Fantasy Poker Manager Analysis w/ Danis & Holloway: EPT Barcelona Super High Roller
The European Poker Tour (EPT) and the Global Poker Index’s Fantasy Poker Manager recently inked a partnership that will allow all non-US residents who draft their teams for the events included on the EPT Season 11 schedule to compete for prizes.
The new special promotion started at the 100th EPT stop, which is happening now in Barcelona with the €50,000 Super High Roller. The managers who draft the best teams for that event and the Main Event will compete for a chunk of a €5,000 total prize pool.
Different from the traditional Fantasy Poker Manager games, however, the new EPT-sponsored competition has a special requirement that asks people to include at least one PokerStars Pro in their team in order to qualify for the race.
If you are not familiar with the concept of fantasy poker, here's how it works. Once you join the (free) game, you are given a million-credit budget that you will use to pick a roster of poker players. Every time these players finish in the money at one of the live poker events included in the game, you are awarded some points which in turn allow you to buy higher-priced players.
For Season 3 of the Fantasy Poker Manager, two experts – the GPI’s Eric Danis and PokerNews Senior News Editor Chad Holloway — have decided to provide some insight into fantasy poker by drafting a team at each major stop and sharing the reasons behind their picks. Here’s who they picked for the EPT11 Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller.
Eric Danis on the EPT Barcelona SHR
Let’s get Season 3 of Fantasy Poker Manager going, shall we? Another exciting season, another perfect setting to kick things off – Barcelona! FPM’s first event is the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller where the list of available players is nothing short of remarkable – let’s see who I’ve got for my All-Star team!
Captain Ole Schemion (500,000) – Not only is Ole Schemion the #1 player on the GPI World Poker Rankings and the defending EPT Player of the Year, he finished sixth in this event last year. Look for more success this season on the EPT for the young German.
Sam Trickett (41,070) – It’s hard to not add Trickett to your team when he’s got chips – Trickett is used to the spotlight when it comes to huge events and I’m expecting a deep run in this one!
Martin Jacobson (439,120) – This year’s David Benefield? Just like Raptor, Jacobson entered this year’s EPT Barcelona SHR as a November Niner.
Bryn Kenney (443,900) – WSOP bracelet winner for the very first time just a few weeks ago, Kenney is ready for more!
Mustapha Kanit (367,360) – Kanit has enjoyed an impressive 2014 season so far – no reason why the hot streak should stop now.
Jacob Schindler (458,540) – Speaking of strong 2014 campaigns, Schindler continues to shine in 2014, having amassed over $2M on the live circuit. He already won the 25K High Roller event at the PCA in January.
Daniel Colman (119,870) – In honor of the WWE’s presentation of Summer Slam on Sunday, I’m adding poker’s new “villain,” Dan Colman, on my squad!
Doug Polk (32,720) – A steal at 32K! Polk is one hell of a poker player who should not be overlooked in Barcelona.
Thomas Muehloecker (373,330) – Enjoyed a great Season 10 on the European Poker Tour, Muehloecker, the #1 ranked player in Austria, defeated Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the 10K High Roller event right here in Barcelona last year.
Vanessa Selbst (420,520) – The former World #1 finds a spot on my club. The PokerStars Team Pro brings a ton of talent to the game.
Andrew Pantling and Juha Helppi (10,000) – You really can’t go wrong with these two unbelievable bargains! Pantling finished second to Steve O’Dwyer at the EPT Grand Final in 2013 – surprisingly his last cash on the live circuit … Helppi is a Finnish legend! He has withstood the test of time and continues to score on the circuit!
What an incredible list of players! Nothing but heavy hitters on my roster, but that’s expected in a Super High Roller event. Some very tough decisions had to be made for sure!
Chad Holloway on the EPT Barcelona SHR
As you can see, there is a lot of crossover between Danis’ team and mine. We both chose Martin Jacobson, Sam Trickett, Daniel Colman, Ole Schemion, Andrew Pantling, Bryn Kenney, Thomas Muehloecker, and Jacob Schindler, meaning our teams are destined to earn the same amount of points from those players with the exception of Schemion and Jacobson, whom we’ve chosen as our team captains – which means double points!
I’ll refrain from elaborating on those players that will cancel each other out if for no other reason than I agree with what Danis had to say about each of them.
Captain Martin Jacobson (439,120) – I watched the November Niner dominate the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event. After finishing that tournament as the Day 1a chip leader, Jacobson played a patient game to slowly build his stack each and everyday. It was a great exhibition of consistency, and I was so impressed that I had little debate on making him my team captain.
Scott Seiver (484,030) – He garners a big asking price, but it’s worth paying for the man who recently talked Tobias Reinkemeier into laying down aces on a broadcast of the 2014 WSOP Big One for One Drop. Seiver has had success in Super High Rollers, including a win in the 2013 PCA for $2,003,480. He knows what he’s doing and can finish these things off.
Jason Mercier (473,670) – I picked Mercier for two reasons. First, he is one of the best tournament players in the world, as evidenced by the lengthy stay he previously had atop the GPI. Second, I needed a member of Team PokerStars Pro on my roster to qualify for the EPT’s Fantasy Poker Manager promotion. I want some of that €5,000 (even though I'm not eligible) and I hope Mercier will help me do it.
Anthony Gregg (23,980) – Anyone nicknamed “End Boss” is badass enough to be on my team. Seriously though, I had spent so much money on the likes of Schemion, Seiver, and Kenney that I needed to balance things out with players I could afford. Gregg’s price was just right.
Vladimir Troyanavskiy (16,020) – Like Gregg, this Russian was cheap on the FPM compared to the other superstars playing in the SHR. I’ve watched Troyanovskiy play many high rollers, and he plays a volatile game. In my opinion that makes him a high-risk/high-reward pick. I just hope at EPT Barcelona he proves to be the latter.
Don’t forget to draft your own Fantasy Poker Manager team at each stop on Season 11 of the European Poker Tour. Also, be sure to follow the EPT11 Barcelona Super High Roller action in the PokerNews Live Blog.
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