Stacked Final Table at WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic

The final table has been reached at the World Poker Tour’s Five Diamond World Poker Classic, setting up what should be an exciting and high-profile final table. Soi Nguyen will go into the last day with the chip lead, but several big names are right behind him and still in contention to take home a WPT title.

The final hand of Day 5 saw Larry Wells eliminated by Soi Nguyen when Wells made trips on the river, only to find that Nguyen had made a straight on the turn. That set up a final six that’s among the strongest seen on the WPT over the past few seasons.

The chip leader, Nguyen, has just under 5 million in chips. He is best known for his deep run in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, when he reached the final table before finally bowing out in 9^th.

Just behind Nguyen is James Dempsey, who will enter the final table with 3.86 million in chips. With about $850,000 in career tournament winnings, Dempsey may actually be the least well-known of the final table members, though he does hold a WSOP bracelet thanks to a win in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event back in 2010.

In third place, with 3.6 million in chips, is Andrew Lichtenberger. The American professional has over $1.4 million in live tournament earnings, including eight WSOP cashes and a win in a €5,000 buy-in heads-up event at the EPT Grand Final just this May.

However, the real heavy hitters come at the bottom of the chip standings. In 4^th place is Vanessa Selbst, who holds 2.25 million in chips. Selbst has been one of the world’s most successful tournament players over the last few years, and has a WSOP bracelet to her credit, along with two North American Poker Tour titles and a championship on the Partouche Poker Tour. Selbst has over $4.4 million in career tournament earnings.

Selbst would normally highlight any final table, but tomorrow, she’ll be sharing the stage with Antonio Esfandiari, who is currently 5^th in chips. Not only has Esfandiari won over $4.5 million in his career, along with two WPT titles and a WSOP bracelet, but he’s the defending champion in this event, giving him a chance at an incredible repeat performance.

Finally, the short stack is owned by Vitor Coelho, who has just 560,000 in chips. While Coelho may not stand out as a big name given his competition, he has had significant success over the last two years, and has over $200,000 in tournament winnings.

The final table will play down Sunday, beginning at 4 PM Pacific Time. At 4:30 PM, online coverage with a 30-minute delay will begin at WPT.com, with commentary by Tony Dunst, Dan O’Brien and David Sands.