As a profession, playing poker may not sound like the most stimulating, or indeed the most lucrative. Sitting playing cards all day? Really, how much money would you make from that, and wouldn’t you be bored?

You’d be surprised. First of all, poker is a game that takes a lot of mental skill. You constantly have to concentrate, or you’ll lose sight of what’s going on. Not a good idea when the stakes are high. Secondly, look around online and see just what kind of an income the best in the world are making. When it ranges from a fairly modest $3.4 million (Pieter de Korver from the Netherlands) to a phenomenal $11.3 million (Peter Eastgate from Denmark), it’s not to be sneered at. And they’re not even in the top five.

Have a look at the top five poker players and think whether it sounds like such a bad deal (no pun intended.)

#5 – John Juanda – earnings of $11.9 million.
John was born in Indonesia and came to the United States in 1990 to attend University in Oklahoma. He was a track star in high school and even spent some time selling bibles door-to-door.

#4 Jamie Gold – earnings of $12.2 million.
Jamie is one of the biggest stars in the poker world, famous for his calm attitude when placing bets of huge amounts. Most players tend to play with a face of steel, but Jamie is animated and active while still remaining cool and collected.

#3 Erik Seidel – earnings of $13.4 million.
Erik was born and raised in New York and spent some time as a backgammon player before moving on to the stock market and finally to poker.

#2 Phil Ivey – earnings of $13.8 million
Phil is an ambassador for new players and is sometimes referred to as ‘the Tiger Woods’ of the poker world. At just 34 years old, he has become a player to be reckoned with.

#1 Daniel Negreanu – earnings of $14.6 million.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Daniel discovered his knack for gambling and poker at the
tender age of 15. He dropped out of college at the age of 21 and moved to Las Vegas to pursue a full time career in poker.

Join the big winners on betfair.com today to get up there in the leader board!