“The Premiere Professional”
Ivey. Grinder. J.C. It seems that in recent years a bone fide name brand professional with credentials to boot has risen to the top of the Main Event mayhem to be the guy that ESPN can forge an entire campaign around. Maybe he’s been there before, like Carlos Mortensen on the bubble last year or maybe he’s a longtime grinder like Allen Cunningham. Maybe this year, it will be a she, like Vanessa Selbst. Who is ready to be the big name pro to play their way into the top 18 this year? Siever? Seidel? Bonomo? We can’t wait to find out.
“The B-list pro”
OK, this pro is known, like, just an “ok” amount though. Not a name with a lot of sizzle behind it, but they have a sizable backstory to help bring some hype to the coverage when the names become largely unrecognizable. Examples of this would be Lee Watkinson or Mark Newhouse. It’s the pro who has made just enough of a name for themselves to be listed in a PokerNews chip count, but not (yet) enough to have garnered a major title (although Newhouse had won a WPT, he still fits the part).
“The Old Guy”
Some guys just haven’t heard that poker is a young person’s game and it seems like each year we have one of those pesky fogeys creep their way into the top of the chip counts. Of course, we say this with love as we’re all going to be old at some point and besides, just take one look at the Seniors Event and you’ll know that oldies are a huge part of the poker market. Steve Gee, “Bob” Bounahra, Steven Begleiter or even Raymond Rahme come to mind when we’re talking about respecting your elders when it comes to the Main Event.
“The Redemption Story”
Who has a hard luck story to tell in the midst of this tournament? We’re looking for you. Either a tale of overcoming hardship or a battle with inner-demons, everyone loves a great comeback. A strong personality or phenomenal story is needed to fill this role and some of our most memorable final tablists have fit this category. Chino Rheem and eventual champ Greg Merson have provided these tales in recent years, and in Merson’s case, it led to one of the more inspiring storylines of any final table in memory.
“Lady Luck”
Yep, it’s sexist to some degree – especially in a year when Vanessa Selbst made history by winning her 3rd open event bracelet – but with ladies likely to be about 5% of the field in the Main Event the “Last Woman Standing” is going to have a spotlight put on them. If history holds true, there’s some extra benefits to earning this role. Jackie Glazier, Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, Gaelle Baumann, Leo Margets...hell Annie Duke...good things have traditionally come to the holder of this title and with there being a concerted effort to get more of the smarter sex involved in the game, there’s a good chance 2014 will bear the same for whoever earns it.
“The Everyman“
The role that started it all. Moneymaker. Just a guy, like you and me, who came to Las Vegas with a dream and a ticket to the Main in his pocket. Maybe he’s a guy from the woods like Darvin Moon, or a trucker like Dennis Phillips but whoever he is, he should come from a humble background and probably have a beard. Or a name like Moneymaker. Is there a dude out there with the last name Cashmachine? Let’s let him win, ok everyone?
Finally, the most important role…
“Internet Kid Who Nobody Knows, Yet “Everybody” Knows He’s An Online Sicko”
This is probably the most important role of all as, pretty much, the last 5 of the last 6 Main Event Champs have come from this pool of personas. Eastgate, Cada, Duhamel, Heinz and Merson all had deep-seeded online roots and those that knew of them, knew they were more than capable of winning it all. But it’s not just Champions that fill this role, the bulk of the players at final tables as of late have been littered with these young guns. While these aren’t necessarily the most popular of picks to win the Main Event, they are the most realistic.
So, if you would like to take your shot at being in the World Series of Poker’s production of “The Final Table” bring your headshot, resume and $10,000 to the Rio in Las Vegas starting this Saturday for your 10 day audition.

Watch: One of the Best Laydowns at PSPC, and Possibly of All Time
Thi Xoa Nguyen makes an incredible fold with a full house at the $25K buy-in PSPC event.
It was during day 2 of the history-in-making $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship when a Vietnamese lady by the name of Thi Xua Nguyen stunned everybody by making this incredible laydown versus Athanasios Polychronopoulos, a Greek-American professional poker player with two WSOP bracelets.
220 players remained on the field when Nguyen raised from the button with Ad Qc only to get 3-bet to 37,000 by Polychronopoulos from the big blind who held a pair of Aces.
Nguyen made the call and the flop landed Ks 9s Qd. Both the players checked. The Qh on Turn improved Nguyen’s hand to trips. She bets 17,000 after Polychronopoulos checked for a second time. He made the call and the Ace of Spade gave both the players a full house.
Polychronopoulos once again checked on the river with his Aces full. Nguyen bets 50,000 leaving her 153,000 chips behind but finds herself in a check-raise-all-in situation.
This is where things go crazy!!!
