PokerPages.com Poker News - 2008 World Series of Poker - Main Event

All it took was a couple monster hands from Eastgate to send Demidov into the break reeling. Just a few hands after getting slapped by Eastgates turned diamond flush, Demidov found himself up river without a boat.

Sitting behind just 28 million, or so, Demidov's raise to 2 million is called by Eastgate. 8

on the flop and each check to get the free 3

on the turn. Eastgate would bet the turn, sliding out 2.5 million. Demidov would call to see the dealer river the 9

. Eastgate makes it another 4.5 million to go and Demidov again call. Eastgate turns over 3

for threes full of eights. Demidov limps into the break down by more than 100 million chips.

2:30 a.m. chip counts:

Ivan Demidov - 16,350,000
Peter Eastgate - 120,550,000

Then, after returning to the tables from break, they'd get it all in on the first hand.

Eastgate would limp and Demidov checked his option to see the cheap 2

flop. Demidov check-calls Eastgate's flop bet of 1.25 and the 4

turns. Eastgate bets at it again, this time for 2 million. Demidov then puts in a check-raise, making it 8 million to go. Eastgate calls and Demidov has only 6 million-ish behind. After the 7

shows up on the river, Demidov moves all in and Eastgate makes the snap call.

Eastgate: A

Demidov: 4

Demidov turns two pair just as Eastgate finds the wheel.

Ivan Demidov is eliminated in 2nd-place and will earn $5,809,595 as runner-up.




	The stone-faced champion

Peter Eastgate is the 2008 Main Event champion. He will take $9,152,416 back with him to Denmark, along with the beautiful white gold championship bracelet.

Somewhere, Phil Hellmuth is steaming, as Eastgate, at 22-years-old, has leapfrogged Hellmuth as the youngest Main Event winner ever. Surprisingly, for taking down the biggest event in the history of poker, Eastgate isn't plastered with the perma-smile everyone was anticipating. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's still in a state of shock.

It was a historical couple days at the Rio. Harrah's Ent. and the WSOP seemed to have pulled off a good one in the first run of the November Nine. A final table lineup of little to unknown players managed to capture the attention of the poker world thanks to a cliffhanger like no other.

The finished product is set to air tomorrow evening on ESPN. Make sure you take advantage of those who did not pay attention to our live coverage and put some money on the Danish kid before the program airs.




	Peter Eastgate - 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion

Thank you for reading Poker Pages' live coverage of the 2008 Main Event final table. Congrats to Peter Eastgate, Ivan Demidov and all the charter members of the November Nine.

Tuesday, 11th of November 2008 02:00 AM

The two are going back and forth with the raises and re-raises over the last hour. Most hands aren't reaching the flop, so it's hard to tell what kind of hands they've been catching as of late. Hey, at least they're not giving any walks.

Blinds are now 500,000 and 1,000,000 with 150,000 antes. Another Main Event first has been reached. Tourney Director Jack Effel, with the help of his fact checkers, confirmed that this is the first time this big blind has ever reached 1 million in the Main Event. Not sure if the huge blinds are playing a part, but even with all the preflop action, we've only seen two flops since the jump to level 39.

In one of the first hands to actually go to the river in the last hour, Demidov was able to put a dent in Eastgate's stack.

Eastgate would call 2 million to see the K

flop. The Dane would then check-call 3 million and check again after the 2

turned. Both would check the turn, then after the K

fell on 5th street, a bet of 6.5 million from Demidov was more than enough to grab the 10 million chip pot.

Demidov would trim the lead to 8 million at one point, his 64 million to Eastgate's 72 million. Then, at about 1:55, Eastgate took a nice pot that sent his fans into what can only be described by this unilingual reporter as the "Ooba, Ooba song." You can guess the lyrics to the main hook.




	Eastgate now has a 4-1 chip lead

In the 99th hand of heads-up, Demidov opens with a min-raise to 2 million and Eastgate calls. K

on the flop and each checks. After the J

turned, Peter led out for 2.5 million, only to see Demidov come over the top for 8 million. Eastgate called to see the 3

fall on the river. Action was checked to Demidov, who slipped a bet of 12 million out there. Eastgate would make the quick call to table 7

, having turned the flush. Demidov can only muster ace-high (A-9) and is back in the 20's after giving up the 50 million chip pot.

Chip counts:

Peter Eastgate -- 109,000,000
Ivan Demidov -- 27,900,000

Tuesday, 11th of November 2008 01:00 AM

We all know what it's like to be above the 100 million chip mark, right?

Wrong. But Peter Eastgate now knows the feeling. He's been on a roll since we last spoke, and has Demidov outchipped almost 3-1.

Right after break, Eastgate would limp-call 1.95 million to see teh 9

flop. Eastgate would think before making a call of 3.6 million. J

on the turn and each check to see the Q

river. Demidov announces a bet of 7 million and is almost beat in the pot by Eastgate, who showed his J

for a pair of jacks. Demidov mucks and sees the Dane add to his stack, now 100 million deep.




	Demidov slipping?

Demidov would get a few chips back about a half dozen hands later. The two would see a cheap flop, 4

, and a free turn, the 2

. Demidov would check-call 1 million from Eastgate to see the 5

river. Eastgate would check behind Demidov, only to see the Russian turn over 4-3, having rivered the winning seven high straight.

