Want a free shot at a $10,000 main event package? PokerOrg’s Fantasy Freeroll is here — and we’ve got all the tips and tricks you need to crush it.
In partnership with the official $500 ODB Fantasy, PokerOrg’s inaugural free-to-play Fantasy Freeroll gives you the chance to win big without spending a cent. Draft your dream team, score big points, and you could be playing for life-changing money in Las Vegas next summer.
How can you pick the winning team? We've done a lot of the prep work, so you don't have to. We'll walk you through the scoring systems, strategies, research, and helpful tips to win big this summer from the comfort of your computer screen.
Just as a reminder — here's why you should get involved with our Fantasy Freeroll.
- It's free to enter. (And if you're confident in your team, you can also enter it in the $500 ODB Fantasy. The players, prices and scoring are exactly the same across the two competitions.)
- It gives you the ultimate sweat this summer, whether you're in Las Vegas yourself or following along from home.
- You could win a $10,000 main event seat/package and be playing in Las Vegas for life-changing money next summer.
How the fantasy leagues work
If you're familiar with David 'ODB' Baker's annual fantasy league, PokerOrg's free-to-play competition will be nearly identical. If you're not, we'll break down how scoring and points work so you know what to look for with your draft picks.
Daniel Negreanu and friends run their $25K Fantasy auction draft on May 27. The high rollers build teams of eight from the PokerGO studios by bidding on players to fill their teams. The prices bid on those players determine who you can select for your personal teams and how much each player will cost you.
As soon as that draft is over, you can start picking your team — you've got until May 29, 12pm PT to lock your players in. We give you a $200 budget to work with, and you have to build a dream team of eight players while staying within that budget.
How players earn points
Players will earn points by cashing in bracelet events at the World Series of Poker. Every live bracelet event except Tag Team events will qualify, starting from Event #3. The base scoring breakdown is as follows:
| Finishing place | Score |
| 1 | 50 + 25 bonus |
| 2 | 45 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | 35 |
| 5 | 30 |
| 6 | 25 |
| 7 | 20 |
| 8 | 15 |
| 9 | 10 |
| 10 - 18 | 5 |
| Cash | 1 |
The deeper your player goes, the more points they get, with a 25-point bonus up for grabs for winning a bracelet. However, there are plenty more modifiers to consider that should influence your picks.
- Buy-ins of less than $1k are worth 0.5x points
- Buy-ins of $5k or more are worth 1.5x points
- Buy-ins of $10k or more are worth 2x points
- The Main Event is worth 3x points
The bigger the buy-in, the more points are up for grabs. Consider that when targeting low- or mid-stakes crushers. Importantly, online events do not count.
Crucial field bonuses
Besides the base points, field bonuses will be awarded based on how many players enter a tournament. An additional point per 100 entries will be awarded to all players who finish in the top 18.
Also, for every 1,000 players, an additional nine players will receive the field bonus. The only limit is that events with buy-ins of less than $1.5K will have the bonuses capped at 81 players and 100 points maximum; think the massive-field $500 Colossus or $300 Gladiators events.
Volume is king
We all know tournament poker is full of variance. It's tough to cash, even for the best players in the game. For that reason, targeting players who will put in tons of volume this summer is key.
All of the players that you can select from have been drafted because of their expected volume, so your task is a lot easier.
Now, you probably don't have all of the elite players' phone numbers to ring up and ask what their schedule looks like this year. How can you find out who's planning a ton of volume?
We recommend following the @25kfantasy handle on X. Also, use the hashtag #25kfantasy on the same platform and sort by latest to see players providing their planned schedules. For example, you'd know Texas Mike plans to play "every WSOP tourney logistically possible," while Maria Ho "won't be playing very much."
This is critical inside information that could swing your team to the top.
Lessons from last year
Looking at who did well — and who didn't — last year can teach you who performs well in this format and why.
The top points scorer
Last year's top scorer was tournament crusher and PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Jeremy Ausmus.
Jeremy Ausmus
- Drafted for $81
- 388 points
- 23 cashes
- 4.79 points per $1 spent
- Owned in 4.37% of ODB League teams
Ausmus has everything you're looking for in a WSOP Fantasy player. He's one of the best tournament players, he plays a ton of volume, he focuses on the WSOP, and he knows how to make deep runs. Look for those traits in your targeted players. Of course, you'll pay big money for the top-tier players. You can't simply draft them all; you'll run out of money.
Look for hidden value
Sometimes players drop way further than they should. Hey, even Tom Brady fell to the sixth round before the Patriots scooped him up. Look for your Tom Brady.
Last year, one player stood out as one of the steals of the draft. Robert Mizrachi went for a measly $1 before going to put up massive league points. Most $25K team owners weren't aware that he was planning on playing a full schedule, but some inside info led to 'The Dinkers' drafting him, and they went on to win the $25K League.
Robert Mizrachi
- Drafted for $1
- 212 points
- 10 cashes
- 212 points per $1 spent
- Owned by 9.59% of ODB League teams
Less than 10% of teams jumped on the insane value, and that's key. You want the high-value players, but it's even better if fewer other teams also draft them. If they're putting up points for half the teams in the league, it doesn't do you as much good.
Mixed game players for the win
This tip is more personal preference, but there's data to back it up. Let's look at the team that won ODB's league last year. That was TEAM MEZLAGIO. Here's their full list of players:
| Player | Cost | Points |
| Scott Seiver | $37 | 334 |
| Calvin Anderson | $3 | 283 |
| Brian Rast | $37 | 247 |
| Robert Mizrachi | $1 | 210 |
| Ari Engel | $1 | 206 |
| Shawn Buchanan* | BONUS | 180 |
| Nick Schulman | $66 | 136 |
| Chino Rheem | $40 | 74 |
| Bin Weng | $4 | 9 |
*ODB uses a ninth 'bonus player.' The PokerOrg league does not.
What do most of those players have in common? They play everything, not just no-limit hold'em. That's an essential ingredient to a successful fantasy team. They also play all the bigger buy-in events. Those high price points mean they earn more points when they run deep, and it's easier to achieve the field bonus.
Bin Weng was as hot as anyone coming into the 2024 WSOP. But he is an NLH specialist, and he always plays at a variety of venues. For that reason, he only went for $4, and he still didn't live up to that price. Don't just go for the popular name because they're cheap; ask yourself why they're cheap.
They also didn't overspend on any one player. Nick Schulman was their biggest spend, and he went for $66. They had plenty of money to spread out among other quality picks. We love Daniel Negreanu, but he went for $132 last season. We don't think any player deserves $132; that price handcuffs you too much for other picks.
Additionally, they hit big with their $1 picks. Getting 416 points for $2 combined between Robert Mizrachi and Ari Engel is incredible. Target one or two $1 players that you truly believe in and hope they have a summer to remember.
Think you can out-draft the pros? Sign up now for PokerOrg’s Fantasy Freeroll and be ready to draft once May 27 rolls around.
Remember, the draft deadline is May 29 at 12pm PT. Once the $25K draft ends on May 27, you’ll have around 36 hours to build and lock in your team.
Terms and conditions apply.
