Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The Twenty Poker Players Most Likely To Win The Main Event

Off the list from last year: Justin Bonomo, Bill Edler, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, Alex Jacob, Marc Karam, Kido Pham, James Van Alstyne and Paul Wasicka. Now on to the annual list; it should be noted that these aren't necessarily the twenty best tourney players, just the ones best equipped to deal with everything the main event entails.

20. Dan Harrington
Although I’m not certain Action Dan is still in action (he hasn’t cashed since winning the Legends of Poker last August), his results in 10k events cannot be discounted.

19. Lee Watkinson
Unfortunately, a Watkinson victory would lead to more creepy Cardplayer features and videos.

18. Andy Black
A force of nature once he gets the ball rolling in a deepstacked event.

17. Patrik Antonius
Has not won a tournament since 2005.

16. Chris Ferguson
Oddly underrated.

15. Erik Seidel
Clearly in top form.

14. Michael Mizrachi
Quietly putting together a very solid WSOP.

13. John Phan
I don’t really have anything to say here, so I’ll just note I’ll be playing day 1d (Sunday July 6th) and hope to avoid everyone on this list.

12. Scotty Nguyen
Closing in on eight figures in tournament cashes.

11. Michael Binger
The most determined player in tournament poker.

10. David Pham
May have found his stride in the nick of time.

9. Carlos Mortensen
The freshest player on this list.

8. Phil Hellmuth
Probably the best when he’s in the zone, but hasn’t found it yet this year.

7. Kenny Tran
The best physical reader in the game.

6. Allen Cunningham
Seems to be stuck in a rut – only $600k in cashes this year.

5. Erick Lindgren
Overflowing with confidence after a monster WSOP.

4. Daniel Negreanu
Seems due for a deep main event run.

3. JC Tran
I pored over the hand histories from the final table of the $1500 NLHE that led to JC’s long-awaited first bracelet. The man did not play a big pot at the final table, until the last hand. He has reclaimed the crown of “best overall tournament player in the world”, which was briefly in the clutches of David Pham.

2. Phil Ivey
The most feared and respected player on the planet.

1. Gus Hansen
Unquestionably the best results in deepstacked events over the last year and the last four years.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Only objection I have is Antonius. Clearly a solid player but seems like he made it cause you couldn't think of anyone else. How bout The Bear?

11:50 PM  
Blogger gaamblor said...

JC did check call his way into a 3.5 million chip pot (which I would call big) 5 or 6 handed, but your point is valid he plays a lot like hellmuth and then manages to be personable to deflect some of the heat that comes from raising more than your share

Would you lay any odds if I got to pick a totally separate 20 for a must win bet?

12:51 AM  
Blogger isniiiiiice! said...

Gus is proof that a large bankroll, a propensity to gamble, and horseshoe firmly planted in one's ass can make you seem like a genius when in reality you suck.

1:20 AM  

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