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The most popular poker players in West Virginia

Written by:
April 17, 2024
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This story originally appeared on Clubs Poker and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

The most popular poker players in West Virginia

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 West Virginia using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in West Virginia 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. Howard J Mann
- Total live earnings: $383,238
--- 7,704th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $27,200
- Residence: Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 8,527

#9. Taylor Wilson
- Total live earnings: $1,634,170
--- 1,572nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $304,704
- Residence: Wheeling, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 10,021

#8. Paul McKinney
- Total live earnings: $533,660
--- 5,369th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $202,725
- Residence: Princeton, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 10,178

#7. Leron Washington
- Total live earnings: $101,351
--- 27,882nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $100,000
- Residence: Huntington, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 11,476

#6. Sidney Farber
- Total live earnings: $90,167
--- 31,452nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $35,154
- Residence: Morgantown, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 11,523

#5. Jim Boyd
- Total live earnings: $635,029
--- 4,471st highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $46,800
- Residence: Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 13,292

#4. Steven Merrifield
- Total live earnings: $1,395,437
--- 1,884th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $428,949
- Residence: Fairmont, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 15,216

#3. Michael McNeil
- Total live earnings: $548,009
--- 5,229th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $73,230
- Residence: Wheeling, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 15,544

#2. Iverson Snuffer
- Total live earnings: $712,943
--- 3,942nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $63,882
- Residence: Milton, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 16,343

#1. Kenneth Hicks
- Total live earnings: $849,175
--- 3,248th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $260,787
- Residence: Huntiington, West Virginia
- Unique hits: 18,015

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

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