top corner

Top 5 Players to Watch at the 2018 World Series of Poker

The 2018 World Series of Poker is just a few weeks away and everyone is making their predictions on who will take WSOP gold this summer. We decided to throw out a few predictions of our own. Below are our five picks on who will win a WSOP bracelet this summer.

Stephen Chidwick

Stephen Chidwick has already won $5.47 million in 2018 and is enjoying his best year as a pro. The UK native recently became the first English player to earn the top spot on the Global Poker Index 300.

Chidwick was dominant this year at the US Poker Open, winning two events and securing a second and third place finish en route to taking the US Poker Open trophy for best player of the series. He followed that up by finishing runner-up in the Super High Roller at the partypoker Millions Grand Final Barcelona and then finishing runner-up in the Main Event of that series.

Chidwick has performed well at the World Series of Poker but has yet to win a bracelet. He just missed out on his first title in 2015 when he finished runner-up to Max Pescatori in the $10k Stud 8 Championship.

Chidwick has momentum going into the series and this could be the year he finally breaks through to win his first bracelet.

Rainer Kempe

Rainer Kempe is primarily known for his High Roller prowess but this could be a prime year for him to win his first WSOP bracelet. This year’s series has several High Roller events, including the $1 million Big One for One Drop.

Kempe has $15 million in career earnings, with almost all coming since 2015. He’s already won $3.5 million this year with four six-figure scores and a third-place finish in the Super High Roller Bowl China for $2 million.

Expect Kempe to play in every High Roller tournament at the Rio this summer and if he makes the final table in any, he will be a force to contend with.

Kristin Bicknell

Kristin Bicknell is enjoying a stellar 2018 to date, already having won over $600,000 in live events. She took down the HK$ 80,000 APPT National High Roller last month in Macau and also finished fourth in the HK $100k High Roller.

So far in 2018, she has 10 live tournament cashes along with three final tables. She just missed out on her third career bracelet in 2017 and many believe she has a strong chance of taking down her third bracelet later this summer.

Jake Schindler

The recent winner of the partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Super High Roller will be a player to watch in events with a buy-in of $25k or more. Earlier this year, he made four final tables at the US poker Open and won a pair of Aria High Roller events

Schindler had a career year in 2017 with $6.11 million in earnings. He’s already won $3.45 million this year and could be on his way to another career year. One achievement missing from his resume is a WSOP bracelet. Schindler holds WSOP Circuit gold but has yet to win a bracelet. This year could be that year.

Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo has simply been on fire the last three years and is in the middle of his best year as a professional. Already having won $7.29 million in live events in 2018, he leads all players in money earned. Just last month he won the Super High Roller Bowl China for over $4.8 million, the largest score of his live career.

Amazingly, Bonomo has only one bracelet in his career, taking down a $1,500 Six Max title in 2014. Bonomo has been on a tear in High Roller events over the last couple of years and with several High Roller events at this year’s WSOP, he is considered by many to be a favorite to take down his next bracelet.

bottom corner