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Ivey is a whale. He got a lucky a few times and got on TV a lot as a result, but he is FAR FAR from a top professional player.

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How do you measure who is "top professional player"?

Is this list COMPLETELY inaccurate? Why? Has it ever been? Which list is better?

https://www.highstakesdb.com/poker-players.aspx?sortby=winne...

All-time winnings is not the best measurement as it doesn't take into account things like years played/measured, single individual large wins, etc. It's a decent list for one mode of inspection (winnings) but shouldn't automatically be taken as a ranking of players by skill.

Ivey is a very good player, for sure. In the context of HU play (as being discussed in the article), there are better.

Top level play in poker evolves at a metagame rate as fast as any e-sport.

https://www.highstakesdb.com/profiles/Phil-Ivey.aspx

Ivey's last big win was 2009, and his last win of any kind was in 2011.

That looks much more like he quit playing online. Saying he 'just got lucky a few times' is very odd. Ivey is considered one of the top pros by virtually everyone.

His live tourny stats: http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=127&_ga=1.1...

Beyond that, he (like many top pros), prioritizes lucrative cash games over tournament play (or exploiting an edge at baccarat, if the opportunity arises) which we can't track.

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