Poker 2013 Final Table

The waiting is almost over for the biggest event of the poker calendar, as the WSOP 2013 Main Event final table is set to get underway today at 5:30 p.m local time (Pacific Time) on Monday.

Just a dollar and a dream.

Growing up in New York, that motto for the N.Y. state lottery was plastered just about everywhere. Talk about perfect marketing. Everyone has a dream. And a dollar. To be able to make that dream come true is motivation enough for millions to be willing to part with that dollar. Or two. Or 10.

I've often called making the World Series of Poker main event final table a winning lottery ticket. Instead of a buck for a ticket, the field pays a $10,000 entry fee to play the game, and instead of millions of participants with blind hopes, all that stands in your way are a few thousands other hopefuls, all of whom truly believe they can win. They aren't relying on the lottery TV host and those air-filled numbered ball dispensers to make their dreams come true. It's all about the level of their game, honed over thousands of hours at the felt or online. And if you make it to the final table, you've already beaten the odds. You're a November Niner. The worst you can walk away with is $733,224.

SNGs and 3-handed jackpot poker have turned me into a final table master. I've won 2 MTTs with over 800 players and 2 with over 100 and various turbo 30ish player and of course countless SNGs. One of the most anticipated days on the poker calendar has arrived as the Final Table of the 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event resumes tonight. After four months of promotion and preparation the final nine participants, along with the eyes of the poker industry, return to the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to finally crown a champion.

That's a reality for our nine remaining players. At stake for the winner of this final showdown: $8.3 million, the most coveted bracelet in the poker universe, and the title of WSOP main event champion. That's the dream.

The event, which began in July, featured 6,352 runners who each put down $10,000 for a chance to become the next world champion. Play was halted once the final nine remained and that group, the November Nine, will take their seats at the most coveted final table of the year on Monday night, live on ESPN2 (8 p.m. ET). Action will continue until either two or three players remain and the final battle will take place Tuesday night (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET).

Each of the remaining nine players has demonstrated a great deal of skill to reach this point in the tournament. The level of ability in poker has increased so greatly over the past decade that the seldom-playing amateur just can't win anymore. It is highly unlike that there will ever be another amateur story like Chris Moneymaker's. The game has simply evolved, and while luck will always play a role in who gets to the final table, these nine survivors wouldn't be in the position they are in if they weren't some of the best poker players in the world.

From chip leader JC Tran to short stack David Benefield, each of the nine boasts accomplishments in the game of one kind or another. They've had four months to think about this final table appearance and many of them have done everything they can to prepare; working with coaches, watching film, refining their strategy. Each of them understands the potential of one nine-handed table. This is their night. This is their chance. This is their winning ticket.

Here's who you will be watching Monday night (in order of chip count):

JC Tran – The chip leader is by far the most decorated player at this final table. Tran was one of poker's hottest stars during the peak of the boom a few years ago, but life priorities changed. Instead of being a constant grinder, spending 75 percent of the year on the road, Tran stayed closer to his wife and son and played only a few key events over the past few years. Well, the two-time WSOP bracelet winner, World Championship of Online Poker champion and WPT champion is in command of this final table. If there's one certainty on Monday, it's that the bright lights won't intimidate him at all. Been there, done that.

Amir Lehavot – The Israeli-born pro was an engineer with no interests in poker until 2007. He took a year hiatus from his career, stumbled upon online poker and, in spite of himself, found that he had a passion for the game. He has been dominant ever since. Lehavot is already a WSOP bracelet winner with heavy roots in online poker tournament strategy. The father of a 1-year-old is constantly yearning to conquer the next big challenge. This final table fits into that category.

Marc-Etienne McLaughlin – While the commentary about McLaughlin sometimes revolves around the similarities between him and his friend, 2010 WSOP main event champion Jonathan Duhamel, McLaughlin's resume speaks for himself. The entrepreneur has a heavy cash game background to go along with his three top-86 finishes in the WSOP main event since 2009. Similar to David Benefield (ninth), McLaughlin is thorough in making each and every decision.

Jay Farber –Farber, a nightclub promoter, has always had a passion for poker and finally was able to take some time away from work to play in the main event this year. He may not have the most experience at the final table, but his decision-making is excellent and his rail will be filled with many of the game's most familiar faces, including 2011's third-place finisher Ben Lamb. All of Vegas is salivating over a Farber victory after-party.

Ryan Riess – The youngest player at the final table is the 23-year-old kid from Michigan. In less than 14 months, Riess has gone from being a dealer at a casino in Michigan to taking his seat at the biggest final table in the world. Some may question his ability to change gears at the right time, but 'Riess the Beast' is ready and thrilled to have this opportunity.

