David "ODB" Baker has his hands in just about everything this World Series of Poker.
From Day 1 - scratch that - from before Day 1 of this summer's slate, Baker has been active in pursuit of multiple accolades and prizes. Here's how several of those pursuits are shaping up thus far.
Player of the Year race
Each year, the WSOP awards one dominating player the title of "Player of the Year." It's a grind; you have to play as many events as possible to have a shot, and you must perform better than everyone else who's doing the same.
"I've going to be in everything this year," said Baker. "I've still got a shot at the Player of the Year."
Besides that venerable title, the award brings with it multiple other benefits. The winner receives a free entry into the 2024 WSOP Main Event, a unique trophy, and a Player of the Year Banner to hang at the host venue for all future summers.
Current Player of the Year standings
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
| 1 | Ian Matakis | United States | 2,914.73 |
| 2 | Michael Rodrigues Pires Santos | Portugal | 2,429.26 |
| 3 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 2,368.97 |
| 4 | Chris Brewer | United States | 2,300.38 |
| 5 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 2,217.92 |
| 6 | Josh Arieh | United States | 2,173.70 |
| 7 | Michael Moncek | United States | 2,151.16 |
| 8 | Jans Arends | Netherland | 1,999.18 |
| 9 | Tyler Brown | United States | 1,946.11 |
Hunt for a bracelet
Baker came into this summer with two WSOP bracelets to his name and hungry for another. He didn't have to wait too long to claim his third.
On June 9th, Baker won Event #24: $1,500 Razz for $152,991 and this third gold bracelet. If you've been at the bracelet ceremonies every day, you might have noticed Baker hasn't had his yet.
"I decided to put it off for a couple of weeks," Baker explained. "My daughter is flying into town, so I wanted her to be there. When they're young they have to put up with all the travel and events. It's nice to be able to share the reward with her."
Baker's bracelet ceremony will be held today in the Paris Ballroom, and it's scheduled for 12:15 pm local time.
The 25k WSOP fantasy league
Each year, commissioner Daniel Negreanu hosts a $25,000 buy-in fantasy league. Players draft a team full of WSOP hopefuls and hope they rack up points throughout the year.
Baker is always active in that league, and this year is no different. He's built a team that currently sits middle of the pack in standings. There's still plenty of time, and he has himself anchoring the team.
"Yeah, I drafted myself in the league," said Baker. "That's another reason I want to get into everything."
With $250,000 going to the top team, that's a heavy incentive to keep up the grind.
25k fantasy points standings
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1 | Team Lady Gaga | 683 |
| 8 | Team Baker | 420 |
| 20 | Team Benny | 229 |
There's still a lot of year left, so it's anybody's game. Yes, maybe even you Benny Glaser (but probably not).
A tag team partner
Finally, and I'm sure most important of all of these pursuits, Baker needed the perfect tag team partner for the WSOP. He took to the Twitterverse to find one.
Well, somehow Baker must have misclicked, because I'll be joining the legend for #TeamBaker today. We bought in yesterday at the Paris cage and I'll be taking our team seat right at 12 pm.
The coolest part: While I'm sitting down for the first few hands, 15 minutes later Baker and family will be accepting his bracelet during the bracelet ceremony in the same Paris Ballroom.
I'm hoping it's not Baker's last bracelet this year, and I hope to be up there on the podium next to him next week.
To follow along with all of Baker's progress this year, our Tag Team dominance, and myriad other WSOP happenings, click the Poker Instant link below.
