Phil Ivey Makes WSOP November Nine
From 6,494 players down to nine and the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, and yes, Phil Ivey is still in it.
Ivey already has two bracelet wins this year to bring his total up to seven, and now he has a chance to make history by taking down the Main Event as well to become World Champion. It'll be an uphill battle for the poker superstar, though.
Ivey may be the biggest presence at the Main Event final table, but he won't be the biggest stack when players return in November to finish out the event. That honor goes to Darvin Moon with his $58,930,000 in chips. That's a pretty far cry above Ivey's $9,765,000.
The full list of final table players is:
- 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
It's an American-heavy table this year with all but Antoine Saout and James Akenhead hailing from somewhere in the United States. Akenhead, who qualified for the WSOP Main Event at PokerStars, is from England.
Saout is an online multi-table tournament specialist from France who picked up his Main Event ticket online as well from Everest Poker.
Will an American bring home the title this year? Will it be won by an established pro for the first time since Carlos Mortensen won the Main Event? We'll all have to wait until November to find out.
The Main Event final-table festivities will take place Nov. 7-10, including the Poker Hall of Fame induction. Coincidentally, Phil Ivey is one of the 10 nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame this year from the public vote. It could be an interested weekend in November if he makes it through the vetting and alumni/media vote to get an induction in the Hall of Fame the same weekend he's also playing for a Championship bracelet.