Sylvain Loosli – Listen, if you're roommates with Bertrand Grospellier, you probably know what you're doing at the felt. Loosli has only a few tournament cashes to his record, but has established himself as a force at the table through unique play and a stone-faced stare. Inspired by the third-place finisher in 2009, Antoine Saout, Loosli is looking to bring the bracelet back to Europe and become the new face of French poker.

Michiel Brummelhuis – Constantly overlooked leading up to the final table, Brummelhuis is looking to become the first Dutch WSOP main event champion. His poker background is extensive, with a dual focus on cash games and tournament play. Even though he hasn't received the most hype here in the U.S., in Europe, in the words of Ron Burgundy, he's kind of a big deal. Just like Lehavot and Tran, Brummelhuis also just became a father and realizes he's playing for more than just himself.

Mark Newhouse – What does the final table mean to Newhouse? Freedom. After rising to the top of the poker world in 2006 thanks to a great run at the cash games and a surprising victory at the WPT Borgata main event, Newhouse's career took a rough turn and left him in bad shape. The money may mean more to him than any other player on Monday night, but his abilities are top tier and he has already proven that he knows how to be patient when the pressure is on.

David Benefield – When those in the industry think of the early online legends, they think of the name 'Raptor.' Benefield found passion in poker and built an impressive bankroll at an early age. He was on top of the online game when he decided to reduce his focus on poker and headed back to school. Well, his East Asian Studies major at Columbia led him to Macau and back to poker. He has been on an incredible run over the past few months and all he needs is one double-up to keep that roll going.

Each of these nine players has already received $733,224, the prize for a ninth-place finish, and one of them will leave the Rio with nothing more to show for their four-month wait. The other eight will continue to fight for the victory, which would mean not only a life-changing cash prize, but will also see them become the next icon of the game.

Every call, every fold, every bluff can alter the course of poker history and mean the difference between a dream shattered and a dream fulfilled. There's no moment in poker like the final table.

Welcome to our World Series.

As the 2013 World Series of Poker makes its preparations for the start of the $10,000 Championship Event this weekend, there are still a few preliminary events that are left on the schedule. One of those tournaments, the $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship, has worked its way to the final table while the second is down to heads up action to determine a champion later today.

Event #55 – $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship

The tournament that most of the eyes in the Amazon Room have been on is one of the most coveted titles at the World Series, the Poker Players’ Championship. Because of its mixture of poker disciplines, the champion of the tournament is often thought of as “the best poker player in the world” – at least for a year! On Wednesday, 26 players came back for battle in the pursuit of the WSOP bracelet and the coveted Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

Leading the way on Wednesday was Don Nguyen, who was the only player over the two million chip mark after Tuesday’s action. The remainder of the leaderboard was stacked with excellent players including former World Champions Jonathan Duhamel, Joe Hachem and Huck Seed, 2013 WSOP bracelet winner Erick Lindgren, popular Canadian pro and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Greg Mueller and 2009 $50K H.O.R.S.E. (the predecessor of the PPC) victor David Bach. With the notoriety of winning this particular event weighing on the minds of all (as well as the factor that ten players would walk away with no payout from the tournament), the players got to business fairly quickly.

A short-stacked John Juanda was able to find a double on the first hand of action, but he would be the first casualty of the day also as that double wasn’t enough to bolster his stack. Hachem was next to go during the Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo segment, never getting the right cards to prevent his chip stack from slipping away. Down to 24 players, the tables redrew and continued to send professionals to the rail.

Stephen Chidwick, Mueller, Lindgren, Bach and Justin Smith would all be gone before the first break of the day was taken, bringing the field to 18 players and intensifying the pressure as the money bubble approached. When Tommy Hang sent Max Pescatori to the rail in Razz around 6PM, the bubble was upon the men on the baize. After almost an hour and a half of play, the double eliminations of Australian poker legend Gary Benson (by George Danzer) and Joe Cassidy (by Seed) popped the bubble, with both men earning a $55,947 piece of the 16th place prize.

Down to 15 players, Nguyen was still in the lead, but Danzer had closed to less than 200K in chips behind him. Still in the mix also were John Hennigan, Bryn Kenney, David Benyamine, Duhamel, Minh Ly, Matthew Ashton, Mike Wattel, Kevin Song and Seed.

