Where will todays top poker players be 5 years from now?

[PokerPaul]

At the moment, it seems like there are some top notch pros who are raking in the dough, finishing tops in many high profile tourneys and they're getting the highlife / celeb treatment that goes with it. Good for them, and i hope some of them get to enjoy that for years to come.

Some of them include Dan N, Eric L, Phil Ivey, magician, laak, etc.

Then there are those who have been tops for a long time and will hence likely sustain their performance levels (Doyle, Reese, TJ).

But as invincable as many of these new stars seem today, if you look at other top players from several years ago, even ones that seemed constant winners then, only very few seem to be able to stay at top for more than 2-3 years. (seed, vahedi)

So of those current bright stars, who has the best chance of actually remaining in top 10 rankings?

[Nikla]

I'd go with the Ivey. Extremely determined, and as several top pros take turns saying: "unmatched raw talent". If he manages to avoid burn-out, he's here to stay.

[FishBurger]

I doubt that Dan N will still be at the top of the tourney field in a few years. Every other post in his blog is about how hard it is for him to stay focussed. He seems to be almost getting bored with tournament poker. I imagine that he will move on to something else in the next few years.

[RowdyZ]

[ QUOTE ]


But as invincable as many of these new stars seem today, if you look at other top players from several years ago, even ones that seemed constant winners then, only very few seem to be able to stay at top for more than 2-3 years. (seed, vahedi)
[/quote/]

I am confused.. are you saying Vahedi is a fading star? He was Cardplayer Player of the Year in 2003.. His best year by far. He is currently leading in the 2005 standings with 2 wins and a fourth in the LA Poker Classic. I think he is far from washed up and still near the top.

[Grindin']

I agree, staying on top with this huge influx of new players coming into the game will be extremely difficult. I definitely see Erick Lindgren becoming a greater force in the poker world though. He's probably having the best tournament run this year after Daniel Negreanu. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[TStoneMBD]

these are just my humble opinions for anyone who is interested:

negreanu is tapping into the business industry. i forsee him playing poker recreationally in the future, and agree with previous poster that he is getting bored with poker. he is extremely talented however, and he will be worldclass no matter how rusty he gets.

ivey is the future

i dont really know too much about lindgren to really base an opinion on him. i think hes a young talent with alot of learning to go, who will only get better, but im not sure if some of his success is attributed to luck and that he may simply be overrated right now. i wouldnt classify him as top20 in the poker world, so will he get there? i dont know, probably not as new players will emerge redefining the term "world-class"

esfandiari is probably a pretty good player, but thats all he is. hes not world class, he is not the future.

phil laak is an idiot.

[ClaytonN]

When you look at Moneymaker's accomplishments, think of how many Phil Ivey's will spring up when the 16 and 17 year-olds who watched Moneymaker turn 21.

HoldemPhil is only 19 and plays $5k HU matches. He's one of many sub-21 year olds who are already making big earn off online poker.

You'll see tons of guys who will fit the mold of D'Agostino, making so much from online poker that they'll be playing the big games like Ivey when they hit their mid-twenties.

Many top players right now will make the move to business. This is already evident in Negraneau. His blog is about 90% business, 10% poker. Hellmuth has already made the transition to entrepeneaur through his books, tapes, and DVDs.

Young, spectacular players along the lines of ZJ, Exclusive, SDouble, HoldemPhil, and the bazillion swedes will line the future of poker.

[Grindin']

TStoneMBD, I honestly think Erick Lindgren is underrated if anything. Very few people mention his name on these forums and eleswhere but his accomplishments speak for themeselves. /images/graemlins/grin.gif