Arguably the two most popular poker players of all-time — Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu — will, as always, receive plenty of attention from the fans and media this summer. But which one of them will have the best 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP)? That’s a great question, so let’s see if we can make an accurate prediction.
The first bold prediction we’ll make is that Negreanu, at the very least, won’t struggle as badly as he did last summer. At the 2022 WSOP, “DNegs” had a series to forget, perhaps his worst ever. Not only did he fail to win a bracelet for the ninth consecutive year, he lost $1.1 million and couldn’t catch a break. His selfie stick paid an even bigger price for the frustrating series.
Comparing 2022 World Series of Poker Results
Hellmuth’s performance was so-so by his standards, while Negreanu had a series to forget. Neither came close to catching Dan Zack, who won the 2022 WSOP Player of the Year award.
The duo combined for exactly zero WSOP bracelets last year, although Hellmuth did have a runner-up finish to David Jackson in the $3,000 Freezeout event, which featured one of the rowdiest final tables of the whole summer.
In total, Hellmuth collected seven cashes one year after setting a record for the most final table appearances in a single WSOP. Negreanu cashed 11 times in live bracelet events in Las Vegas, most for small amounts relative to the tournament buy-in.
Our second prediction is that both players will exceed their 2022 performances this summer. Negreanu will, at the very least, turn a profit, and Hellmuth will pop up at a final table every couple of weeks.
So Who is Going to Have a Better 2023 World Series of Poker?
Alright, enough beating around the bush, let’s answer the question you’ve been waiting for — Daniel Negreanu. There you go, that’s your answer. That’s right, 2023 is going to be the year that Negreanu not only gets back on track at the WSOP, but ends one of the most confusing droughts in poker history, and that is his lack of winning a bracelet since 2013.
Not only has it been a decade since he’s won a bracelet, but he hasn’t shipped a WSOP event in Las Vegas since 2008. But the main reason he’ll outperform Hellmuth is because he’ll play more events.
That said, you should never be surprised if Hellmuth shows up and dominates during any World Series of Poker. He’s the GOAT of the WSOP, undeniably. With 16 bracelets — no one else has more than 10 — and a record 14 runner-up finishes, he’s the Michael Jordan of the most prestigious series in poker.
It’s good for the game when these two Poker Hall of Famers are crushing it at the WSOP. When they’re at a final table, viewership and interest in the event and the WSOP is up. We have a sneaking suspicion you’re going to see both of them deep in a number of events this summer, but we’ll give the overall edge to Negreanu, who is beyond due to win his seventh bracelet.