25K Fantasy Draft 2026

2026 Draft
Day: 1
Event Info
25K Fantasy Draft 2026
Event Info
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$600,000
Total Entries
24
Players Left
24
Players Left 24 / 0
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Sixth Pick: Team Trump Power Pays Big Price to Lock Up Shaun Deeb ($133)

Shaun Deeb
Shaun Deeb

Shaun Deeb was nominated for $70 and, as expected, shot up to three-figure territory. The question seemed to be whether or not Deeb would go for the record $141 price set last year for Jeremy Ausmus, but it wasn't meant to be.

Team Lady Gaga, headed by Ren Lin, was among the active bidders, but it was Team Trump Power, headed by Australia's Gary Benson, who came out on top with a winning bid of $133.

Fifth Pick: Artur Martirosian Goes to Team Back Office for $22

Artur Martirosian
Artur Martirosian

Russian end-boss and jean shorts enthusiast Artur Martirosian was the fifth pick in the draft, with the bids starting in the mid $20s.

The bids slowly ticked up and Martirosian ended up going to Team Back Office for $39.

Fourth Pick: Esther "Etay" Taylor to Team Lucky ($18)

Esther Taylor
Esther Taylor

The first female poker player was nominated as the fourth overall pick with a starting bid of $1.

Dollar by dollar, that crept up to $18, which proved enough for Shaun Deeb's Team Lucky to get her on their team.

It was a nice increase for Etay after going for just $1 in 2025.

Second Pick: Joao Viera to Team Noori ($101)

Joao Viera
Joao Viera

Bidding for Joao Viera, the second player nominated, started at $20, but several teams expressed interest as his price quickly shot up into triple digits.

His price increased to $101, which proved enough for Team Noori to claim him.

First Pick: Daniel Negreanu Drafted by Team DNegs ($116)

Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu

The first pick of Daniel Negreanu went to none other than Daniel Negreanu heading up Team DNegs.

Reigning POY Shaun Deeb kicked off the bidding at $50, and there were several counter-bids before Negreanu came in with a last-second $116 bid to lock up himself as the first pick of the 2026 25K Fantasy Draft.

This Year's 25K Fantasy Teams

Welcome to the 25k Fantasy Draft 2026

25K Fantasy Draft
25K Fantasy Draft

With the World Series of Poker now just one day away, PokerNews is on-site at the PokerGO Studio for the 25k Fantasy Draft.

The draft kicks off later today and will be broadcast live. If you can't watch the stream, PokerNews has you covered with live, blow-by-blow updates throughout the entire event.

$25k Fantasy Draft Yearly Results

YearEntriesWinnerWinning Team Top Player
201115Team Jason Somerville, Jason MercierBen Lamb*
201211Team Jason MercierJohn Monnette
201314Team Matthew WaxmanDavid "Bakes" Baker
201412Team GypsyGeorge Danzer*
201511Team HastingsBrian Hastings
201611Team AlaeiJohn Monnette
20178Team LeahBen Yu
201815Team FleyshmanBen Yu
201912Team ReissDario Sammartino
202214Team Maria HoKoray Aldemir
202320Team DPMCShaun Deeb
202419Team The DinkersJohn Racener
202524Team BTGDylan Linde

The $25k Fantasy Draft has been running each summer since 2011, except for 2020 when the WSOP was canceled due to COVID. In total, 14 players have been drafted each time.

All-Time 25k Fantasy Draft Players

RankPlayerTotal ScoreTotal CashesTimes DraftedAverage Points
1Daniel Negreanu2,10313314150
2Phil Hellmuth2,0809814149
3Shaun Deeb1,88414713145
4John Racener1,64010212137
5Ben Yu1,59016013122
6Paul Volpe1,5187513117
7John Monnette1,5117814108
8David "ODB" Baker1,51010814108
9Jeremy Ausmus1,4589010146
10Scott Seiver1,375691498

25k Fantasy Draft Rules

  • Players must cash in an event to receive points.
  • Players finishing in the top 18 receive an additional 1 point per 100 entries (no rounding):
  • 87 entries: 0-point bonus
  • 105 entries: 1-point bonus
  • 265 entries: 2-point bonus
  • 1,451 entries: 14-point bonus
  • For every 1,000 entries, 9 additional players receive the field size bonus.
  • Points are multiplied based on event buy-in:
  • 0.5x for buy-ins less than $1,000
  • 1.5x for buy-ins of $5,000
  • 2x for buy-ins of $10,000 or higher
  • 3x for the Main Event and $50K Players Championship
  • For buy-ins $1,500 and less, the field size bonus is capped at 100 points and applies to a maximum of 81 players (9 tables).
  • In heads-up or shootout events, players finishing in the same position split the points for that position, rounded up. For example, 5th–8th place receives 22.5 points (plus field size bonuses).
  • Points are awarded only for open events. Exclusions:
  • Tournaments of Champions
  • Tag Team events (as of 2022)
  • Online events (as of 2024)
  • Ladies, Seniors, and Employee events count toward points (as of 2023).
  • Only events scheduled before the draft count.
  • Results are final as long as at least one event runs.
  • If an event is canceled, its results do not count.
  • If an event is rescheduled and completes, its results count.
  • The field size bonus is capped at 100 points.
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