As every year at the World Series Of Poker, a side event to the official tournaments draws all the attention: the $25K Fantasy Poker League. The world top players will once again battle it out at the poker tables, but also in this action-Jackson league. Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is the $25K Fantasy Poker League?
The $25K Fantasy League is an annual fantasy competition that runs alongside the WSOP in Las Vegas. Created by Daniel Negreanu in 2011.
According to Pokernews “The GGPoker ambassador has drafted a team every year, with his best finish — second place — coming in 2022. Prior to that year, Negreanu’s highest finish was fourth place in 2017, but only a fantasy draft low eight teams competed. Outside of those two years, he hasn’t outperformed sixth place, and his team hit rock bottom in 2018 with a 15th place finish … out of 15 teams”.
Entry and Budget
- Each team pays a $25,000 buy-in.
- Teams receive a fictional budget of $200 to draft players.
- The goal is to assemble an 8-player roster of pro players who will score points throughout the WSOP based on performance.
🔨 How the Draft Works (Auction Style)
- Teams participate in a live auction draft.
- Each poker player is put up for bidding.
- The highest bidder adds the player to their team (without exceeding the $200 team budget).
- The draft continues until all teams have selected 8 players.
🧮 How Points Are Scored
Points are awarded based on how your players perform in WSOP bracelet events. Here are the official rules.
| Event Result | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| Cash (any place in the money) | +1 point |
| Final Table | Scaled points based on finishing place (e.g. 50 points for 1st) |
| Bracelet Win | +25 bonus points |
| Large Field Bonus | +1 point per 100 players (if Top 18 finish) |
| Buy-In Multipliers | |
| • <$1,000 = x0.5 | |
| • $5,000 = x1.5 | |
| • $10,000+ = x2 | |
| • Main Event = x3 |
If a player wins a $10,000 event with 312 players, they would score:
Example
- 50 pts (1st place)
- 25 pts (bracelet bonus)
- 3 pts (field size bonus)
→ 78 points, then multiplied by 2 (10K buy-in) = 156 points
Last year Team “The Dinkers” won the contest with 1,437 points.
