Friday, July 17, 2009
Ivey joins November Nine for 2009 WSOP Main Event finale

2009 World Series of Poker Event 57: $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship (6494 entries; 648 players paid; USD $61,043,600 prize pool)

The November Nine have been decided for the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. They are:

Darvin Moon, 45, of Oakland, Maryland, 58,930,000: Moon, who heads into November as the chip leader, is the Everyman of the November Nine. A self-employed logger from Western Maryland, Moon learned to play poker with his friends and won his Main Event seat in a satellite (qualifying) tournament. This is Moon’s first appearance at the WSOP.

Eric Buchman, 28, of Valley Stream, New York, 34,800,000: Buchman, second in chips, is an accomplished poker pro with nine career WSOP cashes. He made a final table in this year’s WSOP, placing sixth in Event 25. His best WSOP finish was second place in a 2006 Limit Hold’em event, which paid nearly $175,000.

Steven Begleiter, 47, of Chappaqua, New York, 29,885,000: Begleiter is familiar with large numbers, having worked previously in high finance at Bear Stearns. Married with three children, Begleiter played in last year’s Main Event but was unable “to dance between the raindrops” to make it deep into the tournament. When he isn’t playing poker, Begleiter enjoys watching and coaching his kids’ sports teams. He heads into November third in chips.

Jeff Shulman, 34, of Las Vegas, Nevada, 19,580,000: Shulman made himself known in the poker world at the age of 25, when he went deep in the WSOP Main Event. Nearly a decade later, the editor of Card Player magazine has more than $1 million in career winnings and finds himself at the final table. Shulman is fourth in chips.

Joseph Cada, 21, of Shelby Township, Michigan, 13,215,000: Cada, fifth in chips, has played in some 16 WSOP events and boasts nearly $500,000 in poker winnings. The 21-year-old’s hobbies include playing sports and spending time on the water. He was introduced to poker by friends who play professionally.

Kevin Schaffel, 51, of Coral Springs, Florida, 12,390,000: Schaffel has been playing poker since he was 11 years old and regularly participates in family games. He owned and operated a printing company for 30 years and considers himself “semi-retired” after having recently closed the business. The 51-year-old plans “to play a lot of golf” in the coming days and weeks. He is sixth in chips.

Phil Ivey, 33, of Las Vegas, Nevada, 9,765,000: Ivey, seventh in chips, is considered by many to be the world’s greatest poker player. At 33, he already has seven WSOP bracelets – two of which he won at this year’s WSOP. Often referred to as the Tiger Woods of poker, Ivey is a fierce competitor who has won millions in both tournaments and cash games around the globe.

Antoine Saout, 25, of Saint Martin des Champs, France: 9,500,000: Born in Morlaix, France, Antoine now calls Saint Martin des Champs home. One of three Frenchmen to make the final 27 of the Main Event, he won his seat into the tournament through an online satellite. He enters November eighth in chips.

James Akenhead, 26, of London, England: 6,800,000: Akenhead is a former railroad conductor and current poker pro who boasts a previous second-place finish at the 2008 WSOP, where he collected $520,000. His total winnings total some $700,000. He will be the short stack when play resumes at the Rio.

On day eight, the event played from 27 players (already guaranteed $352,832 in prize money). After 13 days and nearly 66 total hours of tournament play, all finishers are guaranteed at least $1,263,602 in prize money. This tournament now takes a 115-day recess. This is the second year of the delayed final table format.

Each player of the November Nine will be paid out the guaranteed prize money. This amounts to $1,263,602 each. When the Main Event resumes play on November 7, players will compete for additional money in the prize pool, plus interest on the withheld funds. The prize money payouts are:

1st place – $8,546,435
2nd place – $5,182,601
3rd place – $3,479,485
4th place – $2,502,787
5th place – $1,953,395
6th place – $1,587,133
7th place – $1,404,002
8th place – $1,300,228
9th place – $1,263,602 

Play stopped late in Level 33. When play resumes, blinds will be 120,000-240,000 with a 30,000 ante. The November Nine bubble, which was 10th place, was Jordan Smith (College Station, Texas). He won a gold bracelet at this year’s WSOP. Smith collected $896,730.

The first player eliminated on Day 8 was Leo Margets (Barcelona, Span). He was the last woman standing in the Main Event and ended up as the 27th-place finisher.

Darvin Moon remained the chip leader for the third consecutive day. He enters the final table with a decisive advantage over the rest of the field.