Updated on 22 Feb 26 by
Barry carter
Poker Expert

The top five biggest egos in poker

After WSOP champ Ryan Riess claimed to be the best in the world after his win, we look at some of the biggest egos ever to grace the felt.

5. Matt Marafioti

One player who always rubs people up the wrong way with his brash cocky demeanour is online pro Matt Marafioti, as this feature demonstrates he thrives on having haters:

4. Tony G

In psychological warfare, you need to be confident, and here is the biggest example of trash talker Tony G at his most dangerous and cocky:

3. Tony Hachem

Most of the time a big ego is based on some degree of success, but that doesn't have to be the case in poker, as Joe Hachem's less successful brother Tony demonstrates:

2. Brandon Cantu

Think Ryan Riess gave an egotistical post-match interview? He has nothing on Hellmuth wannabe Brandon Cantu:

1. You know who.....

We don't even need to name the most egotistical player in poker, let's just enjoy his greatest hits:

Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.