Poker’s Richest Players and Their Baller Pets

Just what is it with poker players and their furry friends? Why do the best poker players around always seem to be spending their free time with “man’s best friend”?

There must be something about keeping the company of animals that helps the mind stay in tip top condition because every poker player with a social media presence is keeping us up to date with what their pets have been up to.

Last year Daniel Negreanu lost his companion of 17 years while he was away at the Pokerstars Championship Bahamas playing the $25,000 High Roller. His beloved Mushu drowned in the swimming pool at 2am on Day Two of the tournament, taking the shine off of what turned out to be a final table performance.

Now Negreanu spends his days cleaning up after Rocky and Apollo when they’ve been destroying something around the house.

Jeff Boski, one of YouTube’s most popular vloggers, is another dog lover. The Las Vegas resident live tournament pro has earned millions of dollars during his career and likes nothing more than a trip to the park with his pair of boxers – Duke and Clyde.

Jason Mercier caused quite a stir a couple of years ago when he was sighted at the poker table with his terrier Marshmallow. Jason Mo had a serious vent on Twitter where he was informed, possibly in jest, that the canine companion was a service dog for controlling anxiety.

Patrik Antonius might not be the usual type to be posting cute dog photos on social media, but here he is.

Of course, it’s not just dogs that are favoured friends, there are some cat lovers too.

Pokerstars Team Online Pro Felix Schneider is known to put in some serious grind hours and his feline friends love to keep him company.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier is another who misses the company of a pet. The demanding travel schedule makes it difficult to be able to take care of an animal without relying on friends and family to help out. He does however get his fix when he visits his niece!

When it comes to wanting something that’s a little different, we can always rely on Dan Bilzerian. The self-styled Instagram King decided on a pair of goats when he went to buy a pet!

Beatrice and Zeus must be the strangest pets that a poker player has – if you count Bilzerian as a player of course.