After tanking for a while, Nguyen lays down Ad Qc face up—a freaking Full house!!!. Out of respect for her incredible fold, Polychronopoulos flips out Aces and was himself stunned.
Did she misread her hand? No!!! She knew what she was doing. Nguyen put him on Aces or Kings and she was bang on right!!!
The hand was caught during the live stream and obviously, the viewers glued to the stream went berserk including the commentators James Hartigan, Joe Stapleton, and Lex Veldhuis.
Nguyen eventually finished 153rd for $25,450 and Polychronopoulos also made cash but busted against Platinum Pass winner, Jussi Nevanlinna.
What is more crazier is that on day 1 Nguyen won an EPT Monte Carlo package during a random draw table giveaway.
Lex Veldhuis Ships Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch
Last night, Lex Veldhuis took down the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch for over $34,000.
#10YearChallenge: PokerStars
Let's have a look at how PokerStars has changed in 10 years.
Just How Much Did Platinum Pass Holders Win at the #PSPC?
PokerStars gave away 320 free entries to the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) over the course of the previous year via Platinum Passes that after accomodations and spending money were valued at $30,000.
Watch: Crucial Hands at the #PSPC Final Table
In case you missed out on the Final Table stream of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) event, here are clips of some of the most crucial hands at the Final Table of the event.
Bill Perkins Dishes Out The Wisdom At The PSPC
Joey Ingram sat down with Bill Perkins at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) for a podcast that would almost hit the three hour mark.
This is Why One PSPC Platinum Pass Winner Tanked Two Minutes with Aces Preflop
With life-changing money on the line, one Platinum Pass winner genuinely considers folding aces pre-flop!
MILLIONS Online Will Return in 2019
A historic moment was created on December 4 as partypoker pulled off an incredible feat by setting the record for the biggest tournament in the history of online poker.
Knitting Mom Scores $30,000 Poker Package
Jennifer Carter knitted her way to a $30,000 Platinum Pass from PokerStars, granting her entry into the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) taking place in the Bahamas in January.
Watch & Learn: Phil Ivey Playing Short Deck Hold'em
Short Deck Hold’em, AKA 6+ Hold’em, is one of the hottest poker variants being played today, and courtesy of these highlights from the HKD 500k ($64k USD) buy-in Short Deck Event at the Triton Poker SHR Jeju 2018 series, you can learn from one of poker’s all-time masters, Phil Ivey.
OP-Poker Takes a Look at PokerStars VR
OP-Poker, a team of Twitch streamers and official ambassadors of PokerStars’ Power Up, was recently invited to have a look at PokerStars’ brand new upcoming Virtual Reality Product PokerStars VR held at EGX conference at Birmingham.
Watch: PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree's Recent TED Talk
PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree in her latest TED Talk gave a six-minute speech on how poker taught her three important lessons that can be used in life.
Rounders Turns 20
Continuing the celebration of Rounders turning twenty this year, The Ringer now brings us “Going All In: An Oral History of Rounders” —which doesn’t disappoint.
Molly Bloom To Speak At Unibet Open Bucharest
Unibet has announced that the Poker Princess, Molly Bloom, who’s “Hollywood high stakes poker game was the subject of the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed film Molly’s Game“ will be their special guest!
ICYMI: Phil Hellmuth's Grand Entrance at 2018 WSOP Main Event
Words escape me. Prepare yourself for the grand entrance from WSOP 14 time bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth (as captured by PokerNews).
Do You Think This is Collusion?
This story still has the poker community talking. Real life poker couple Kristen Bicknell (who is signed by partypoker) and Alex Foxen made the final table of a tournament at The Venetian in Las Vegas last month. Their alleged soft-play and collusion has the poker community riled up with the likes of Doug Polk and Justin Bonomo still talking about it long after play finished up.
Doyle Brunson Will Retire From Poker After Last WSOP Outing This Summer
*Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson has announced his retirement from poker so that he can spend more time with his wife, who is in failing health.
Watch Chris Ferguson's Nothingburger Full Tilt Statement
It has only taken 7 years for Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to apologise for his part in the Full Tilt fiasco that followed Black Friday. He has finally commented via Vimeo. Check it out below.
Jaime & Matt Staples Win Prop Bet!
A year on from agreeing to a crazy prop bet with billionaire Bill Perkins, the Staples brothers have walked away with $150,000 and won their bet to get within 1 lb of each other.
#QUEENRULES At Unibet
Unibet have worked with creative agency FCB Inferno to release a custom deck of cards to accompany the launch of a new poker format where the Queen outranks the King.The project is intended to help draw attention to gender equality and unconscious gender bias in poker.
Daniel Negreanu: "Forget Books...Watch Twitch Streamers"
Daniel Negreanu has taken to Twitter to let his followers know that he thinks Twitch streamers are “more engaging and entertaining than a book”.