25K Fantasy Draft 2024

2024 Draft
Day: 1
Event Info

25K Fantasy Draft 2024

Event Info
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$475,000
Entries
19
Players Left
19

Budgets Get Thin as Chait, Moncek, Shorr & More Join Teams

Ryan Hoenig became the sixth player on Team Chingas for $3, and then Michael "Texas Mike" Moncek went for a robust $56 to Team Oz, who outbid Team Lucky.

Alabama's Shannon Shorr became a member of Team Girl Dads for $13, and then the team picked up Italy's Dario Sammartino, who finished runner-up to Hossein Ensan in the 2019 WSOP Main Event, for an even more expensive $45.

Craig Chait sold to Team Lang for $5, Rob Hollink went for $1 to Team Kalas, and Team NGNF snagged Jeremy Becker for $3, leaving themselves just $4 to fill their last two roster spots.

Hal Rotholz was won by Team Noori for $5, and then Dan Smith went to Team Kalas for $6 before Brock Wilson became Team Linvingston's penultimate pick for $3.

Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel Gone ($14) & Alaska's All-Time Money Leader Adam Hendrix ($13)

Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel

Ray Henson was a $2 buy for Team Livingston, leaving them two roster spots to fill and $9 to do it, and that led to a nomination of Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel.

The 10-time gold bracelet winner sold for $14 to Team Lucky, who have $34 remaining to fill their last two roster spots.

Rob Mizrachi was nominated by The Dinkers and sold to them for $1, and then Adam Hendrix, who is Alaska's all-time money leader, went to Team Wilson for $33, who exhausted their budget to become the first team to complete their eight-man roster.

PlayerPrice
Mike Gorodinsky$20
Landon Tice$10
Isaac Haxton$15
Anthony Zinno$31
Matt Wantman$30
Yuval Bronshtein$54
Aram Zobian$7
Adam Hendrix$33
Adam Hendrix
Adam Hendrix
Player Chips Progress
Team Lucky
Team Lucky
34
-26
-26
The Dinkers
The Dinkers
23
-1
-1
Team Livingston
Team Livingston
9
-2
-2
Team Wilson
Team Wilson
Busted

Tags: Adam HendrixErik Seidel

Stephen Chidwick Picked in 76th to Mark Halfway Point of the 2024 $25K Fantasy Draft

Stephen Chidwick
Stephen Chidwick

Stephen Chidwick, who some consider the best tournament player in the world, sold to the defending champs Team DPMC for $20 and was the 76th pick, marking the halfway point of the draft.

Marco Johnson then sold for Team Sternheimer for $37, and then Aram Zobian went for $7 to Team Wilson, leaving them just one roster spot to fill and $33 left to spend.

Ryan Leng was a $9 pick for Team Sepiol, and then Daniel Negreanu nominated Andrew "Lucky Chewy" Lichtenberger for $1, but Jeff Platt of Team NGNF went to $2. Negreanu counted for $3 and Platt made it $5, the max his team could bid. Negreanu noticed that fact and bid $6 to claim Lucky Chewy.

Cary Katz (AKA "El Jefe") then went to Team Sternheimer before Wisconsin's Josh Reichard sold for $5 to Team Oz.

Player Chips Progress
Team Oz
Team Oz
98
-5
-5
Team Negreanu
Team Negreanu
35
-6
-6
Team Wilson
Team Wilson
33
-7
-7
Team DPMC
Team DPMC
31
-20
-20
Team Sepiol
Team Sepiol
25
-54
-54
Team Sternheimer
Team Sternheimer
24
-48
-48

Kane Kalas Buys Himself ($33); Maria Ho, Brian Hastings & Joey Couden Go for Single Digits

Kane Kalas
Kane Kalas

Tyler Brown was the 69th player (of 152) to be nominated, and he sold to Team Livingston for $29, leaving them just three open roster spots, and then Aaron Kupin went to Team Chingas for $25.

From there it was a flurry of picks including...

  • Brian Hastings to Team Oz for $5
  • Joey Couden to Team Baker for $9
  • Scott Seiver had an opening bid of $20 and sold to Team AJ's Eagles for $37
  • Kane Kalas, an owner of a team tonight, bought himself for $33
  • Maria Ho, who won this league two years ago, sold to Team Noori for $6
Player Chips Progress
Team Oz
Team Oz
103
-5
-5
Team AJ's Eagles
Team AJ's Eagles
49
-37
-37
Team Baker
Team Baker
39
-9
-9
Team Noori
Team Noori
29
-6
-6
Team Livingston
Team Livingston
11
-29
-29

Tags: Kane Kalas

First Dollar Player Selected; 2021 WSOP Main Event Champ Commands a Hefty Price

Koray Aldemir
Koray Aldemir

Former WSOP POY Robert Campbell sold for just $1, the first one-dollar player, to Team Oz, and then Toby Lewis sold for $2 to Team Chingas.

Former WSOP Main Event champ Koray Aldemir, who two years ago was the highest-point performer and helped propel Team Maria Ho to victory, was nominated next. While he sold for $2 the year he crushed, this year teams were onto him and bid accordingly. A series of back-and-forth bids saw the 2021 Main Event champ sell for $75 to Team Kalas joining Philip Sternheimer and Paul Volpe on the roster.

Bryce Yockey sold to The Dinkers for $13, as did Jerry Wong for $30.

Justin Saliba, fresh off a big runner-up score at the Triton Montenegro, was nominated next and went to Team Livingston for $40.

