On the eve of the first day of the 2024 World Series of Poker, the biggest names in the game gathered at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas to pick one another for their $25K Fantasy teams.
The format is simple: teams participate in an auction-style draft to build a roster of eight runners for the 2024 WSOP from a budget of $200. The players on those rosters earn points for their performance in live tournaments throughout the summer, and the team with the most cumulative points wins the league. Check out the full rules here.
Last year's contest was won by Team DPMC and its captains Donnie Peters and Matt Clark, led by its top pick Shaun Deeb ($112) with 241 points, and value picks Sam Soverel ($20, 224 points), John Riordan ($4, 185 points), Ian Steinman ($1, 177 points), and Stephen Song ($4, 111 points).
This year is anyone's guess, but the top picks were no surprise. The winning bid for Deeb was $104 and Daniel Negreanu went the top price of $132, while Alex Livington commanded $110 and Phil Hellmuth went for $73.
But which captain picked the best team? Who was the worst? What player was way overvalued? Who were the big sleepers in 2024?
To answer some of these questions, TJ Reid and Matt Hansen were on hand at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas for a post-draft analysis of the winners, losers, and top sleepers.
Top prices
| Player | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Negreanu | $132 | Team DPMC |
| Alex Livingston | $110 | Team Lang |
| Shaun Deeb | $104 | Team Lady Gaga |
| Yuri Dzivielevski | $90 | Team Lady Gaga |
| Joao Vieira | $84 | Team Noori |
Best team
Matt: The best squad on draft night was Team Wilson, represented by Scott Wilson and Adam Schwartz, which was the first team to finish — a proud accomplishment in itself. Picks like Mike Gorodinsky ($20), Anthony Zinno ($31), Matthew Wantman ($30), and Yuval Bronshtein ($54) are a backbone of daily grinders that can win bracelets in any field. Other sleeper picks can pop at any moment, like Ike Haxton ($15), Aram Zobian ($7), and their last pick Adam Hendrix ($33).
TJ: I'll go with The Dinkers. Every player on their team has a shot at big scores. They're rocking with Chris Brewer as their lead guy who broke through with two bracelets last year. He's hungry, he's experienced, and now he's been there. They also have John Racener, Brian Rast, Bryce Yockey, and Ben Lamb. Those guys play all the games, and they're damn good at them. Throw in the deep picks of Jerry Wang, Rob Mizrachi, and David Coleman, and I see them making a run at this thing.
Worst team
Matt: No one squad is particularly awful, but Team Sternheimer might have a lot of work to do. Their big-ticket pick was Benny Glaser at $76, but opportunities to pick up another big player passed them by. Runners like Chris Vitch ($41), Espen Jorstad ($11), and Joao Simao ($8) might make hay, but Cary Katz at $11 is a reach.
TJ: You might be surprised to hear that Shaun Deeb was the first pick on the worst team. I love Deeb, and I think he was a valuable pick at $104. But, Team Lady Gaga spent all their money on him and Dzivielevski. Their six remaining picks all went for $1: Wing Po Liu, Quian Xu, Dong Chen, Renji Mao, Yinqui Li, and Yan Shing Tsang. I think there are too many eggs in too few baskets to see a high score from this bunch.
"I have a lot of Chinese friends," Ren Lin said about his strategy after the draft. "They wanted to be on a team."
Most overvalued pick
Matt: This is a tricky category because most players will present value. When Landon Tice was drafted for $10, Negreanu yelled out "You overpaid by $9!" and I tend to agree. Picks like Negreanu, who went for $132, may seem overvalued, but he plays a full schedule and is one of the top all-time fantasy points leaders. You can count on him for a pile of points. It's unknown exactly what you can count on Tice for at this point, but 2024 will say a lot.
TJ: I love Daniel Negreanu. He's consistently a top performer in fantasy. But, at $132, that's just too much in an auction format. Team DPMC was handcuffed after spending most of their money on one pick. They still got Stephen Chidwick and Sean Winter, but I think variance is too high for this group after 66% of their money was locked up in Dnegs.
Most undervalued pick
Matt: The big steal was Kristen Foxen and her three WSOP bracelets at $11. Far less valuable players went for more money, perhaps due to the inherent biases of poker players. Those biases — whether they be favored toward mixed-games players or some other kind of prejudice — allowed Team No Gamble No Future and its leaders Brent Hanks and Jeff Platt to grab big value in the middle rounds.
TJ: I really like Ben Lamb for only $16. His volume may not dictate the high costs of some of these other guys, but his natural ability and experience on the felt make him a great pick. He put up big numbers last year, and I think he'll outperform that price point.
Top sleepers
Matt:
Josh Reichard ($5): Josh is a mid-major tournament grinder with 15 circuit rings and he is poised to breakout at the WSOP — probably sooner than later.
Allen Kessler ($2): Allen may not cash for a lot of money, but he is always in the payout line. With 15 cashes last year, he can provide a consistent enough run of one-point performances to decide a close race.
Ian Matakis ($22): The reigning WSOP Player of the Year went for just $22, probably because of the rule changes that prevent him from scoring points in online tournaments. No matter how you might feel about the new rules, Matakis is still hungry to defend his title, and he has mentioned that he will be jumping into a lot of mixed games. Will he repeat as POY? Probably not, but he can still put a lot of points on the board all summer long.
TJ:
Jeremy Becker ($3): Three dollars? For a guy who's highly incentivized to play everything and cash as much as possible this series? Give me Becker for that price. Tice went for $10, and I think Becker is of similar value at a third of the cost.
Kevin Gerhart ($1): It doesn't get any cheaper than one dollar, and for that price, Kevin Gerhart is a solid pick. He's great at almost all mixed games and has always impressed me with his stud play. I'd bet on him to put up more points than his $1 sale price suggest.
Stephen Song ($4): Song has proven he can hold his own with the best. He won the 2022 GPI POY and knows how to run deep in big fields. I expect him to put on some points this summer.
Check out the full results at 25kfantasy.com and be sure to return on Tuesday for PokerOrg's coverage of the first day of the 2024 World Series of Poker.
