In case you missed it, the PokerOrg 2026 WSOP Fantasy Freeroll is back.
Pick a team of 8 poker stars, and you’ll earn points with every cash, deep run, and bracelet win they collect. It’s completely free and will reward the top players with some cool prizes.
A year on from the 2025 WSOP Fantasy Freeroll, we caught up with the overall winner Michael Ventola, whose team of poker crushers outscored over 1,700 rivals to take down the leaderboard last year.
Ventola, a retired professor of Turfgrass Management, won a free $10,000 live poker package, but how did he do it?
Lean in – he’s about to dish the wisdom of a champ.
Pick a team you want to root for
When did you first realize you had a real shot at winning the Fantasy Freeroll?
I started off pretty well. Patrick ‘Pads’ Leonard and Daniel Negreanu opened strong, and then Erik Seidel had a deep run in one of the big mixed games, so I was in the top 10 right out of the blocks. My team fell off a bit in the final weeks, but Isaac Haxton surprised us all at the end with a deep run in the Main Event.
To be honest, I was pretty dejected after busting out on Day 1 of the Main Event myself. I just put poker away and headed to Michigan for some canoeing and cooler weather. It was a massive, wonderful surprise when PokerOrg notified me that I actually won.
Isaac Haxton (276 pts)
Daniel Negreanu (269 pts)
Patrick Leonard (256 pts)
Ben Lamb (228 pts)
Sam Soverel (214 pts)
Dan Zack (135 pts)
Jared Bleznick (83 pts)
Erik Seidel (61 pts)
What was your overall draft philosophy last year?
I am a massive poker podcast fan and have been listening since the Poker Road days — shout out to Berkey and the Only Friends crew, I really miss you guys! My strategy was simply to pick guys I wanted to see win.
For instance, Ben Lamb just seems like a straight-up good guy who also happens to be incredibly smart and talented at poker. Last year, he mentioned feeling like he needed a few more bracelets to secure his spot in the Hall of Fame, so I knew he was highly motivated to grind a lot of tournaments.
I also knew from listening to Daniel Negreanu that he was deeply invested. He really cares about fantasy poker, so his insights were incredibly helpful. Once he drafted himself, I knew he was going to try his absolute hardest, so I drafted him too.
Was there a particular player who ended up making the difference for your team?
As much as I hate stalling in poker, Isaac Haxton’s late-game tactics absolutely put me over the top.
As the reigning, defending champ, are you approaching this year’s fantasy competition differently?
Right now, I’m just focused on getting ready to play. I've been studying hard and playing a lot of tournaments.
Regarding research, Daniel Negreanu doesn't seem to be doing his podcast with Mike Johnson and Terance Chan anymore — which was a great resource last year — but he did put out a video on his YouTube channel discussing it briefly. My best advice is to consume as much poker content, articles, and videos as you can.
Are there any specific players you have your eye on this year?
I haven't given it too much thought yet because it really comes down to the price sheet. You want guys who are properly bankrolled to play a high volume of events.
I am actually quite concerned that the new tax laws might make a few smart pros think twice before putting volume in. If they risk a losing series where they can only offset 90% of their losses, that changes the math.
Don’t sleep on the online beasts
If you had to give one piece of advice to someone drafting their first fantasy team, what would it be?
Look for high-volume internet players transitioning to the live arena. Patrick Leonard was a perfect example of this last year; he was heavily underpriced for his actual value. This year he will cost much more, and he may not even play as much due to the CoinPoker patch controversy.
Your goal should be to find value in those lower-priced tiers so you can free up budget to spend big on one of the true WSOP grinders.
Also, timing matters. I was stuck in Michigan last year, which allowed me to dedicate a lot of time to my team. I think it is incredibly high-EV to wait until the absolute last minute to draft so you can absorb as much breaking information as possible. And of course, keep reading PokerOrg!
What have you been doing to prepare for the Main Event this year?
I moved to Las Vegas for good on March 1 and am officially living my Vegas dream! I've been studying and playing a lot of local daily tournaments at the Venetian, the Wynn, and the Orleans.
I was doing pretty well at first, but then I dove deep into an Octopi Poker course with Matt Hunt, and now my brain is completely twisted. A little bit of running bad has led to playing bad — most poker players know exactly how that story goes. I’m just hoping the poker gods switch things up once the summer circus officially arrives.
Actually, if there are any coaches out there willing to trade some training sessions for a piece of my tournament equity, I’m wide open to talking!
What would count as a successful Main Event experience for you this year, regardless of the final result?
To play well and get my chips in good. I also hope to draw a fun table without too much intentional stalling.
Beyond that, I am incredibly excited that ESPN is back broadcasting this year. Let’s hope they pick up the story of a humble, retired grass professor who won his way in through a fantasy freeroll!
Head to our 2026 WSOP Fantasy Freeroll page to re-register now, or head here to learn more about how you can enter this year’s contest for free.
The window to pick your team will be open May 26-28.
