World Series of Poker Championship Player Groupings

In the past, Card Player has published odds on various players winning the championship event of the World Series of Poker. This year, instead of placing odds on the players, they were grouped according to the likelihood of their winning the championship. Seven world-class players, and I mean world-class players, participated in the process of determining the groupings. There are 10 groups, and all of the players listed are great. The grouping procedure was completely subjective, so the following should not be taken too seriously. Enjoy.

Group I – Phil Hellmuth, John Juanda, Erik Seidel, and T.J. Cloutier

Phil Hellmuth – He has won it before, and he wants it badly. He is excellent at making the perfect-sized bet. He has at least two WSOP bracelets that I know of (smile).

John Juanda – He is an incredible tournament player who is a great survivor. He is steady yet tricky, and a gentleman at the table.

Erik Seidel – He is an extremely solid player who is the best bluff-catcher in the world.

T.J. Cloutier – This man is due to win this event. T.J. has won more money in tournament poker than anyone else has.

Group II – Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Allen Cunningham, and David Chiu

Daniel Negreanu – If he has chips, he is deadly. Daniel is a huge favorite if he makes the final table.

Scotty Nguyen – He has won it before, and always seems to put himself in position to win. The bigger the event, the better his results.

Allen Cunningham – Allen is a great decision-maker, is tricky, and does not have a tilt factor. He came close to winning a few no-limit hold'em championships last year.

David Chiu – I have never seen him make a mistake, and he understands poker at a different level than anyone else.

Group III – Johnny Chan, Barry Shulman, Huck Seed, and Mike Laing

Johnny Chan – He has won the event twice and was the runner-up once. Johnny is always capable of winning.

Barry Shulman – Daddy is running well, and playing well. It is very difficult to put him on a hand.

Huck Seed – He has won the event, and made the final table a few years ago. Huck is one of the trickiest players around, and is the master of switching gears.

Mike Laing – Mike has an excellent no-limit hold'em championship record, and doesn't need good cards to win.

Group IV – David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Phil Ivey, Tony Ma, Diego Cordovez, and Ben Roberts

Devilfish – He is creative and fearless, keeps the pressure on other players, and is a crowd-pleaser. Also, he may be the funniest guy in poker.

Phil Ivey – Phil is very intense and focused at all times, and should make every dinner break at the WSOP.

Tony Ma – Tony "The Tiger" has won many no-limit hold'em events and is very serious at the table. In my opinion, he works harder than anyone else.

Diego Cordovez – Diego is a proven closer who has a great record in the few events that he has played. He is a gentleman at the table and is respected by his peers. Diego's first column appears in this issue. Welcome aboard!

Ben Roberts – He always wears a big smile, and is considered by many to be the best overall European player.

Group V – Chris Ferguson and Tony D

Chris Ferguson – He has won it before, and plays with a lot of heart. Chris gets better every day, and is pretty good at math, too (smile).

Tony D – He is extremely aggressive, is considered to be one of the best big-bet players around, and is the king of shorthanded play. I wouldn't want to be at his table.

Group VI – David Pham, Dewey Tomko, Mike Magee, "Syracuse" Chris Tsiprailidis, Toto "The Ripper" Leonidas, Humberto Brenes, Young Phan, Dan Harrington, and Surindar Sunar

David Pham – His best results are in no-limit hold'em, and he changes gears well. David is capable of making great laydowns.

Dewey Tomko – He has been the runner-up twice and is very steady. He has great experience in this event is very capable of winning it.

Mike Magee – He is a great decision-maker and is very unpredictable. Mike has won many no-limit hold'em events in Europe.

"Syracuse" Chris – Chris always seems to be at the final few tables, and with a bit of luck, is a favorite to win. He is a fantastic situational player.

Toto "The Ripper" Leonidas – He is very aggressive and can accumulate chips in a hurry. He always has a good time at the table.

Humberto Brenes – He won the World Poker Open championship in January, and plays big stacks well. He likes to take his time.

Young Phan – Young has won major no-limit hold'em championships and plays great under pressure.

Dan Harrington – He plays very tight, but is very tricky. I have never seen him get in with the worst hand.

Surindar Sunar – He is very difficult to read and is dangerous.

Group VII – Mike Matusow, Ian Dobson, Howard Lederer, Alex Brenes, Annie Duke, Jeff Shulman, Paul Phillips, and Jim Lester

Mike Matusow – Mike likes to chat it up, and is an aggressive player who plays people well. He is not afraid to take chances.

Ian Dobson – Ian almost won the Poker Million, and plays situations well. He may be the best Irish player (they are great at no-limit), and he has a cool accent.

Howard Lederer – He is Annie Duke's brother. More importantly, he listens to good music.

Alex Brenes – He is possibly the best Brenes. Alex always gets close, and plays live no-limit hold'em every day of the year.

Annie Duke – Annie is very articulate, and can speak while in the middle of a hand better than anybody else. She isn't very bluffable, because she knows what you have.

Jeff Shulman – Stud!

Paul Phillips – Paul is very creative, has yellow hair, and was in position to win last year before he lost with pocket aces in back-to-back hands. He works hard on his game, and takes beats well.

Jim Lester – He is very aggressive, and feels the pressure less than most do. He gets better all of the time.

Group VIII – Jay Heimowitz, Padraig Parkinson, and John Hennigan

Jay Heimowitz – He is a great high-limit player, and some say he is the best amateur. He also has a ton of bracelets.

Padraig Parkinson – He is a great Irish player who plays with feel. Padraig likes to have fun when he plays poker.

John Hennigan – John plays in the biggest games in the world, and wins. He plays in very few tournaments, but should do well.

Group IX – Steve Zolotow, Asher Derei, Carlos Mortensen, Billy Gazes, and Chris Bjorin

Steve "Z" – He is very confident in his reads, and listens to poetry while playing. Watch out – he is starting to play more tournament poker.

Asher Derei – He is a very skillful no-limit hold'em player who understands why players do what they do.

Carlos Mortensen – Carlos is the defending champion, and is fearless. He is a great closer.

Billy Gazes – He is a cool cat. I don't know what to say about Billy other than he is a player and a force to be reckoned with.

Chris Bjorin – Chris has a great WSOP record, and is one of the nicest people in the universe. He loves good wine and big-bet poker.

Group X – Sammy Farha, Jim Bechtel, Stan Goldstein, Randy Holland, Jennifer Harman, Mel Judah, Adam Schoenfeld, Layne Flack, Freddy Deeb, and Mike Sexton

Houston Sammy – He can accumulate chips faster than anyone, and has a knack for big-bet poker.

Jim Bechtel – Jim has won this event, and is solid and unflappable. He plays in few tournaments, and has great results.

Stan Goldstein – Stan has great results in big no-limit hold'em events, and is a closer. He is not passive.

Randy Holland – He is a great overall tournament player, and is steady and serious.

Jennifer Harman – She is a winner in the biggest game in the world. She won the no-limit deuce-to-seven event at the WSOP the first time she played the game.

Mel Judah – He understands the game well and has a great record in WSOP events.

Adam Schoenfeld – He is an up-and-coming player who improves daily. Adam is funny, and makes good decisions.

Layne Flack – If Layne plays well, he can dominate. He is fearless and is great at accumulating chips.

Freddy Deeb – He can accumulate chips in a hurry and is great at big-bet poker.

Mike Sexton – Mike always seems to make the money in this event, and with a little luck, can win it all.

If you didn't make any of these groupings, you have Paul Phillips to blame!