Top 10 poker players to watch at the 2025 WSOP
The 56th Annual WSOP starts tomorrow, and tournament professionals and recreational poker players from all over will flock to Las Vegas to test their skills and their luck on the biggest stage of them all.
With so little time remaining, we took a look at the top 10 players we believe you should watch out for at this year’s series.
The list includes some of the biggest names in the world of poker, as well as a few players who have been running hot as of late and could be looking at an amazing WSOP ahead of them.
10. Santhosh Suvarna
Here is a poker player no one took seriously just a couple of years ago, but who has proven he has what it takes to compete on the highest stage. The Indian businessman first started showing up in high-stakes poker cash games before he started crushing the tournament circuit, as well.
In just a few short years, Suvarna won over $17 million in tournaments. His resume includes two WSOP bracelets, both won in high-stakes events he enjoys playing.
We expect Suvarna to make another appearance in Las Vegas this year and put up a show with his unconventional style of poker, which often leaves his opponents perplexed.
Keep an eye out for Suvarna in all events with buy-ins over $25k, and watch him battle the seasoned pros with a carefree attitude that only true high rollers can afford.
Scott Seiver
Scott Seiver is another name that needs no introduction, as his incredible performance in last year’s WSOP all but guaranteed him a spot in the Poker Hall of Fame at some point in the future.
Having won three WSOP bracelets and the POY title, Seiver proved what he set out to prove: that the high-stakes cash game pros are better at mixed games than any of the players regularly competing in the tournaments.
For some years, Scott has openly talked about the tournaments not being worth his time, considering the cash game stakes he plays on a regular basis. Yet, he showed up last year for the sake of legacy, and is likely to play a fairly full schedule this year as well.
If Scott decides that WSOP events are worth his time this time around, it is very likely he will put on some incredible performances in the mixed game events and potentially take down another bracelet or two along the way.
8. Dan “Jungleman” Cates
Cates originally came up in the online poker world under his moniker “Jungleman,” and few ever expected him to become a superstar in the live poker arena.
Yet, Cates showed everyone he has what it takes to win at live felt as well, crushing both cash game and poker tournament throughout the years. For the incredibly low number of tournaments he plays, Jungleman has performed incredibly well in them, having won more than $18 million in tournament winnings, while only having a few dozen Hendon Mob entries.
In 2021 and 2022, Jungleman went back-to-back, winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, arguably the toughest mixed games event of them all, thus writing his name into the tournament poker history. He has also become quite a showman, appearing at tournaments in strange costumes and role-playing through entire final table live streams.
If Cates can make some deep runs this year, we expect to have a great time watching him choose his next character and play as them for the entire duration of the final table.
Much like Daniel Negreanu, Patrik Antonius is already a Poker Hall of Fame member and a player who made his name back in the days of the Poker Boom.
Antonius is known worldwide for his prowess in high-stakes cash games, but he has done exceptionally well in tournaments as well, winning more than $30 million across his career.
Despite all that, Antonius still doesn’t hold a single WSOP bracelet, which may seem shocking if you haven’t followed his career closely. The truth is, Patrik doesn’t really show up to play the full WSOP schedule every year, and instead focuses on playing some select events and grinding cash games the remaining time.
In recent years, we have seen the Finn take on a greater interest in tournament poker, as he has become a regular on the Triton Poker Tour.
In November 2024, he crowned his year by winning over $5 million in a single Triton event, which likely sparked his desire to play tournaments even more.
Coming into this year’s WSOP, we hope to see more of Patrik Antonius at the tables than we have in previous years, especially in the big buy-in events with limited playing fields. Keep your eyes out for Patrik Antonius in the WSOP fields this year, as he looks to win his first WSOP bracelet and add another accolade to his incredible poker resume.
6. Jeremy Ausmus
Jeremy Ausmus was a close contender for the WSOP Player of the Year title last year despite not winning any events, as a flurry of deep runs allowed him to dominate the headlines without winning a bracelet.
His resume already includes six WSOP bracelets and more than $26 million in tournament winnings, more than three of which have been won since January this year.
Unlike many other players on this list, Ausmus is a master of all the games, as proven by his versatile record of deep runs in last year’s Series.
This means he will get even more opportunities to shine than the likes of Foxen or Lonis, who will be focusing on the Texas Hold’em and PLO events only.
With a huge schedule of mixed game events, along with the high buy-in NLH events, Jeremy will get more than enough opportunities to showcase his poker skills this summer.
Expect to see lots of Jeremy Ausmus in this year’s PokerGO coverage, and potentially add a bracelet or two to his already impressive poker portfolio.
5. João Vieira
For poker world insiders, Joao Vieira is a household name they recognize immediately, while for the average poker fan, it might not be one that immediately rings a bell.
