The most popular poker players in Connecticut

Poker in the United States is booming—again.

Last year, the World Series of Poker accepted a record 10,043 entrants, who each had to fork over $10,000 to sit at the no-limit hold 'em tournament with a $93.4 million purse, including $12.1 million for the winner.

The event, which started in 1970 with seven participants, took off in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker burst onto the scene, The Financial Times reported. The Tennessee accountant won $2.5 million after qualifying for the main event in an $86 online satellite tournament, and poker hasn't been the same since.

The World Poker Tour, which arranges and hosts international poker tournaments, was launched the previous year. Added to that, the increased availability of broadband internet plus unregulated online poker rooms and the entertainment value of televised events helped foster a rise that lasted until the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 prevented businesses from accepting payments from people participating in illegal gambling.

Online poker took another huge hit in 2011, when the Department of Justice on what is known as Black Friday seized the domains of super sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet—and $34 million from players. It made a comeback, however, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the sprouting of new platforms, and subsequent developments and innovations made the game more attractive.

Still, it's been a slow burn, and while poker has seen its share of ups and downs as the gambling industry ebbs and flows, more and more players are sitting down to ante up.

To see which players had the most eyes on them, Clubs Poker compiled a ranking—based on a national analysis—of the most popular poker players in Connecticut using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in Connecticut were ranked according to the unique pageviews on the website starting from Jan. 1, 2008. Data about each player's live cash earnings were added as supplementary insights. Data is as of March 13, 2024.

#10. Andrew Badecker
- Total live earnings: $1,935,585
--- 1,292nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $388,657
- Residence: Vernon, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 25,764

#9. Luke Vrabel
- Total live earnings: $882,771
--- 3,133rd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $79,827
- Residence: West Hartford, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 29,566

#8. Stanley Lee
- Total live earnings: $2,149,672
--- 1,138th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $501,353
- Residence: West Hartford, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 29,583

#7. David Stefanski
- Total live earnings: $2,047,113
--- 1,212th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $325,034
- Residence: Waterford, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 30,942

#6. Paul Darden
- Total live earnings: $2,226,633
--- 1,087th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $300,000
- Residence: New Haven, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 32,811

#5. Michael Demichele
- Total live earnings: $1,767,107
--- 1,436th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $1,243,200
- Residence: East Haven, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 34,596

#4. Glenn Lafaye
- Total live earnings: $1,061,900
--- 2,515th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $662,840
- Residence: RIDGEFIELD, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 35,675

#3. Ryan Eriquezzo
- Total live earnings: $2,421,183
--- 976th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $416,051
- Residence: New Haven, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 38,717

#2. Stephen Song
- Total live earnings: $6,062,594
--- 276th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $712,650
- Residence: Greenwich, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 60,938

#1. Justin Schwartz
- Total live earnings: $1,176,836
--- 2,258th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $411,453
- Residence: Orange, Connecticut
- Unique hits: 152,807

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.