Who Will Win the Big One?

Before I make my yearly predictions, it is necessary to do a recap of the last two weeks at the World Series of Poker. Scott Fischman won his second bracelet, as did Ted Forrest. Three ladies (Cyndy Violette, Kathy Liebert, and Annie Duke) have won open events. Daniel Negreanu and Minh Nguyen are battling it out for the WSOP's best all-around player honor, and that could come down to the championship event. Good job, everyone.

For the past few years, I have made predictions on who will win the championship event, and, of course, I have not even been close. I am writing this a few days before the event starts, but the magazine will not come out until midway through the event. Thus, there is a chance that all of these players may be out when you read this. Anyhow, here goes:

Ted Forrest – Forrest is in stroke going into the championship event, having already won two bracelets in the last month. Ted made the final table of last year's WPT Championship and made the money again this year. If he gets chips early in the event, he will be ruthless at putting others to the decision.

Daniel Negreanu – Negreanu has made the money almost every time I have looked this year at the World Series, and has been making it deep into all of the no-limit hold'em events. He has great timing with bluffs to the point that players will commit all of their chips against him when he has the goods.

Phil Hellmuth – Hellmuth has a lot going on in his life right now, but he always gets up for the WSOP championship. Phil is the master at betting the precisely correct amount when he wants you to call or fold. He has a ton of experience, and can win without getting cards.

Phil Ivey – Ivey has been focusing on cash games lately. However, Phil plays at a different level when millions of dollars are on the line. He was one out of the final table last year, and got all of his chips in with a full house with Chris Moneymaker still drawing.

The Field – There are always odds that come out before the championship event regarding who will win. Typically, there are individual odds on about 200 players and on the field. The field is defined by anyone who is not one of these 200 players. The field has won four out of the last five years, and I don't think this year will be different. With a possibility of having 2,000 players this year, the field will be more than double the size of last year. Many of this year's entrants have qualified from Internet poker, which means they may be fearless.

You can pledge some of your winnings from the main event and "put a bad beat on cancer." As you walk upstairs at the Horseshoe, there is a sign-up sheet that has signatures of those who have pledged 1 percent of their championship winnings to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation (CRPF). Last year, more than $38,000 was raised. Thanks to Rafe Furst and Phil Gordon for setting this up.

As you probably have noticed, we have been changing the look of Card Player as well as adding more features. Each issue has something new. New in this issue is "Ask Evy and Adam," written by Evelyn Ng and Adam Schoenfeld. I think it is hilarious, and I hope you do, too.

Finally, because it is being filmed by European television, the World Poker Championship in Dublin, Ireland (a pot-limit hold'em event, June 23-27), will allow players to wear clothing displaying logos.