Yet, the Portuguese tournament crusher has been dominating the live circuit for years. He’s won three WSOP bracelets to date, but has made dozens of deep runs and final tables over the last few years alone.
João was not always a regular in the high roller events, but this year has been the best of his life, as he has accumulated nearly $6 million in tournament winnings since the turn of the year, much thanks to his $4.6 million win in a $150,000 Triton Poker event in March.
He will be coming into this year’s WSOP with even more confidence than before, which should allow him to play his recognizably aggressive style of poker and plow through his opposition in every event he enters.
We expect to see a lot of João Vieira in this year’s WSOP chip counts, and at least a few final table appearances seem to be a lock considering the year he has been having.
Adrian Mateos
Adrian Mateos is another high roller worth looking out for at this year’s WSOP, as his results have proven time and time again. Born in 1994 in Spain, Mateos has already accumulated over $52 million in tournament earnings across his career, along with four WSOP bracelets among other accolades.
The WSOP hasn’t been too kind to the Spaniard over the last few years, as he has failed to add new silverware to his impressive trophy cabinet since 2021.
Yet, Adrian has kept winning millions and crushing tournaments on other major tours, including his impressive Triton Poker results, which made him the biggest overall tournament winner last year. This summer could very well be the summer of Adrian Mateos, as he seems to be laser-focused on his game and should be coming into the Series well-rested and fully prepared for the long grind.
Expect to see Mateos play in all of the big buy-in events across the summer, as well as some of the bigger field events such as the 6-Max Championship and the Main Event.
3. Daniel Negreanu
If you are a poker fan, you should be quite familiar with Daniel Negreanu, arguably the most famous poker player in the entire world. The Canadian poker pro came up as part of “the old guard,” and is one of the few players from that era who still compete at the highest level.
“Kid Poker,” as he is still often called, has struggled for success at the WSOP over the last few years, but not for the lack of trying.
Last year, Negreanu captured his seventh WSOP bracelet in one of the most prestigious events, the $50k Poker Players Championship, but still ended up losing in the summer, as he bricked out the other High Rollers.
All that said, Daniel will be back at the series come 27 May, and you can be sure that he will play every event like his life depended on it.
There are few poker players who want it more than Negreanu, and when it comes to the WSOP, he is fully committed throughout the summer.
Tournament poker variance is hard to contend with, and it’s impossible to say when a poker player will have a good run, but one thing that’s for sure is that Daniel Negreanu is due for a big summer.
We will all be able to watch it unfold live in his popular WSOP vlogs, which will be coming back to YouTube this May.
Kristen Foxen
Kristen Foxen (formerly Bicknell) has been grinding it out on the green felt for the better part of two decades with massive success, including a deep run in last year’s WSOP Main Event.
The 38-year-old tournament pro from Ontario already has five WSOP bracelets to her name and is widely regarded as the best female player to ever play the game. However, Kristen seems to care little about this accolade, as she pursues further success and continues to stay in competition with all the poker greats, regardless of their gender.
Foxen won her last bracelet in an online event in October last year, and will be looking to capture her sixth at this year’s WSOP in Las Vegas.
There will be plenty of opportunities to do so, as Kristen is uniquely equipped to compete in both the big field open events and the exclusive high-rollers she’s become a staple of.
Her recent success in various PGT events, which play similar to the WSOP High Rollers, gives her a great chance to continue her hot streak and have a big summer.
Regardless of what happens, Foxen is almost guaranteed to break the $10 million mark in tournament winnings this summer, which is a huge feat in its own right, and one that most poker players never even get close to.
1. Jesse Lonis
Jesse Lonis has become a staple name in the poker community quite recently. Just a few years ago, however, most poker fans would not have been familiar with the name.
The tournament crusher from Little Falls, NY, broke onto the big stage with a final table performance at the 2021 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open, and has never looked back.
Jesse was unstoppable last year, but his incredible run did not result in a WSOP bracelet, as he came second in the $50k High Roller and posted a few other close calls. His 2025 has been quite impressive so far as well, as he booked a couple of wins and over $1.6 million in tournament cashes to date, all in preparation for the big events of the summer.
As WSOP rolls in, we can expect to see Jesse Lonis jumping into all the high-stakes NLH and PLO events, as well as potentially some of the big field events with lower buy-ins in pursuit of the bracelets.
Jesse’s aggressive approach to poker and his incredible sixth sense have won him over $15 million in his fairly short poker career, along with two WSOP bracelets. Lonis will be looking to extend these records further with another successful summer, and the odds certainly seem to be in his favor.
We recommend keeping a close eye on the name Jesse Lonis in the chip counts and expect to see him play at least a couple of final tables in some of the biggest buy-in events of the summer.