The most popular poker players in South Dakota

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 South Dakota using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in South Dakota 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.

#8. Michael Campbell
- Total live earnings: $304,344
--- 9,789th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $70,000
- Residence: Rapid City, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 7,229

#7. Charles Hanson
- Total live earnings: $152,880
--- 19,222nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $40,433
- Residence: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 7,245

#6. Terence Reid
- Total live earnings: $741,090
--- 3,770th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $166,011
- Residence: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 8,056

#5. Luke Blindert
- Total live earnings: $403,997
--- 7,322nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $144,210
- Residence: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 8,300

#4. William Eichel
- Total live earnings: $675,342
--- 4,335th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $165,870
- Residence: Parker, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 8,547

#3. Mark Fink
- Total live earnings: $701,004
--- 4,034th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $95,537
- Residence: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 10,371

#2. Michael Moore
- Total live earnings: $576,113
--- 4,951st highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $211,743
- Residence: Agar, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 14,041

#1. Chris Bigler
- Total live earnings: $1,486,958
--- 1,745th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $212,420
- Residence: Box Elder, South Dakota
- Unique hits: 27,843

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