By now you should know that PokerOrg is giving away a main event package worth $10K to the Org member who can pick the highest scoring team in our Fantasy Freeroll.
All you need to do is sign up and pick eight real-world players who you think will dominate at the World Series of Poker this summer — head to the Fantasy Freeroll page now to get started. It’s completely free, you just need a valid email address.
With the opportunity to pick your team coming up fast (i.e. from Tuesday, May 27 to 12pm PT on Thursday, May 29), we’re giving you all the advice we can on how to crush the fantasy leagues and find every bit of value you can when assembling your team.
But of course, there’s no substitute for experience, which is why we reached out to the number one highest scoring player of last year’s 25K Fantasy, Jeremy Ausmus, for a little insight.
“I didn't have a team in the 25K last year,” says Ausmus, “I really just wanted to focus on the World Series and playing. But it's fun, I really love the leaderboard thing. I do sweat that and it's fun just to see who’s leading.”
We looked at the top 8 players from last year’s draft to see what made them so successful — and asked Player Advisory Board member Ausmus if players should pick him again this year!
The top performing players of 2024
First, a caveat: you can’t simply pick the top 8 players from last year. Each team has a budget of $200 to draft their eight players, and price points will be set at Tuesday’s draft.
The combined prices for last year’s top 8 comes to a budget-breaking $301, so you’ll need to use your judgment to balance the books and find the best value.
#1: Jeremy Ausmus — $81 — 388 points
Where else to start than at the top, and who better to start it with than the man himself?
Ausmus ended the 2024 WSOP with more points than anyone, but featured a price tag to match. Should we pick him this year? As Ausmus explains, it’s not just about being good, it’s about being good value.
“I don't know my price point. It all goes off the price points of the actual 25K draft, so it all depends on the prices of everyone. You can't just say ‘this guy's going to be good’. There's going to be some people that will be $1 that will be way worth it, so it depends.”
One unknowable aspect when picking a player — or, most players — is what kind of schedule they’re planning to play. It’s no good picking a player on a heater if they’re not planning to play a lot of events — or not doing it where it counts: at the WSOP.
“I don't go as hard as probably Daniel Negreanu and Shaun Deeb,” says Ausmus, referring to two players who always go for high amounts in the draft, known as they are for playing a full slate of events each summer. “Deeb, especially, he's number one, it’s insane what he does.”
A full schedule doesn’t always translate to a lot of points, however. Last year Negreanu picked up 168 points and Deeb 137, but their high prices meant there was a limited upside when it comes to value. Ausmus, too, had a high cost, and won’t necessarily be playing everything on the menu.
“I skip a lot of the $1,500 mix, I skip a lot of the low buy-in stuff,” warns Ausmus. “Though if I am in the running, I will go more hard and play a few more smaller buy-ins.”
So does that mean we should pick him this year, or not?
“Considering I play all the games and I play high-stakes PLO and no limit successfully, I feel like each year I'm definitely a solid pick without being in the top 5 or 10 guys.”
#2: John Racener — $36 — 336 points
Racener had a busy summer in 2024, picking up a total of 14 cashes at the WSOP (plus more than a handful of online results, which don’t count towards a player’s points total).
Two things that certainly helped Racener on his path to number 2 overall were his appetite for high stakes and mixed games.
As you’ll see in our Fantasy Freeroll scoring guide, events with buy-ins over $10K award double points, and being comfortable with a wide range of game variants means more opportunities to win crucial points.
#3: Scott Seiver — $37 — 334 points
The fact that Seiver collected the 2024 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) award illustrates the stellar series he enjoyed, and that performance was reflected also in his fantasy points tally.
You can’t finish higher than first place in a tournament, and Seiver did just that no less than three times last summer, winning the $10K O8, the $1,500 razz and the $10K 2-7 lowball championship. Another 11 cashes contributed to a great total for the series.
Once Seiver entered serious contention for the POY award, he stepped on the gas when it came to his playing schedule. Picking a player with the potential to win the POY doesn’t just mean they’re likely to pick up good results, but that they’ll also put in the volume to push for that POY honor.
#4: Calvin Anderson — $3 — 283 points
Anderson was a standout in the top 8 for his incredible return on investment, picking up over 94 points for every $1 of budget he cost.
Just two of Anderson’s 10 cashes at the 2024 WSOP came in hold’em events, as he picked up a bracelet in the $10K 8-game, a runner-up spot in the $10K Big O and a third place finish in the $10K O8.
Once again, high stakes and mixed games are a fruitful combo.
#5: John Riordan — $18 — 281 points
Riordan made his way into the top 5 points earned of 2024 without winning a bracelet, or even making a final table. What he did have, though, was success in events with very large fields, and with an extra bonus point available for every 100 entries that can be very profitable.
Deep runs in both the $1K Mystery Millions (72/18,409) and $1,500 Millionaire Maker (52/10,939) provided Riordan with his biggest points hauls — bigger even than some other players’ returns for bracelet wins.
#6: Phil Ivey — $16 — 267 points
Fan favorite Ivey can be an unknown quantity when it comes to the WSOP. Not generally known for playing the smaller buy-in events, and not the type to share his schedule in advance, picking Ivey can be as ‘polarizing’ as his Full Tilt screenname. He may show up for the whole series, or it’s possible a high stakes opportunity elsewhere might pull him away.
Last year, however, he truly showed up, picking up 13 cashes including three final tables and his first WSOP bracelet in a decade to storm his way into the top 6 point-earners of the series.
#7: Brian Rast — $37 — 259 points
Is confidence the key? Brian Rast began the 2024 WSOP as a recent inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame and the reigning champ of the Poker Players Championship. It’s safe to assume his confidence was riding high coming in, and he was able to back it up with results on the felt.
Rast made only one final table during the 2024 WSOP, but it was a heads-up finish in the $25K PLO. Then of course there was his deep run in the Main Event, where he ran all the way to 24th.
The Main Event awards triple points, and with a field of over 10,000 players also carries a nice field bonus, making Rast’s Main Event run his most rewarding event in terms of points scored.
#8: Chance Kornuth — $73 — 243 points
An accomplished player and coach, a spot for Kornuth on your team always seems to make sense. His high price can be an issue when budgeting for your team, but he’s known for playing a lot of events, and very well.
A bracelet win in the $1K Flip & Go added jewelry to his collection, but his biggest wins in terms of points came in the $50K High Roller (2/177) and the $100K High Roller (4/112), proving the advantage in playing those double-scoring high buy-in events.
So now you know what made for a successful pick last year, who will you draft for your own team this time around?
Whoever you choose, good luck to you (and them)!
