In just 13 short days, the 50th annual World Series of Poker will kick off in Las Vegas.
From May 28 - July 17, scores of poker players will descend on Sin City for poker's ultimate summer sweat. For those who aren't making the pilgrimage to poker's mecca, there are still plenty of ways to follow along with the series and get in on the action.
There are fantasy leagues for all kinds of sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and on and on. In recent years, the popularity of these leagues has quickly spread across the globe. If you're a fan of the fantasy sports format — and you're reading this article — then fantasy poker might be the perfect option for you this summer.
Even if you will be in Las Vegas this summer, these fantasy leagues can still take your trip up a notch with an extra sweat.
ACR Poker's Fantasy Poker League
ACR Poker offers you the chance to assemble a WSOP Dream Team to compete for cash prizes in the site's Fantasy Poker League Las Vegas. The drafting process opens today, May 15, and runs through to the start of the WSOP on May 28.
The Fantasy Poker League Las Vegas drafting awards you $300 to spend on your players — each of whom has a set price point — and allows for a maximum of eight players per team. You can assemble as many teams as you like and all player points will be updated once daily throughout the series.
Once you put together a team, you will earn points based on how well each of your players does in the events that count towards the points tallies. The teams that score the most points, win the biggest cash prizes.
There are three tiers of leagues available: $20, $100, and $500, and all are rake free. You can assemble your team directly in-client and use funds from your account to join any of the three leagues, which makes for a streamlined process and simple payout system when the series concludes.
“Everyone loves Fantasy Sports and now we’re capturing the same excitement for all the hot poker action in Vegas this summer,” stated ACR Pro, Chris Moneymaker. “This is truly the ultimate Fantasy Poker showdown, and you won’t want to miss it.”
If you're considering joining the action, check out the lists of eligible players, events, and the Fantasy Poker League rules. Below, you can see how the Points System functions.
| Finish | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 50 |
| 2nd | 45 |
| 3rd | 40 |
| 4th | 35 |
| 5th | 30 |
| 6th | 25 |
| 7th | 20 |
| 8th | 15 |
| 9th | 10 |
| 10th - 18th | 5 |
| ITM: 19th - 100th | 1 |
Negreanu's $25K Fantasy
Perhaps the most notable WSOP-based poker fantasy league is the $25K Fantasy league that runs each summer, courtesy of Daniel Negreanu and his cohort of fantasy sports enthusiasts. This year's $25K Fantasy draft will take place on May 27 live in Las Vegas and, after last year's record-breaking turnout of 20 teams, Negreanu expects similarly high numbers this summer.
The format for the $25K Fantasy league sees teams assembled from the pool of eligible players, which tends to vary slightly year-to-year based on players' schedules. Each team starts with a set salary cap and must draft players accordingly.
Currently, Phil Hellmuth holds the top spot on the $25K Fantasy all-time player database with a total score of 2,007 points across 88 total cashes. In second place, however, sits Negreanu with a total score of 1,935 points across 119 cashes -- well within striking distance of first place.
The points system for the $25K Fantasy league follows a similar format to the ACR Poker league, but with key differences in the rules.
PokerOrg will be at the live draft this year and we'll bring you all the news as it happens.
| Finish | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 50 |
| 2nd | 45 |
| 3rd | 40 |
| 4th | 35 |
| 5th | 30 |
| 6th | 25 |
| 7th | 20 |
| 8th | 15 |
| 9th | 10 |
| 10th - 18th | 5 |
| Cash | 1 |
$2,500 Fantasy and ODB Fantasy
There are two other separate leagues that fall under the $25K Fantasy banner: the $2,500 Fantasy league and the ODB Fantasy league.
The $2,500 Fantasy league follows the exact same format as the larger version, with the same rules, eligible players, and eligible events. Essentially, it's the exact same league, but on a smaller scale for those that aren't quite ready to commit to the $25,000 sweat.
The ODB Fantasy league -- named for poker player and WSOP fixture David "ODB" Baker -- takes the whole concept and makes it affordable for the everyman or the person that just wants a bite-sized risk with the potential for a chunky payout. Get a team of friends to club together and your WSOP sweat gets even cheaper.
The ODB Fantasy league lets you assemble teams based on the players and prices drafted in the $25k Fantasy.
Last year's ODB Fantasy league saw 594 entrants pony up the $500 entry fee to create a prize pool of $297,000 with a first-place prize of $50,000. Additionally, teams in the ODB Fantasy League are allowed to draft bonus players.
You can find details of all three leagues here.
