Team Russia Joins Fantasy Draft: Changes and High Stakes

The fantasy draft this year brought significant changes and the return of Team Russia. The main change involves the introduction of additional bonuses in kill fields – for every 1,000 participants, an additional table receives bonus points. This change primarily affects the main tournament, where last year 6,598 players participated, and additional 65 bonus points would have been awarded to all players in the top 72.

In this year's American lottery, 14 teams participated, while in the Russian draft, there were only 8 teams. The Russian team, led by Sergey Rybachenko, Andrey Zaichenko, and Ilya Gorodetsky, prepared thoroughly for the competition. Phil Ivey was the most expensive purchase in both the American and Russian drafts, costing 110 and 107 points respectively.

Daniel Alaei's team includes Phil Ivey, Robert Misrahi, David Bach, Brian Rast, Sam Stein, Michael Binger, Mike Watson, and Steve Sang. Team Russia includes Daniel Alaei, Vanessa Selbst, Scott Seiver, Steve Billirakis, Brock Parker, Konstantin Puchkov, Nacho Barbero, and Ismael Boyang. Brin Kenni's team includes Jason Mercier, Justin Young, Brin Kenni, Joseph Cheong, Alexei Kovalev, Timothy Finn, Yuval Bronstein, and Eric Wasserson.