Upcoming US Poker Players Who Could Make A Mark in 2019

While popular names in the poker industry continue to dominate the tournament scene, a handful of players are having a great run – away from the spotlight.

Here, we give you 5 of today’s most promising US players who may just join the list of poker elites in the coming years.

1. William Watson

This young poker pro from Kentucky has been slaying tables since 2015. During that year, he was the third-place finisher in the $1,675 WSOPC Main Event in Indiana, taking home $55,730.

He went on finishing in the money in some other events. In 2016, he took down the $235 buy-in Daily DeepStack event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and netted $50,770.

His biggest wins took place in the second half of 2018 when he managed to reach the final table in seven events in four months.

Watson’s tournament cashes now stand at over $258,000 and will continue to build up in the years ahead.

2. Ian Steinman

Ian Steinman, who hails from Mountain View, California, has been trying his hand in the tournament scene for quite a while now.

His poker career started to heat up in October 2017 when he won a WSOP Circuit ring.

It was then followed by great performances in the whole of 2018, with a number of final table appearances at the WSOPC, as well as 12 total cashes at the WSOP.

Last year also marked Steinman’s first six-figure achievement – a $201,428 runner-up win at the $3,500 WPT Thunder Valley. Steinman’s lifetime earnings have now surpassed the $700,000 mark.

3. Ping Liu

In December 2018, Ping Liu bagged the biggest cash of his career when he finished fourth at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker, walking away with $599,147.

Liu currently occupies the second spot of the WPT Player of the Year standings.

Owing his success to a combination of coaching, meditation and constant studying away from the table, this young poker pro’s live tournament earnings now stand at more than $1.4 million.

Ian Matakis

The part-time college student from Faribault, Minnesota started playing poker at 8 years old.

He allotted some serious time studying poker in 2017 which contributed to his good runs and successes the following year, including a $55,598 runner-up finish at the $1,100 MSPT Main Event in Iowa, as well as other final table wins.

Matakis will continue to juggle his university studies and poker, and is poised to make 2019 another good year for him.

Josh Reichard

Josh Reichard tries to make sure he plays as many poker games as he can while at the same time making sure he enjoys the game and makes money from it.

Among his biggest wins in 2018 was the $2,500 HPT Championship event where he topped a field of 434 entries, bagging $221,293.

He finished strong in several other events, which include a claiming a WSOPC ring for $38,392.