-EPT Barcelona
- Tournament Name: €25,000 No Limit Hold'em (Event #31)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: February 26, 2020
- Ranking: 2nd place
- Prize money: $37,410
- Tournament Name: World Poker Tour-WPT LA Poker Classic (LAPC)
- Tournament Name: $2,140 No Limit Hold'em (Event #59)
3rd place Takashi Ogura
The total prize money won by Takashi Ogura is $1,664,975! He is a unique poker player who is also a member of the Japan Professional Mahjong Association and has experience in winning titles such as winning the Jakuryu rank twice in a row. He says that the secret to winning at poker is to consider the range (prediction range) of your opponent's hands, and also to read your opponent's character (bullish or bearish, etc.).
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: March 22, 2018
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money: HK $2,751,000 ($350,628)
- Tournament Name: Asia Pacific Poker Tour-APPT Macau
- Tournament Name: HK$200,000 No Limit Hold'em - 1 Day High Roller (Event #16)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: August 22, 2020
- Ranking: 123rd
- Prize money: $1,475
- Tournament Name: World Series of Poker-WSOP Online 2020 at GGPoker (Online)
- Tournament Name: $500 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Event #68)
4th place Masaaki Kagawa
The total prize money won by Masaaki Kagawa is $1,522,449. Since 2007, he is a poker player who has earned prize money by participating in tournaments around the world, including Las Vegas, London, and Monte Carlo.
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: April 23, 2012
- Ranking: 5th place
- Prize money: €354,500 ($468,030)
- Tournament Name: European Poker Tour - EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final
- Tournament Name: €98,500 + 1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller 8 Max
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: January 27, 2013
- Ranking: 3rd place
- Prize money: A $320,000 ($337,824)
- Tournament name: 2013 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
- Tournament Name: A $100,000 No Limit Hold'em - $100,000 Challenge
5th place: Iori Yogo
The total prize money won by Iori Yogo is $1,511,357. After she graduated from a Canadian university in 2006, she started working as a professional poker player mainly in the Oceania region. She says that in order to win at poker, you need to be able to read ``how your opponent is thinking.'' She also emphasizes the need for a PDCA cycle to examine your own play and make the most of it next time.
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: May 30, 2013
- Ranking: 2nd place
- Prize money: AUD 126,600 ($123,095)
- Tournament Name: Australia New Zealand Poker Tour - ANZPT Melbourne
- Tournament Name: A$1,000+100 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: March 11, 2020
- Ranking: 7th place
- Prize money: NT $11,500 ($384)
- Tournament Name: Asia Poker Tour-APT Taiwan
- Tournament Name: NT$5,000 + 500 Pot Limit Omaha - Turbo (Event #15)
6th place Kazuki Ikeuchi
Kazuki Ikeuchi's total prize money is $1,215,015. He started playing poker around 2003, and seems to have honed his skills on his own. In addition to playing games, he is involved in a variety of other activities, including supervising poker-related books and running a poker bulletin board. Despite suffering from depression in 2014, he participated in the 2019 WSOP and won event #19.
The maximum prize amount and the most recent prize amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: June 7, 2019
- Ranking: 2nd place
- Prize money: $830,783
- Tournament name: 50th World Series of Poker-WSOP 2019
- Tournament Name: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Millionaire Maker (Event #19)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: July 26, 2021
- Ranking: 317th
- Prize money: $571
- Tournament Name: World Series of Poker-WSOP ONLINE 2021 at GGPoker (International) (Online)
- Tournament Name: $50 No Limit Hold'em - Return (Event #1) Online
7th place Naoya Kihara
Naoya Kihara's total prize money is $1,172,371. He is a well-known professional poker player who came into the limelight at the 2012 WSOP. He said that he needed to put in effort to improve his skills, so he continued to play 3000 hours a year from 2014 to 2016. He also works as a special advisor for an online salon for poker improvement.
The maximum and most recent winnings are as follows:
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: June 18, 2012
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money: $512,029
- Tournament name: 43rd World Series of Poker-WSOP 2012
- Tournament Name: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha - Six Hands (Event #34)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: July 19, 2020
- Ranking: 70th place
- Prize money: $4,711
- Tournament Name: World Series of Poker-WSOP Online 2020 at GGPoker (Online)
- Tournament Name: $1,111 Covid Relief (Event #33)
8th place Tetsuya Tsuchikawa
Tetsuya Tsuchikawa's total prize money is $959,254. GACKT, who is also a poker player, calls Tetsuya Tsuchikawa his poker master. He is ranked number 1 in many player rankings on the APT (Asian Poker Tour).
The past maximum winning amount and the most recent winning amount are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: October 23rd, 2014
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money: $153,901
- Tournament Name: World Poker Tour-WPT National Philippines
- Tournament Name: $2,000 + 200 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event (Event #12)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: September 6, 2020
- Ranking: 933rd
- Prize money: $645
- Tournament Name: World Series of Poker-WSOP Online 2020 at GGPoker (Online)
- Tournament Name: $100 No Limit Hold'em - WSOPMILLION $ (Event #84)
9th place Masato Yokosawa
The total prize money won by Masato Yokosawa is $895,722. He is a professional poker player who is also active as a YouTuber ``Yokosawa of the World''. He opened a poker room called "ROOTS SHIBUYA" in Shibuya with a total construction cost of 100 million yen, which he runs together with Daiki Nawa, co-operator of the YouTube channel.
The maximum winning amount and the most recent winnings are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: January 15, 2020
- Ranking: 5th place
- Prize money: AUD 243,360 ($167,947)
- Tournament Name: 2020 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
- Tournament Name: A $24,000 + 1,000 No Limit Hold'em - 25K Challenge (Event #12)
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: August 1, 2021
- Ranking: 1st place
- Prize money: $44,925
- Tournament name: Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO)
- Tournament Name: $1,700 No Limit Hold'em - Deep Stack Purple Chip Bounty (Event #20)
10th place Yosuke Sekiya
The total prize money won by Yosuke Sekiya is $776,613.
He is a professional poker player who has been active in Macau and Australia since winning 3rd place in the APPT side event in May 2010. In recent years, we have been boldly challenging ourselves at the WSO.
The maximum amount earned and the most recent amount earned are as follows.
[Maximum prize amount]
- Participation date: September 12, 2012
- Ranking: 2nd place
- Prize money: HK $759,000 ($97,848)
- Tournament name: Macau Poker Cup Championship
- Tournament Name: HK$18,400 +1,600 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event
[Latest prize money won]
- Participation date: September 6, 2020
- Ranking: 1859th place
- Prize money: $414
- Tournament Name: World Series of Poker-WSOP Online 2020 at GGPoker (Online)
- Tournament Name: $100 No Limit Hold'em - WSOPMILLION $ (Event #84)
summary
There are many professional poker players in Japan, and they are active all over the world. Anyone can improve their poker skills online, so why not give it a try? In fact, you may discover a talent that you didn't even know you had.
Improve your skills at online casino poker and take on the world!
