Poker TV personalities fall into one of three categories: great (entertaining), transparent (easily forgettable) and downright bad. Here are some of the best poker TV personalities. I’ll cover the worst ones in an upcoming post:

Phil Hellmuth: This guy is the crack cocaine of poker TV personalities. Love him or hate him, he’s completely addicting. There’s no one more self-absorbed or emotional than this guy. What people don’t realize is that Hellmuth’s shtick is, well, not a shtick! That’s really just the way he is! He has the mind of a rich, spoiled, arrogant 22 year old in the body of a towering 45 year old man. Grab the popcorn because damn is it fun to watch!

Mike ‘the Mouth’ Matusow: Mike Matusow gained fame in 2004 for trash talking eventual WSOP champion Greg Raymer. It would be Raymer who had the last laugh though after winning a huge pot against Matusow with a flush and going on to win the $5 million first place prize. Since that time, “the Mouth” has been a regular fixture on televised poker events thanks to his entertaining ramblings and ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve. At one point he was nearly universally disliked, but over the years most people have come around to appreciate Matusow and now he is a huge fan favorite.

Daniel Negreanu: The Canadian who goes by “Kid Poker” is on the very short list for best poker television personalities. Quirky and light-hearted with a tenacious poker game, Negreanu is perhaps the most well-liked poker player in the world. He always maintains a mostly-friendly demeanor at the tables and never shows any ugly personalities that turn fans away.

Phil Ivey: The guy who most consider to the best poker player in the world also makes for great television, but not because of what he says but because of how he looks. For the most part, Ivey remains quiet at the tables and lets his patented “death stare” escalate things to a new level for fans. Dubbed the “Tiger Woods of poker”, Ivey’s results make you wonder if Woods should be called the Phil Ivey of golf!

Gus Hansen: Once named one of People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, Gus Hansen has turned himself into a fantastic TV personality mostly for two reasons. First, he’s a good looking guy. He’s European so, you know, he’s not fat like us Americans. Second, he has one of the craziest and most aggressive approaches to poker that help him stand out for making plays that leave his opponents scratching their heads or talking to a therapist!