Swedish poker players: the all-time live money list
Sweden's recorded live money list is led by a WSOP Main Event champion and shaped, further down, by single large results won abroad. Below is how the list is ordered, where the figures come from, and the position of live poker in a country that has closed its casinos.
| # | Player | Hometown | Cashes | Live earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Jacobson | Stockholm, Sweden | — | $18,490,450 |
| 2 | Niklas Astedt | Göteborg, Sweden | — | $9,739,968 |
| 3 | Viktor Blom | Göteborg, Sweden | — | $7,724,811 |
| 4 | Chris Bjorin | Sweden | — | $5,798,240 |
| 5 | Anton Wigg | Stockholm, Sweden | — | $5,362,482 |
| 6 | Michael Tureniec | Stockholm, Sweden | — | $5,219,559 |
| 7 | Martin De Knijff | Stockholm, Sweden | — | $3,897,972 |
| 8 | Johan Storakers | Sweden | — | $3,873,096 |
| 9 | Robert Flink | Sweden | — | $3,682,613 |
| 10 | William Thorson | Varberg, Sweden | — | $3,302,324 |
| 11 | Erik Marcus Friberg | Stockholm, Sweden | — | $3,184,194 |
| 12 | Simon Brändström | — | — | $2,997,584 |
| 13 | Anton Suarez | — | — | $2,976,869 |
| 14 | Alexander Ivarsson | — | — | $2,721,472 |
| 15 | Omar Eljach | — | — | $2,706,741 |
| 16 | Ramzi Jelassi | — | — | $2,547,688 |
| 17 | Kent Lundmark | — | — | $2,388,420 |
| 18 | Robin Ylitalo | — | — | $2,348,563 |
| 19 | Christer Johansson | — | — | $2,227,900 |
| 20 | Mikael Thuritz | — | — | $2,151,316 |
| 21 | Peter Eichhardt | — | — | $1,888,161 |
| 22 | Simon Eric Mattsson | — | — | $1,885,316 |
| 23 | Rifat Palevic | — | — | $1,836,791 |
| 24 | Stefan Mattsson | — | — | $1,620,620 |
| 25 | Jerry Ödeen | — | — | $1,592,200 |
| 26 | Anton Siden | — | — | $1,569,879 |
| 27 | Ken Lennaard | — | — | $1,553,789 |
| 28 | Nichlas Mattsson | — | — | $1,542,657 |
| 29 | Simon Löfberg | — | — | $1,478,479 |
| 30 | Per Linde | — | — | $1,392,388 |
How this list is ordered
By recorded live tournament earnings in US dollars, the same ordering the source list uses. Online results are not included, and neither are cash-game winnings, which no public database tracks.
The shape of the Swedish list
Martin Jacobson's $18,490,452 sits almost twice clear of second place. Below him the list runs down steeply — Niklas Astedt at $9.74m, Viktor Blom at $7.72m, then a cluster between $5.8m and $5.2m in Chris Bjorin, Anton Wigg and Michael Tureniec. From seventh place the figures fall below $4m, and the band between $3.9m and $1.39m holds the next twenty-three players, which is where most of the movement in the list happens.
A recurring feature of the Swedish top thirty is how much of each total comes from a single tournament abroad. Erik Marcus Friberg, eleventh, won nearly two-thirds of his career figure in the 2006 WSOP Main Event; William Thorson, tenth, peaked in the same event; Robert Flink, ninth, won close to half of his in one Triton high roller in London in 2023.
Why a player's world ranking can fall while their earnings stand still
The Hendon Mob shows each player's current all-time global rank alongside their best-ever rank. Those two numbers drift apart over the years without the player doing anything: the recorded total is fixed, and other players' totals grow past it. Friberg's best world position was 97th and the same figure now reads 944th; Thorson's was 144th and now reads 899th. A falling rank in these profiles is a statement about the field, not about the player.
Playing poker in Sweden
Sweden's state casinos are gone. Svenska Spel's own notice records Casino Cosmopol closing permanently, the last house in Stockholm, and states that because all land-based casinos are to be prohibited nobody has the right to offer cash games, while tournament poker can to some extent be run under a special licence. Online play under the Swedish licensing system is a separate matter and continues. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most successful Swedish poker player?
By recorded live tournament earnings, Martin Jacobson, on $18,490,452 — almost twice the second-placed Swedish total.
Do these figures include online results?
No. The totals are live tournament earnings only. Online results are excluded, as are cash-game winnings, which no public database records.
Can you still play live poker in Sweden?
Not in a casino. Svenska Spel's own notice records Casino Cosmopol closing permanently and states that, with land-based casinos to be prohibited, nobody has the right to offer cash games, though tournament poker can to some extent be run under a special licence. Licensed online play is separate and continues. General information, not legal advice.
Why has a Swedish player's world rank dropped when their earnings have not changed?
Because the rank is relative. A recorded total is fixed once the results are in, while other players around the world keep adding to theirs and pass it. The drop describes the growth of the field, not a decline in the player.