Daniel Negreanu bet on himself – and it could pay off in $25K Fantasy

Dave Woods
Dave Woods
Posted on: July 6, 2026 18:16 PDT

"What does betting on yourself look like?" asks David 'ODB' Baker in his latest fantasy vlog for PokerOrg.

"Take a look at Daniel Negreanu and Josh Arieh," he continues. "They spent 85% of their $25K Fantasy budget on themselves and they're in first place – courtesy of themselves."

Could this be the year that Negreanu finally wins the fantasy league that he's been running since 2011? Team DNegs has opened up a 111-point lead at the top, with a huge 341-point haul from Arieh and 261 points from Negreanu. They're on top despite Ben Lamb not showing up at the 2026 WSOP, and only two other players contributing more than 100 points – Dong Chen and Bryn Kenney

"Props to them," says Baker. "The only good news for me is that I'm currently in second, and if they stumble or our guys pick it up, we can pass them. The other good news is that money could be available on the golf course, so maybe I can get it back that way." 

Josh Arieh, Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu and Josh Arieh drafted themselves in $25K Fantasy and are currently leading.
Katerina Lukina

ODB Fantasy update

Team brunocaboclo2 is still leading the $500 ODB Fantasy league, with a 39-point lead over Team Mr Lahey.

Naoya Kihara has delivered a stunning 417 points so far and only cost $1. He's been the pick of the summer so far, with only Alex Foxen scoring higher – and just six points more at a cost of $79.

Team brunocaboclo2 also has Arieh, and Calvin Anderson has contributed 300 points. Team Mr Lahey has Anderson, along with Alex Foxen and Martin Zamani (334 points for a $3 salary). 

The winning team at the end of the summer gets the $100K first prize. 

Naoya Kihara Naoya Kihara has been the best-value fantasy pick of the summer.
Hayley Hochstetler

PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll 

Team SmolNPudgy leads Kath's Calls in the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll, with daylight back to BB Poker in third.

SmolNPudgy is led by Kihara, while Kath's Calls have Alex Foxen. 

With the Main Event now into the first of its two Day 2 flights, we're entering the home stretch but there are still a huge number of points and 16 bracelets to be awarded. 

The Main Event delivers 3x points, and there's a $50K NLH High Roller on Thursday, a $10K 6-Max starting on Saturday and a $25K HORSE on Monday. If you're still within touching distance, you've still got a chance of winning.