2018 WSOP Predictions: New And Old Names To Look Out For

Who will make headlines and go home with the biggest payday at the upcoming 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP)?

With the 2018 WSOP almost here, industry specialists and seasoned reporters make their picks on which poker pros will dominate the biggest series of the season.

2018 WSOP Player of the Year

After the WSOP went under fire for last year’s Player of the Year (POY) formula, they have announced that this year’s formula will be revamped to reward players who run deep and display consistency throughout the series.

With a new points system in place, experts are expecting new players to get their hands on the trophy while some stick to a veteran name in the game. Poker editors Mo Nuwwarah and Matthew Pitt are again putting their money on seasoned veteran Daniel Negreanu, the only player who won the POY twice—in 2004 and 2013. They are expecting that with the POY points system back to where it was before, Negreanu once again has a winning chance since he plays a lot of events with smaller fields.

Justin Bonomo is also a POY favorite and tournament reporter Chad Holloway believes he will run hotter than Alex Foxen, Stephen Chidwick and Sam Greenwood this summer.

Poker editor Valerie Cross, on the other hand, disagrees with Holloway and predicts Alex Foxen will emerge on top. After finishing in the top ten in last year’s POY race, Cross believes Foxen will ride his momentum to reach his peak at this year’s 2018 WSOP.

First WSOP Bracelet

Many pros appreciate a nice payday, but most dream of the time they finally manage to get their hands on a WSOP gold bracelet. With a record number of bracelet events taking place this year, a number of new poker pros are expected to win a coveted gold bracelet.

Across the board, one of the favorites to bag his first gold bracelet at the 2018 WSOP is Stephen Chidwick. Many believe Chidwick is one of the few pros who are very good at what they’re doing but have yet to earn a WSOP bracelet. Holloway believes that this year, Chidwick will finally take his name off The “Best without a Bracelet” list and grab his first WSOP victory after coming so close in previous years.

Big One for One Drop

The Big One for One Drop event is back this year and there’s much fanfare around it. In fact, tournament reporter Will Shillibier expects the 2018 WSOP One Drop event to be a game change and predicts that the winner of the event will overtake Negreanu on the all-time money list.

Realistically, in terms of lifetime earnings, there are only a handful of people who can do that. But people are betting on Fedor Holz, Adrian Mateos, or Sam Greenwood to accomplish that feat and claim the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop bracelet.