Top 5 Japanese Poker Players By Earnings
The popularity of live poker is growing across the globe, and this is especially true in Asia, where a new market has seen a blooming love for the game. Japan is a prime example, with some of the biggest stars in poker and having hosted the World Poker Tour. A handful of Japanese poker players stand out from the rest because of their success in tournament wins and earnings.
Despite this abundance of successful poker players in Japan thanks to online poker for Japanese players being widely available to players of all levels to learn and develop their skills, these five have stamped their names in history thanks to their all-time earnings:
- Masashi Oya
- Tsugunari Toma
- Kazuhiko Yotsushika
- Naoya Kihara
- Daisuke Ogita
Let’s take a closer look at these high rollers and their most notable winnings, starting with the highest all-time earner in Japan.
1. Masashi Oya
Total earnings to date: $8,001,325
Masashi Oya is currently the highest-earning Japanese poker player and ranks 201st on the All-Time Money List. He is best known for winning the MSPT Venetian in 2022, which added $161,780 to his total earnings.
He’s also seen success in the US Poker Open and Venetian High Rollers tournaments and has become a regular face on the PokerGo tour.
In 2023, Masashi Oya beat Jason Koon in the $100,000 Ultra High Roller Championship, bagging the $2,940,000 and the bracelet. Speaking to a translator, Oya expressed his elation at his first bracelet and Japan’s ninth.
2. Tsugunari Toma
Total earnings to date: $3,155,803
Tsugunari Toma is considered one of the best poker players ever to walk the earth and a legend in Japan. He is currently ranked 711th on the All-Time Money List, a drop from his best rank of 690th.
He made a name for himself in the early 2010s when he final-tabled the 2012 Asia Championship of Poker main event, finishing sixth and taking home $122,830. His career continued on an upward trajectory, and after 2017, he started playing in High-Roller tournaments.
Toma is part of the PokerStars team, which has made him a Japanese and international celebrity among poker fans.
3. Kazuhiko Yotsushika
Total earnings to date: $2,530,434
Kazuhiko Yotsushika stands out from the crowd for his poker skills, fashion-forward fits, and a face that doesn’t betray anything.
His biggest win was when he came first in the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2018 ETP – Barcelona, earning $422,251. He also placed first at the Aria High Roller #11 – $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em and Aria High Roller #17 – $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em in 2022.
More recently, he played in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud, part of the 2024 Word Series Poker tournament, where he placed 24th.
4. Naoya Kihara
Total earnings to date: $2,293,831
Naoya Kihara may only be 1,038th on the international All-Time Money List, but this Japanese player has performed well in major tournaments.
Most notably, he placed first and won $512,029 in the 2012 $5,000 Pot-Limited Ohama Six Handed Event 34, which was part of the 43rd Annual World Series of Poker Tournament.
Although his recent international performances have been slightly lacking (like placing 170th in the $2,500 No Limit Holden event of the 2024 World Series Poker), he continues to add to his impressive total earnings.
5. Daisuke Ogita
Total earnings to date: $2,149,231
Daisuke Ogita made international waves when he won the Asian Poker Tour’s Main Event in March 2024, beating out a 1,182-strong field. The Main Event saw nine notable players bringing the action, hoping to win the Gold Lion ATP Main Event trophy.
He took home a legendary ~$396,790 (TWD 12,944,020) first-place prize, the largest-ever prize in Taiwan.
This added to his first-place cash earned in 2023 at the €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event of the 2023 EPT Monte-Carlo. Most recently, he also won big at the 2024 Aria Poker Classic when he placed first in the $1,600 Pot-Limit Ohama $500k GTD, taking home $220,214.
