2009 WSOP November Nine is Set

A Breakdown of the Final Table Participants

Jul 18, 2009 Tom Mitsos

Day 8 concluded on July 15 and the remaining nine players will come back to the Rio in November to decide the winner of the Main Event.

When the main event started, there were 6,494 players hoping to win the most coveted bracelet of the World Series. However, only nine of those players still have a chance of taking home the gold bracelet.

A good mix of amateurs and pros make up this year’s final table. The most recognizable face at this year’s final table will no doubt be Phil Ivey. Ivey’s highest main event finish prior to 2009 was 10th in 2003.

Here are the nine men who will make up the final table in November and their chip count (Chip counts provided by Cardplayer.com):

Darvin Moon - 58,930,000

The overwhelming chip leader, Darvin Moon, is more than 24 million chips ahead of his closest competitor. However, don’t think Moon has this main event locked up just because he has the chip lead.

Dennis Philips proved last year that a chip lead does not mean an automatic win. Moon is an amateur and is one of the least experienced at the entire final table. However, if he can use his chips effectively to bully the table, he will be a force to be reckoned with come November.

Eric Buchman - 34,800,000

With nearly $1,000,000 in tournament winnings, Eric Buchman will be looking to use his experience to take the chip lead away from Moon. Buchman has one cash in this year’s WSOP taking 6th place in the $2,500 Omaha 8 or Better/ Seven Card Stud 8 or Better event.

This is the same event in which fellow final table participant Phil Ivey went on to win. However, this cash will be nothing compared to the $1,263,602 he is already guaranteed for making the final table.

Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000

Steven Begleiter won his main event seat through a home-game league back in New York. The other members of the league will be cheering for Begleiter as they will chop 20% of whatever Begleiter wins.

Despite being an amateur, Begleiter still takes the game very seriously. Not only does he play in homes games regularly, but he has also taken trips to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.

Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000

Best know as the editor of CardPlayer magazine, Jeff Shulman is no rookie when it comes to final tables. He has over 20 final tables to his name and $1,291,826 in tournament winnings.

There has been controversy surrounding Shulman at this year’s World Series. Should he win the main event, he has suggested he will throw away his bracelet to show his disappointment with how the World Series has been run within the last few years.

Joseph Cada - 13,215,000

Yet again, a player has the opportunity to become the youngest WSOP Main Event winner in history. At the age of 21, Joseph Cada will look to break Peter Eastgate’s record set just one year ago.

Cada, or jcada99 as he is known in the online world, has made over $300,000 in tournament winnings, most of that money coming in online tournaments.

Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000

This final table will be Kevin Schaffel’s second deep run in the main event. He finished 42nd in the main event 15 years ago at the 1994 WSOP.

Schaffel has amassed over $160,000 in tournament winnings. With very little experience, and a relatively small amount of chips, Schaffel will have his work cut out for him.

Phil Ivey - 9,765,000

Having already won two bracelets this year, it would be a dream come true to make Ivey’s third bracelet be the main event bracelet. Ivey is without a doubt the most experienced player at the table.

However, Ivey’s chip stack may require Ivey to be a little more patient than he is used to being. He will need to catch a few cards and make some well-timed moves in order to have any shot of winning the tournament.

Antoine Saout - 9,500,000

One of two players to represent a country other than the United States, the Frenchmen Antoine Saout, will come to the final table second-to-last in chips.

Saout qualified for the main event through Everest Poker, where he regularly plays in multi-table tournaments.

James Akenhead - 6,800,000

Londoner James Akenhead has the title of short stack at this year’s final table. However, Akenhead is no amateur and will be looking for the right spot to get a double-up or two.

Last year, Akenhead fell short of winning a bracelet when he finished second in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event.

Here are the author's projected standings of the final table along with the prize money for each place:

1st - Eric Buchman - $8,546,435

2nd - Darvin Moon - $5,182,601

3rd - Jeff Shulman - $3,479,485

4th - Joseph Cada - $2,502,787

5th - Phil Ivey - $1,953,395

6th - Steven Begleiter - $1,587,133

7th - Kevin Schaffel - $1,404,002

8th - James Akenhead - $1,300,228

9th - Antoine Saout - $1,263,602

The copyright of the article 2009 WSOP November Nine is Set in Card/Board/Lawn Games is owned by Tom Mitsos. Permission to republish 2009 WSOP November Nine is Set in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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