Some Players to Watch at This Year's World Series of Poker

The 2005 World Series of Poker figures to be the biggest in history by a wide margin. In particular, there are more no-limit hold'em events than ever, reflecting the popularity of the game. Of course, winning one of these events will also be more difficult than in the past, as field sizes figure to be monstrous.

In this column, I've selected a few players who I think have a great chance to make a big splash at this year's WSOP. Some are relatively unknown, whereas others are already highly regarded players who I believe have a chance to elevate themselves to "superstar" status with a good WSOP. I didn't include any "no-brainers" on this list, either. Yes, I am aware that Negreanu, Ivey, and Juanda can play a little bit. Also, my list is comprised of people whom I have either played with or watched, so I must apologize to the great number of excellent young players out there whom I don't know yet and can't include on this list. I guess y'all will just have to go and win a bracelet!

LEE MARKHOLT: Lee is an excellent no-limit and potlimit player from Washington state, and he recently won the Professional Poker Tour (PPT) event at Bellagio. Although he has had a modest amount of success at the WSOP in the past, I think this is the year he will really break out.

ROBERT MIZRACHI: The Mizrachi name has become highly respected in poker circles this year, largely due to the incredible success of Robert's brother, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. Robert has enjoyed his own success, though, winning the "big one" at the Masterclassics of Poker in Amsterdam in November. It is only a matter of time until he knocks off a big event in the States.

HIEU "TONY" MA: Tony has been a highly regarded tournament professional for a number of years. In fact, he was the Card Player Player of the Year in 1999. However, Tony has been fairly quiet the past few years. I think he's poised for a big splash at this year's WSOP, though, as he's coming off a great run at the Five-Star World Poker Classic at Bellagio in April, winning the $5,000 no-limit hold'em event, and finishing 14th in the WPT Championship. He should be playing with a ton of confidence come WSOP time.

GABE THALER: If he's not too busy wreaking havoc on the big no-limit cash games, Gabe figures to have a great WSOP. Although still young, the 31-year-old Thaler has been around for a while. He was ahead of the curve, playing no-limit poker almost exclusively before the current big boom, so he has a huge experience edge on most of the competition.

GREG DEBORA: Only 22, Greg is the latest in a line of great players to come from the Toronto area. He hasn't won a major event yet, but with "Coin Flip Greg," it is only a matter of time, as he has been on the wrong end of a few races at inopportune times. Greg finished seventh at the WPT event in the Bahamas in January, and is consistently playing deep into every event he enters.

ERIC SAGSTROM: Already a household name among the top players, Sagstrom turned 21 this year and will undoubtedly be attending his first WSOP (he actually made the trip last year, but his action was restricted to the golf course, where he was legal). A Swedish player, Eric has attained legendary status with his success in Internet poker the past few years. Even before playing a major event on U.S. soil, he was highly regarded among the top players in the game, both for his abilities and his maturity. In fact, one world-class player has told me that if he were setting odds on this year's main event, he'd make Sagstrom the favorite to win, despite his never having played the event.

Here's one more prediction for this year's tournament: I think the main event will reach its capacity of 6,600, as hard as that is to fathom. There may be as many as 4,000 registered prior to the opening event being played, through a combination of Internet satellites and various promotions. With another month of supersatellites and one-table satellites, plus the direct buy-ins, I think the event will sell out. I can't wait!