Top Five U.K. Players to Watch at 2008 WSOP

Players from the U.K. traditionally have a nitty image, but in the last few years, they've smartened (and loosened) up considerably and the country now boasts many excellent rounders who can challenge any Scandinavian player on pure aggression.

Many who fit this description are the new wave of Internet kids who've arrived on these shores, delighted to be here, but equally excited about the prospect of playing on all the Sunday night comps and getting to bed earlier than usual.

5. Stuart Fox. Finishing second to James Mackey in last year's $5,000 NL event, marked another almost for "Foxy," who despite only being runner-up declared himself delighted with the result.

The previous year, the friendly Birmingham native had managed to bag second place in a $1,500 event and third in the $5,000 Pot-Limit event. Could this be the year he finally breaks his duck?

Channing: Did Chris Hall really put me in that list?

4. Neil Channing. Having been well-known for tearing up the Vic cash games down in London, the acerbic and deadpan Channing finally took home a life-changing score earlier this year when he won the Irish Open for €800,000.

Can his good fortune follow him across the Atlantic to the WSOP?

3. Stevie Devlin. Ok, I am cheating a little with this one, as he's actually from Omagh, which is in Northern Ireland, but at the moment it's still part of the U.K. Better known by the moniker "AllinStevie," Devlin is one of the top online players around, having won the PokerStars warm-up for $70k.

He's begun recently to dip his toe in EPT waters and managed a good run in Prague, so don't be surprised if he manages a final or two here.

Thew: Who needs online poker?

2. Julian Thew. At the moment, probably considered one of the best players in Europe, and rightly so. Thew is among the most popular players on the circuit and hit his purple patch in the autumn of 2007 when he won a U.K. Poker Tour event for around £45,000 ($90,000) before capturing the EPT Baden title a few weeks later for €600,000.

Almost an anomaly in that he very rarely ventures online, Thew has since started off 2008 by winning a second U.K. Poker Tour title, reinforcing his credentials as someone who will be challenging for bracelets.

1. Chris Moorman. Playing as "Moorman1" online, Moorman has had a real breakthrough year in 2008. If he makes a final, more often than not he'll outright win the tournament. The biggest scores he has had so far this year include winning the $1k event on Full Tilt for $80k as well as chopping the $5k "Winner takes all" event on PokerStars for another $55k.

He has yet to make a real impression on the live scene, but simply by the sheer volume of WSOP events he'll play, it's be very unlikely he won't end up with a big stack in one of these events.

So there you have it - the PL.com's official picks of the British rounder scene. May the best Brit win.