You can call it cliche if you want, but the World Series of Poker is where the best players in the game go to shine brightest. Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Shaun Deeb, Phil Ivey, and Alex Foxen all enter the 2019 WSOP with the spotlight firmly placed on them. PocketFives editorial staff give their thoughts on how each of these talented players will do this summer.

Shaun Deeb

“Shaun Deeb is making no secret he wants to go back-to-back as the WSOP Player of the Year. He’s going to be in the mix, but I think it’s going to be incredibly difficult to replicate his 2018 summer in 2019. Deeb is a crusher of all games and while I fully expect him to be in the POY conversation as well as make a mixed game final table to two, I think he’ll simply have to settle for a good, not great, 2019 WSOP.” – Jeff Walsh, Senior Writer

“For Deeb, 2019 is going to be a test to see if he can walk the walk after he’s talked the talk. Well, we already know Deeb has the ability to walk the walk, as he’s a highly talented, experienced player who puts in a ton of volume, but being on the bad side of tournament variance can come around at any time in a player’s career. I expect Deeb to be a WSOP player of the Year contender once again and a big threat to win any bracelet event he enters. Look for Deeb to tally at least a dozen cashes and reach two or three final tables. Will he win a bracelet in 2019? Deeb has as good of a shot as any and I’ll say yes, he will.” – Donnie Peters, Managing Editor

“It’s almost impossible to look at Deeb’s body of work and not just automatically assume that he’ll be able to do it again. At some point though, he’s going to have a stretch where things don’t go well. Last summer he cashed 16 times, made 2 final tables and won a bracelet to jump out to a massive POY lead before heading to WSOP Europe. He’s going to play every event he can this year in hopes of another bracelet and another POY title, but maybe 16 cashes and a win is too much to expect. I think Deeb will manage no fewer than 10 cashes, but I’d be surprised to see him pull off another win.” – Lance Bradley, Editor in Chief

Daniel Negreanu

“The 2019 WSOP will be unlike any other for Daniel – new wife, no PokerStars, daily vlogs and tens of thousands of his fans money going along for the ride. I think he’ll rise to the occasion with a pair of deep runs and possibly even pick up bracelet number seven in one of the mid-stakes mixed game events.” – Walsh

“Negreanu has been all over headlines in the final days leading up to the WSOP. He got married to Amanda Leatherman, news dropped that he and PokerStars had parted ways, he’s been feuding on social media, and he sold a bunch of action for his 2019 WSOP slate to poker fans all over the world. The latter of that bunch could very well be what motivates Negreanu to crush this summer. With thousands of people invested in Negreanu, he should want to perform well for them. That last time he sold action in a headlining way was for the 2014 WSOP Big One for One Drop, and he placed second in that event for $8.288 million. Negreanu has adjusted his schedule for the 2019 WSOP and will be playing more low buy-in events because he has said he really wants to make a push for WSOP Player of the Year. With a big schedule planned, thousands of supporters he doesn’t want to let down, and motivation to really show out in his first WSOP in forever as an unsponsored player, it could be a huge summer for Negreanu, and that’s what I think we’ll be getting from him. The last time Negreanu won a gold bracelet in Las Vegas was way back in 2008. He’s due. I predict Negreanu will charge to a handful of final tables this summer and win at least his seventh WSOP gold bracelet, if not his eighth as well.” – Peters

“As my colleagues have already pointed out, Negreanu has been all over the place lately. While all of that stuff has prevented him from focusing on poker, all of that stuff happened so that Negreanu could turn all of his attention to the WSOP. Once the tournaments begin, he’s got every reason in the world to be zoned in and focused. A third time Player of the Year title could very easily be in the works already and I think he’s going to get himself at least one bracelet before the Main Event begins.” – Bradley

