WPT.com Staff Make Five Bold Predictions for Poker in 2025

Everyone who plays poker knows – you never know what’s going to happen next. It’s a game of unpredictability, one of infinite outcomes. And, to some extent, the poker world in general is the same. From breakout stars to historic events, every year the poker world is full of surprises making it nearly impossible to guess what comes next.

But the editorial staff of WPT.com decided to try anyway. 2025 has all the makings of a historic year in poker, so our team consisting of Editor in Chief Lance Bradley, Senior Creative Editor Jeff Walsh, and Managing Editor Tim Fiorvanti took up the task of offering up five bold predictions of what’s in store for poker in 2025.

Elias Will Have Company Atop the WPT Champions Leaderboard

It’s been nearly seven years since Darren Elias won his historic fourth World Poker Tour title at the Bobby Baldwin Classic in May 2018. That’s seven years that he’s enjoyed the distinction as the leader in all-time WPT titles, staying just ahead of the field of WPT players looking to track him down by adding a title or two in order to tie (or surpass him) and join him in the history books.

This is the year someone breaks through and joins Elias at the top of the WPT title leaderboard. A handful of players have an edge – a group of active players who currently sit with three titles already: Brian Altman, Eric Afriat, Chino Rheem, and Anthony Zinno. All four of these players were spotted in WPT events in 2024, giving themselves a shot at becoming a champion once again.

Specifically, Eric Afriat who had a special 2024. He played nearly every Main Tour event and finished the year with five cashes and two final tables. He nearly locked up his fourth victory with a runner-up finish at WPT Choctaw and came incredibly close once again with a third-place finish in the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship.

While Afrait had a stellar 2024, and all indications that he’s going to be on the grind again this year, I’m going with Chino Rheem to emerge as the next player to reach four titles. – Jeff Walsh

The 10-Bracelet Club Will Get A New Member

When you look at the five players with the most World Series of Poker gold bracelets, a few patterns emerge. Everyone who has been fortunate enough to hit the 10-bracelet mark – Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Erik Seidel – has wins stretching over a period of 20-plus years, and each of them has a stretch of time in which they felt thoroughly unbeatable.

Seidel won his 10th WSOP bracelet in 2023, and from there the next candidate likely to hit double digits might seem unclear. Behind the late Johnny Moss at nine, five players are tied at seven, and 14 more sit at six. But a closer look at the underlying factors reveals a strong contender – Scott Seiver. After putting together one of the best summers in recent memory in 2024, capturing three WSOP wins over the course of the series it’s clear that Seiver is at the peak of his powers and committed to playing as full a schedule as any poker player is capable of.

And I think he’s going to do it again.

In 2025, Seiver cements his Hall of Fame status by rattling off three more WSOP gold bracelets, hitting 10 overall for his career, and becomes the second-fastest player in history to hit that mark behind only Ivey. – Tim Fiorvanti

The Poker Hall of Fame Will Get A Much-Needed Upgrade

After years of listening to the poker community voicing concerns, the WSOP will finally update the Poker Hall of Fame induction process. The current process means one nominee gets in per year. I think the WSOP, which oversees/owns the PHOF, is going to change that in some manner so that at least two people are inducted every year.

It could be a scenario where one player and one builder get in or two players get in every ear and a builder gets in every second year.

There is quite a backlog of worthy candidates and I think the community is aligned in thinking that it needs to change, needs to be modernized. It needs to account for what is a group of soon-to-be eligible players plus a group of already eligible people, both players and builders, who are worthy of the honor at this point.

I think this year they announce the nominees, the ten finalists, or whatever, and then announce a revised system. Maybe they’ll even change the voting process to be more reflective of the way that the Sports Hall of Fames does it. – Lance Bradley

There Will Be Mayhem at the Mid Stakes

It’s been proven time and time again that one of the biggest demos in poker is the recreational mid-stakes/mid-major player who is looking to spin up a modest buy-in into a windfall. Whether that’s a $400-$600 entry into a high five-figure cash or taking a shot in a $1K and hoping lightning strikes for life-changing money. For years, this segment of the poker population has been supportive of these large-field, premium events and I’m banking that 2025 is going to be a banner year for the tours that cater to these customers.

WPT Prime, RunGood, WSOP Circuit, Moneymaker Tour and the like are going to have a next-level ground swell of support specifically in marquee events. For the World Poker Tour, look for the $1,100 WPT Prime Championship to eclipse its 2023 mark of 10,512 runners and cement itself as the year-end Super Bowl for mid-stakes grinders. For the under-new-management World Series of Poker, expect to see events like the $1K Mystery Millions and $1,500 Monster Stack set new highs from their already incredible records.

Expect more of the same for global events like the 2025 Irish Poker Open and the Estrellas Poker Tour Barcelona. It’s going to be a big year for big-field, mid-stakes events. – Jeff Walsh

A-List Celebrities Will Return To Poker

From the moment poker’s popularity exploded into the mainstream in the early 2000s, there has been an ebb and flow in terms of how deeply the game has embedded itself into popular culture. Take one look at the entrants list to the 2007 WSOP Ante Up for Africa event, for example – names like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Adam Sandler, and Don Cheadle among others.

In those early days, the poker hype brought in the celebrities and mainstream attention. In this moment of power in celebrity-driven culture, tapping into the right vein of gold at the right angle could bear the kind of growth in poker that we haven’t seen in a long time.

It feels as though poker is squaring itself up for just such an opportunity to ingratiate itself into the mainstream in 2025. Take the recent Golden Globes red carpet interview with Elle Fanning, in which she mentioned that Hollywood’s current IT man Timothée Chalamet was actively playing poker on set during filming of A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic. He is at the center of attention as awards season hits in the acting world, carries over 20 million followers on Instagram and at 29 years old is entering the prime years of his acting career.

Compare that to how far chess has come over the last four-and-a-half years. Grand Master Magnus Carlsen has achieved celebrity status, and athletes like Victor Wembanyama consistently champion the game.

Now imagine Chalamet, post-Academy Awards victory for best actor, and a poker game for the ages that might actually break the internet. – Tim Fiorvanti