WSOP Fantasy League

This is my first time trying this. It was kind of a last-minute deal ... I asked Billy the day before Event #2** if he was interested in gambling, and of course he said yes. So just like that, we've got ourselves a heads-up fantasy league.

Each of us made a prioritized list of players we would choose, and then we flipped a coin to see whose list would kick off the draft. The way I run in coinflip situations, it should be no surprise that Billy was able to select Phil Ivey as the number one overall draft pick. But I was okay with that, because my first choice was also a Phil -- this one of the Hellmuth variety. In fact, I was able to get my first eight picks through no problem. Our complete lists are below ...

Jamin - Urteamcantspellpokr

Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Bertrand Grospellier
Erik Seidel
Max Pescatori
Kathy Liebert
Nenad Medic
Andy Bloch
Shaun Deeb
Barry Greenstein
J.C. Tran
Matt Glantz
Mike Matusow
Roland De Wolfe
Michael DeMichele
David Williams


Billy - Guillermo de los Gringos

Phil Ivey
David Benyamine
Chris Ferguson
Daniel Negreanu
Tom Schneider
Erik Lindgren
John Phan
Scotty Nguyen
Michael Mizrachi
Allen Cunningham
David Tran
Ted Forrest
Marcel Luske
Shannon Shorr
Robert Mizrachi

Notable Cockblocks: I was barely able to pick up Andy Bloch ahead of Billy. I think it was a real coup to be able to get him so late in the draft (14th overall pick). The guy has a really great tournament record ... to wit, two WPT final tables and twenty WSOP cashes, including finishing runner-up to Chip Reese in the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event over one of the toughest fields ever assembled. No bracelets yet, but in our league you get points for all final table finishes. So I think he'll turn out to be a solid earner.

Of course, there is another side to this. I really wanted Ted Forrest, but somehow I let him slip to 23rd overall!! The guy has five bracelets, and twenty-one WSOP cashes. He's also won two WPT titles on five final tables. This was a major mistake on my part, which has already come back to bite me in the ass. Through three completed events, Ted Forrest is so far the only drafted player to earn any points (by taking 9th place at the $40,000 buy-in WSOP 40th Anniversary Special). Grrrr, the Suicide King! The one that got away!


**We started counting at Event #2, because Event #1 was the Casino Employees tournament. I don't think either of us were planning to draft Andrew Cohen ... whoever he is.