Over the next four hours, the players would work their way down to the eight handed final table that will contest the Poker Players’ Championship this afternoon. Song was an early elimination in 14th place, dropping to Michael Glick in Limit Hold’em, as Nguyen improved his lead by knocking off Hang in 13th place by the time the dinner bell rang. After dinner and with six-figure paydays awaiting all the players, the play predictably would slow down.

Kenney would find his way to the rail in 12th place just after 11PM, his 10♠ 6♠ flopping a couple of spades (but not finding a third) to fall to Hennigan’s pocket sevens during a round of No Limit Hold’em. Once Seed fell at the hands of Ashton (his A-J failing to catch against Ashton’s Big Slick) and Glick dropped out in tenth place (Ly got him during Omaha Hi/Lo), the unofficial final table of nine convened with one more knockout remaining on the agenda.

Ashton would make the first big move during nine-handed play, scooping an Omaha Hi/Lo pot against Nguyen to push his stack near the three million mark (Nguyen was still over five million after the hand). After a short stacked Mike Gorodinsky’s A-9-8-7 fell to Benyamine’s A-10-6-2 in Pot Limit Omaha (the final board read 6-4-10-J-J), the prestigious final table for the Poker Players’ Championship was set:

1. Don Nguyen, 5.068 million
2. Matthew Ashton, 2.996 million
3. George Danzer, 2.868 million
4. David Benyamine, 2.709 million
5. Minh Ly, 2.307 million
6. Jonathan Duhamel, 1.627 million
7. John Hennigan, 1.412 million
8. Mike Wattel, 810,000

While it looks like Nguyen is cruising to the title, Ashton and Danzer are both men that will have to be reckoned with. They have both had outstanding 2013 WSOP runs and it isn’t out of the question that they could rise up to challenge Nguyen. Benyamine, Ly, Duhamel and Hennigan could also present a roadblock to Nguyen, while Wattel has his work cut out for him if he is to come back to take the championship.

Poker 2013 Final Table Online

Event #56 – $2500 No Limit Hold’em

The 23 players who came back on Wednesday for the finale of Event #56 were unable to work down to a champion early this morning, with two men returning on Thursday to complete their work a crown a victor.

The unknown starting the day was O. J. Ojiri, who led the final 23 despite not having even one tournament cash to his credit. Some notables that were looking to take him down were Nicolas Levi, Josh Arieh and Owen Crowe and, with a long day’s work ahead of them, the players wasted little time putting their chips in play.

Sebastien Comel would knock Ojiri out of the lead, picking off an ill-timed bluff from the chip leader when his A-7 played on a 2-10-Q-A-8 board (Ojiri could only muster K-4 for air) and the bad news would continue for Ojiri. Chris Karambinis used an A-Q to defeat Ojiri’s pocket tens to knock Ojiri down to only 75K and, moments later, he would depart in 19th place at the hands of Crowe when his K-J failed to catch up with Crowe’s A-J.

Down to two tables, the carnage would continue as it became possible for the players to complete the tournament on Wednesday. Crowe would fall victim to Vincent Maglio in a hand where the lead shifted three times. Crowe’s A-J was behind Maglio’s A-K pre-flop, but the A-J-10 flop gave him Aces up and the lead. A Queen on the turn flipped the script, however, giving Maglio Broadway and leaving Crowe drawing to a King to split the pot. The five river wasn’t the card he needed, though, sending Crowe to the rail in 11th and setting the unofficial final table.

World Series Of Poker 2013 Final Table

After Alex Dovzhenko’s elimination in tenth place, the final table was set with Comel in the lead over Maglio. Arieh lurked in the middle of the pack, while Levi was on a short stack. Levi would depart in ninth place 22 hands into the final table, his A-3 crushed by Nikolaus Teichert’s A-Q, but Arieh would stunningly knock out Comel (who had started to bleed chips) to get his name to the top of the ladder. As the midnight hour approached, five men were still in contention for the championship only separated by 1.8 million chips.

Maglio would make his play for the championship when, on an A-K-10 flop, he would knock off Arieh in fifth place with his Q-J for a flopped Broadway (Arieh’s A-9 never found any help on the turn or river). Maglio would continue his rampage, eliminating Sergey Lebedev in fourth and, after Teichert eliminated Dan Owen in third, heads up action was set.

Although Maglio started the heads up match with the lead, Teichert would flip the table over an hour of action. After completing the tenth level of the day (the WSOP “ten level rule” being put into effect), the players bagged their chips and will come back on Thursday to determine the champion:

Poker 2013 Final Tables

Nickolaus Teichert, 7.62 million
Vincent Maglio, 5.415 million