PokerOrg is excited to partner with David 'ODB' Baker to bring you the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll this summer. All you have to do is pick a team of eight poker superstars to play for you from a list drafted by Daniel Negreanu and friends in the annual $25K Fantasy. The more they win at the WSOP, the more points your team gets. Get more points than any other team and you'll win a $10K main event package.
Baker is excited for what the partnership means for this summer. He's been playing at the World Series of Poker for over 20 years, and his involvement with the $25K Fantasy draft started a decade ago with a simple car ride.
"My buddy and I were driving from Houston to Las Vegas," says Baker. "We would always listen to the $25K Fantasy draft. One year, 10 years ago, I was thinking, 'These guys really aren't that good at this. I could make a better team.' So I tweeted out, 'Let's have some fun with this... Does anyone want to make a team against me? We'll use the prices set at Negreanu's auction'. That first year, with no pre-thought or planning, we had 94 entries. My wife kept it all on an Excel spreadsheet and it was so much fun."
That was the start of the popular ODB Fantasy League that has been running 10 years straight now. It grows in popularity every year, with 709 entries participating in the 2024 edition. Baker expects that number to increase even more this year, especially with PokerOrg running a free edition and providing enhanced coverage of the players and the contest.
You can watch our full interview with ODB above.
The PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll
PokerOrg is going to follow all of the players involved in the Fantasy leagues, giving you the opportunity to sweat your players as they get deep and, hopefully, cash in events this summer.
"This is something I've been pining for for years," Baker says. "Getting dedicated reporters and a place that would dedicate resources. PokerOrg came along, and we both knew this was something the poker world needed. We're building a great foundation."
With a $10K main event package up for grabs in the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll and a dedicated landing page to all things $25K Fantasy, the future looks bright for poker fantasy contests.
"When you came to me with this idea, a $10K main event seat wasn't even on the docket of things I thought were possible," says Baker. "I'm excited for that, and that you're running the freeroll."
PokerOrg will be on-site all summer with dedicated coverage to players drafted in the $25K Fantasy League. We'll have our Instant Live feed running all summer long, featuring player updates, dedicated chip counts, field bonuses, players to watch, and more.
"Having an easy place to sweat the $25K teams, the ODB Fantasy teams, and the PokerOrg Freeroll Fantasy teams is huge," says Baker. "Let's be honest, the players who are drafted are the most popular in poker. They're the players that people care the most about. It's great to have one place you can go so you don't have to trawl through full event updates.
"It's going to be huge for you guys. It's going to be big for everybody participating in any of the Fantasy leagues. The more people who can sweat and enjoy it, the more will join in future years. That's ultimately what we want. I'm hoping we're going to set a great foundation for years to come."
Fantasy updates from ODB himself on PokerOrg
PokerOrg is excited to partner with Baker to get Fantasy vlogs and updates from the league creator himself, and ODB is excited to bring his passion for poker, fantasy, and the WSOP to the platform.
"I can't wait. I'm going to do one to two videos per week," says Baker. "What players were big performers this week, what teams made big moves, summing up what's happening on the property, and what I see as a player."
Baker has spent a good portion of his career trying to grow the game, put poker in the spotlight, and make poker fun and accessible.
"We've always complained as poker players when we don't get coverage," he says. "We have to make ourselves more accessible as an industry. The onus is on us. Sometimes it hurts our bottom line. I believe in the greater good of leaving the industry better than I found it. I want to thank PokerOrg for their contributions to poker and the World Series this summer."
Tips for how to win both leagues: Floors and ceilings
Baker has been doing this for a long time, and he's picked up a few good pieces of advice for how to win.
"In the PokerOrg freeroll, there's one winner, and it's a big, big prize. You want to shoot for the moon. If you're not first, you're last. Shoot for some big ceiling players."
In the $25K league, you only have to beat about 20 other teams. In the ODB League and the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll, you have to beat hundreds of teams. That means you have to take more risks.
"In my league, it's hard to win with teams that just have floors - people who are going to cash, like Allen Kessler. He doesn't have much of a ceiling. He never wins, rarely makes final tables, and doesn't do as many big buy-in events. His floor is higher than his ceiling.
"Now, Jason Mercier's floor is zero. He may show up, and he may not. Mercier's floor is lower than Kessler's floor, but his ceiling is much higher. If he ends up deciding to play, then he could win three bracelets. We've seen it before. We know he has the skill to win every single tournament he sits down in."
We're excited to see how it goes down and to bring dedicated, enhanced coverage of the $25K drafted players for the first time this WSOP season.
"If you're playing the ODB Fantasy league, you may as well play the PokerOrg Freeroll," says Baker. "I'm excited — poker will have some fresh eyes on it. I'm excited to get to work."
Get ready to make your fantasy teams. Once the prices are set on May 27 in the $25K draft, you'll be able to make your teams on both the ODB League and the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll. The deadline for both competitions is May 29 at 12pm PT. Best of luck on the fantasy felt!"
Read more about the PokerOrg Fantasy Freeroll and how you can get involved below.