Player Chips Progress
Team Oz
Team Oz
108
17
17
Team Kalas
Team Kalas
56
-75
-75
Team Chingas
Team Chingas
40
-2
-2
Team Livingston
Team Livingston
40
-40
-40
The Dinkers
The Dinkers
24
-43
-43

Tags: Koray AldemirJustin Saliba

Will John Monnette Be Angry Over His Selling Price?

John Monnette
John Monnette

"Angry" John Monnette is the fifth-highest point earned in the history of the $25K Fantasy Draft, but he sat on the shelf for a couple of hours before becoming the 60th player nominated and selling to Team Sepiol for $45.

Scott Ball followed and sold to Team Lucky for $12, leaving them with just a trio of roster spots to fill.

"Allen 'F***ing' Kessler," was the next nominee and sold to Team NGNF for $2, joining their ranks for the second year in a row.

"Let's go," an exuberant Brent Hanks and Jeff Platt shouted.

Allen Kessler
Allen Kessler at the $25K Fantasy Draft

Tags: John MonnetteScott Ball

Phil Ivey Sells to Team Sepiol for Just $16; Arthur Morris, Espen Jorstand & More Gone

Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey
Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey

Arthur Morris went to Team AJ's Eagles for $47, and then Phil Ivey became the 56th player nominated in the 2024 $25K Fantasy Draft.

The bids went dollar-by-dollar with Team Negreanu driving up the price before bowing out when Team Sepiol bid $16, enough to get the 10-time bracelet winner. Ivey joined Adam Friedman and Alex Foxen on the roster of the team manned by Dan Sepiol and Jesse Lonis.

2022 WSOP champ Espen Jorstad was the next nominee and sold to Team Sternheimer for $11 joining Benny Glaser and Chris Vitch on the roster.

Argentina's Nacho Barbero was up next and commanded a $53 price tag from Team Negreanu.

"It's Nacho F***ing Barbero," Negreanu said in an accent.

Team Lucky then nabbed Mike Noori for a mere $3,

Player Chips Progress
Team AJ's Eagles
Team AJ's Eagles
86
-47
-47
Team Sepiol
Team Sepiol
79
-16
-16
Team Sternheimer
Team Sternheimer
72
-11
-11
Team Lucky
Team Lucky
60
-3
-3
Team Negreanu
Team Negreanu
41
-53
-53

Tags: Arthur MorrisEspen JorstadPhil Ivey

Main Event Champ Ryan Riess ($16) Drafted; Phillip Hui ($26) Heads to Team Baker

Ryan Reiss
Ryan Reiss

Another WSOP Main Event champion was up for auction, in the form of Ryan Riess. Team Girl Dads' $16 bid was the highest, and Riess became their fourth pick.

Team Girl Dads Picks

PlayerPrice
John Riordan$18
Jim Collopy$33
Jesse Lonis$46
Ryan Riess$16
Phillip Hui
Phillip Hui

Phillip Hui then went to Team Baker for a respectable price of $26.

PlayerPrice
Dylan Weisman$59
Ben Yu$67
Phillip Hui$26
Player Chips Progress
Team Girl Dads
Team Girl Dads
87
-16
-16
Team Baker
Team Baker
48
-26
-26

Team AJ's Eagles Picks Up Back-to-Back Players; Yuval Bronshtein Off the Board ($54)

Yuval Bronshtein
Yuval Bronshtein

Steve Wolansky went to Team AJ's Eagles for $9, joining David Peters on the roster. AJ Kelsall's team currently has $178 remaining in its budget, which is the most at this point in the draft.

However, Kelsall spent $45 of that on the next pick adding Max Coleman to the team.

Yuval Bronshtein was nominated next and went dollar-by-dollar to $7 until a team took a big bid jump to $25. His price continued to increase from there all the way up to $54 going to Team Wilson, leaving them with just two open roster spots.

Team Wilson

PlayerPrice
Mike Gorodinsky$20
Landon Tice$10
Ike Haxton$15
Anthony Zinno$31
Matt Wantman$30
Yuval Bronshtein$54
Player Chips Progress
Team AJ's Eagles
Team AJ's Eagles
133
-54
-54
Team Wilson
Team Wilson
40
-54
-54

Tags: Max ColemanSteve WolanskyYuval Bronshtein

Jason Mercier Becomes Cheapest Pick at $2; Chino Rheem ($40), Matthew Wantman ($30) Off the Board

Jason Mercier
Jason Mercier

There was a lack of buzz in the room when Jason Mercier became the next player on the docket. He wound up in Team Lang for the low price of $2.

Team Lang Picks

PlayerPrice
Alex Livingston$110
Ian Matakis$22
Jason Mercier$2
Chino Rheem
Chino Rheem

Chino Rheem's name saw more action when he came up for drafting. Team Negreanu made the winning bid of $40 for their second pick of the evening.

Team Negreanu Picks

PlayerPrice
Nick Schulman$66
Chino Rheem$40
Matthew Wantman
Matthew Wantman

Rounding out a trio of draftees was Matthew Wantman, who became Team Wilson's fifth pick.

Team Wilson Picks

PlayerPrice
Mike Gorodinsky$20
Landon Tice$10
Ike Haxton$15
Anthony Zinno$31
Matt Wantman$30
Player Chips Progress
Team Negreanu
Team Negreanu
94
-40
-40
Team Wilson
Team Wilson
94
-30
-30
Team Lang
Team Lang
66
-2
-2