November Nine Set at WSOP Main Event

A litany of poker pros and one remaining amateur player will battle it out for the World Series of Poker Main Event Championship, as the November Nine were determined yesterday. A field of 27 players spent the better part of a day working its way down to a final nine, who will reconvene in November for the final table.

Each of the nine remaining players will win at least $811,823. Because of the wait for the final table, each player will receive that amount now, with any additional winnings being paid when they return to play out the tournament. The final table action begins on November 6^th.

The tournament began with 7,319 players, made up of a mix of professional, semi-pro and amateur players all looking to fulfill the dream of winning the nearly $9 million first prize. But the November Nine has a distinctly professional feel to it. Eight of the nine players identify as professional players, with only Cuong “Soi” Nguyen of Santa Ana, California claiming amateur status. Nguyen, who sells medical supplies, is not only the only non-pro, but also the only player over 30 in the field.

Despite the fact that the table is dominated by pros, most of the competitors are not household names. The chip leader – with nearly 66 million in chips – is Jonathan Duhamel of Canada, who had already cashed in two previous events at this year’s World Series of Poker.

The biggest name left in the field is undoubtedly Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who is still holding on to his chance to claim a share of the Player of the Year award by winning the Main Event. Mizrachi was the short stack for a time as the final table approached, and had to move all-in several times to stay alive. However, the late action went well for Mizrachi, who now finds himself in 7^th place heading into the final table, with a fighting chance to contend for the title.

This year’s final table features six Americans, but there are still three others adding an international appeal to the proceedings. Along with Duhamel, Matthew Jarvis of British Columbia also hails from Canada, as both attempt to become the first Canadian to win the Main Event. There have already been five Canadian bracelet winners at this year’s World Series. Italy is also represented, as Filippo Candio has become the first Italian player ever to make it to the Main Event final table.