WSOP Main Event Final Table Preview
This week sees the conclusion of this year’s most anticipated tournament in the poker calendar, the World Series of Poker Main Event. To celebrate this occasion pokerchanneleurope.com will be taking a look at who comprises the final table, how they currently stand and how much they stand to win in this 40th World Series of Poker!
The current standings
- DARVIN MOON – 58,930,000
- ERIC BUCHMAN – 34,800,000
- STEVEN BEGLEITER – 29,885,000
- JEFF SHULMAN – 19,580,000
- JOSEPH CADA – 13,215,000
- KEVIN SCHAFFEL – 12,390,000
- PHIL IVEY – 9,765,000
- ANTOINE SAOUT – 9,500,000
- JAMES AKENHEAD – 6,800,000
These are the by now infamous ‘November Nine’ battling it out for a share of $27,220,989 starting this weekend with the overall champion looking to take home an incredible $8,547,042, even the 9th place finisher can look forward to bagging a very impressive $1,263,602.
The November Nine
James Akenhead
James Akenhead is a professional poker player from London, England. Although he will be joining the table as the short stack – currently 9th place in chips – his impressive record in major live tournaments speaks for itself. Akenhead recently made the final table of the WSOPE main event cashing for $109,687. With the blinds at $120,000-$240,000 when play returns there is plenty of life left in this tournament so it could well be a mistake to write off Akenhead’s shot at a bracelet too readily.
Antoine Saout
Antoine Saout is a former engineering student who hails from Saint Martin des Champs, France. Saout takes a highly analytical and mathematical approach to his game and often plays many tables at a time online. He qualified for the main event through Everest poker through a $50 satellite and amongst those pleased to see him make the final table are 50 other Everest poker players who each received $19,000 thanks to a promotion run by the room. Saout joined Akenhead on the final table for the WSOPE main event and cashed for $186,039 for his 7th placed finish earlier this year.
Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey is a man known to almost anyone who has sat at a poker table. Held in the highest of regard by his peers, Ivey is often regarded as the best poker player alive today. With 7 WSOP bracelets to his name (the youngest player ever to achieve this) including 2 bracelets from other tournaments in the 2009 world series of poker Ivey will be looking to make history as the youngest player to ever win 8 bracelets. Ivey has amassed over $12m in lifetime winnings placing him 3rd on the all time money list. Finishing 5th or better in the main event would see him propelled to 1st place on the all time money list. Although Ivey is only 7th in chips going into the final table, many bookies have placed Ivey amongst the favourites to win given his phenomenal ability to read people.
Kevin Schaffel
Kevin Schaffel is the most senior player at this year’s final table at 52 years of age. Having played poker for 40 years and every WSOP main event since 2004 and already cashing twice previously, Schaffel will be looking to make a big impression at the final table. Schaffel finished 2nd in a tournament in LA this August cashing for $471,670 so joins a number of players at the table who have already had a very successful 2009.
Joseph Cada
Joseph Cada is already a highly successful poker pro at the age of 21. Prior to 2009 Cada already boasted nearly $500,000 in lifetime tournament winnings and has already cashed in 2 other WSOP events this year. Should Cada win the event this year he will beat Peter Eastgate’s record (set last year) of youngest ever winner of the WSOP main event.
Jeff Shulman
Jeff Shulman is no stranger to the pressures of a World Series of Poker final table having finished 7th in the 2000 main event. Shulman is an editor of cardplayer magazine and has an incredible record at the World Series of Poker, cashing in numerous events and boasting more than $2m in career winnings.
Steven Begleiter
New Yorker Steven Begleiter has been playing poker most of his life, but is not a professional poker player unlike most of the November Nine. A successful financier for 24 years, Begleiter qualified for the main event through a 22-person home game league – he also plans to donate 20% of his winnings to the participants in the league.
Eric Buchman
Poker pro Eric Buchman started out playing poker at college and hasn’t looked back since. With $900,000 in tournament cashes already in his name prior to the main event Buchman will be looking to capitalise on his position as the second largest stack at the table and go one further than his 2nd place finish at the 2006 WSOP limit hold em event.
Darvin Moon
Darvin Moon of Oakland, Maryland will begin the final table as chip leader with 30% of the chips in play. This is the first WSOP event Moon has played in – he won his seat in a live satellite and almost opted for a cash alternative instead of the seat. Moon has only been playing Hold’em for 3 years having learned to play 7 card stud as a child. Moon has never played online and doesn’t even own a computer! Moon’s run to the final table never saw him put all his chips at risk and he will be hoping this cautious approach will serve him well on his bid for bracelet glory!