Phil Hellmuth

“Everything is all lined up for Phil Hellmuth. It’s been 30 years since his Main Event victory and the 50th Annual WSOP, it would be destiny for the all-time leader in gold bracelets to find the winner’s circle this summer. Now, I’m not a ‘PHater’, but it all feels a little too perfect and so…I am fading Hellmuth in 2019. While I think his rant game will be on point, he’ll have a mediocre series and need to get back after it in 2020.” – Walsh

“Hellmuth is ‘Mr. WSOP.’ He leads in the categories of most gold bracelets, most cashes, and most final tables at the WSOP, and he continues to put himself in position to win more and more at the Series each and every summer. Just look at 2018, when he cashed seven times and won his 15th bracelet at the WSOP. The year before that, he cashed nine times, when you include WSOP Europe and finished in the top 10 three times. Hellmuth is one of the hungriest players to win every summer and it shows because he wears his heart on his sleeve and hides nothing. The 2019 WSOP marks 30 years since he won the 1989 WSOP Main Event, so we should expect him to be going all out once again. With more events than ever, I predict Hellmuth will reach the top 10 in at least two events and win one gold bracelet.” – Peters

“Imagine betting against Hellmuth at the WSOP? The spotlight on this year’s WSOP will be heightened and that basically almost feeds into the “PH machine”. He’s also talked about wanting to win a Pot Limit Omaha bracelet and claims to have “shredded” the Razz events over the past few years. Sounds like he’s going to be playing even more events this year. I don’t think he’s got any shot at POY, but he’s leaving this summer with #16 stitched on the side of his hat and a new piece of jewellery on his wrist.” – Bradley

Phil Ivey

“Now, for the other Phil, Phil Ivey. Ivey hasn’t been a massive success at the WSOP in recent years because he’s been very much out of competition. He just hasn’t played. His last bracelet came in 2014 and there was a gap in his résumé until the 2018 WSOP when he played a handful of events and cashed four times. With the release of Ivey’s MasterClass course, one would think he’ll be making the jump back into the WSOP waters in 2019. As for predictions, he’s become a very tough one to get a read one, much like he’s virtually unreadable at the poker table. I think he’ll play a bunch because he wouldn’t have released a MasterClass if he was still hiding in the shadows, so I’ll guess that we see him at a couple final tables and challenging for the winner’s circle once or twice. Whether or not he wins a bracelet is really up to Ivey. If he puts in the volume and gets down to business, he’ll win one. If he just shows up to put himself out there because of the MasterClass course, it’s going to be a real tease for poker fans everywhere.” – Peters

“As much as I’d like to see Ivey. I don’t think we will. Hope I’m proven wrong on Day 1.” – Walsh

“He ain’t coming, kids. Let’s just move on.” – Bradley

Alex Foxen

“Alex Foxen is lining up those bracelet bets and I, for one, wouldn’t be betting against him. I’m not sure if he’s going to actually take down a gold bracelet this year but I have a feeling it’s going to a profitable summer for Foxen at the WSOP.” – Walsh

“As long as Foxen doesn’t get sucked away by the big buy-in events at ARIA this summer, look out WSOP. With the added motivation of bracelets bets now on the table, I predict we’ll see Foxen land himself in the WSOP winner’s circle this summer. He’s a no-limit hold’em tournament specialist and there are plenty of events right in his wheelhouse. For starters, Foxen will have two really good chances to win a bracelet in the first few days of the 2019 WSOP with the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty and the $50,000 High Roller. The $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em and $10,000 Heads-Up Championship, both of which take place in the first week of June, are also solid opportunities for Foxen.” – Peters

“When somebody puts it out there that they want to make bracelet bets against any and all comers, it tells you that they’re ready for the grind that is the WSOP. History doesn’t support his confidence though. Foxen has had just 25 cashes at the Rio over his career and three of them were final tables. Still, he’s the GPI #1-ranked player for a reason and if he’s got extra financial incentive to get his first bracelet, you know he’s going to be less inclined to wander over to the Venetian or Aria to play their events. Deep runs almost feel like a given, but a bracelet? I’m not so sure.” – Bradley