The most popular poker players in Montana

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 Montana using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in Montana 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. Tim Martz
- Total live earnings: $42,046
--- 58,595th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $24,094
- Residence: Butte, Montana
- Unique hits: 7,447

#9. Miles Barnum
- Total live earnings: $427,304
--- 6,830th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $72,544
- Residence: Missoula, Montana
- Unique hits: 7,734

#8. Jason Schwartz
- Total live earnings: $120,653
--- 23,924th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $13,493
- Residence: Bozeman, Montana
- Unique hits: 8,144

#7. Kathy Keller-Kohlberg
- Total live earnings: $330,046
--- 9,739th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $96,000
- Residence: Bolson, Montana
- Unique hits: 8,521

#6. Michael Bisutti
- Total live earnings: $33,975
--- 69,154th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $27,469
- Residence: Bigfork, Montana
- Unique hits: 8,904

#5. Ian Gordon
- Total live earnings: $742,281
--- 3,757th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $611,666
- Residence: Missoula, Montana
- Unique hits: 9,555

#4. Victoria Livschitz
- Total live earnings: $1,428,134
--- 1,836th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $162,790
- Residence: Whitefish, Montana
- Unique hits: 12,029

#3. Tyson Marks
- Total live earnings: $358,682
--- 8,275th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $57,217
- Residence: Missoula, Montana
- Unique hits: 14,973

#2. Rob Perelman
- Total live earnings: $391,925
--- 7,512th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $158,755
- Residence: Coffee Creek, Montana
- Unique hits: 15,623

#1. Mikiyo Aoki
- Total live earnings: $434,281
--- 7,107th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $94,800
- Residence: Bozeman, Montana
- Unique hits: 20,830

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