A couple hands later, the two would see another unraised flop. After the drawy 3

flop came, the two would check to see the turn pair the board with the 4

. Eastgate calls 1.25 million and the 4

river puts trips on the board. Demidov would check, only to lay down after Eastgate shipped 2 million.

It has been announced that this is officially the longest final table in WSOP Main Event history, topping Joe Hachem's 2005 table, which lasted over 14 hours.

New chip counts:

Peter Eastgate -- 100,100,000
Ivan Demidov -- 36,800,000

Tuesday, 11th of November 2008 12:00 AM




	Eastgate

Eastgate wasted little time reclaiming the chip lead.

First it was Eastgate raising it up to 2 million and Demidov coming along to the 8-8-5 flop. Two checks led to a free ace on the turn. Demidov would then check-call 2.25 from the Dane. After the river brings a 4, both players would check. Eastgate's Q-10 high was good, and he pulled within a million or so of Demidov.

A few hands later, Eastgate would limp-call 2.4 million to see the 4-J-2 flop. Eastgate would quickly call a bet of 3.125 million, but after the J

turned, Demidov's check was met with 5.675 million from Eastgate. Demidov would let it go.

Fast-forward a couple more hands, Demidov raises to 1.75 and Eastgate calls. 9

on the flop earns two checks, but the 3

turn was followed by 2.75 million from Eastgate. Demidov calls to see the J

river and Eastgate push again, this time 3.5 million. Again, the Russian would fold, allowing Eastgate to take a clear chip lead, roughly 81 million to 56 million chips.

Then, just moments ago, the two would see an unraised flop of 5

. Demidov then check-raised, from 1.25 to 3.375 million. Eastgate made the call. The 8

turned, earning another Demidov check-raise, from 4.25 million all the way up to 14 million. The Dane would emerge from the tank with a call. After the 3

rivered, the two would check to see they were chopping. Demidov tabled 6-8, having flopped the nut straight. Eastgate's 6-4 didn't get there til the turn, but it plays none-the-less. A lot of excitement, but no chips exchange hands.

Break time. Corset DJ-girl is back, spinning the new Britney Spears, and the everyone gets a 20-minute break from poker, most likely for an ESPN tape change.

Chip counts:

Peter Eastgate -- 86,325,000
Ivan Demidov -- 50,575,000

Monday, 10th of November 2008 11:00 PM

Heads-up play is underway. In fact, they have about a dozen hands under their belt.




	E-Dogg's Harley

It took a while to get the players situated, as they had to wait on deck as Jack Effel and Jeffrey Pollack conducted the 2008 Player of the Year presentation. This year, Erick Lindgren was honored, and handed the keys to a custom WSOP Harley Davidson.

Commissioner Pollack congratulated "E-Dogg", who finally shed the "Best Player Without a Bracelet" title this summer. Lindgren thanked the fans and passed a message on to Eastgate and Demidov from Doyle Brunson, telling the kids that "when their finished, there'll be a cash game waiting for them."

We waited to see if Lindgren would lay a patch on the final table tile with his new Harley, but he just planted himself in his front row seat, beer in hand, right next to Daniel Negreanu, Jesus Ferguson and Jamie Gold, among others.




	Rapidly stacking

The stage was then cleared for the final two. First up, after the initial shock of seeing the small fortune and championship bracelet at the table, it was time to unbag and stack. This ended up being a task for four, as the two received a little help to speed up the process. It can't be easy to stack more than 135 million chips.

Michael Buffer was next on the mic. The professional howler kicked off the event with a "let's get ready to shuffle up and deal!" battle cry and it was finally time to get down to action.

On the very first hand, it looked like we might see fireworks. There was a few minutes left in the 300,000-600,000 level and Demidov would call an Eastage raise to 1.5 million to see the 10-K-10 flop. The Russian would then call another 1.75 to see another king turn. Two checks allowed them to see a third king river. With a full house on the board, Demidov put in a big bet of 8 million, forcing Eastgate to give up the smallish pot.

The two would soon head into level 38, with 400,000-800,000 blinds and 100,000 antes. Not long after, Demidov would take a nice pot in a showdown.

Demidov was first to act and made it 2 million to see the flop. Eastgate would call and the dealer fanned out K

. Each would check and get the 5

for free on the turn. Eastgate would then take a 2.5 million stab at it, earning a call from Demidov. The 3

came on the river and Eastgate would check-call 6 million to see Demidov show K

, having rivered two pair. Eastgate mucks to see Demidov take the chip lead; 73 million to 63 million.

Monday, 10th of November 2008 10:00 PM

Almost time for heads-up!

We're back at the Penn & Teller Theater in the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino. Fans swarm the area as youngsters Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov are within moments of taking to the felt for a heads-up match to decide the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion.

If you're wondering how they got to heads-up, complete action from Sunday's November Nine showdown is available below.

Eastgate, 22, will not only be looking to take the $9 million and bracelet home to Odense, Denmark, but the online pro would erase Phil Hellmuth's name from the record books with a win, becoming the youngest Main Event winner of all time.

Demidov, 27, showed up at the 2008 WSOP as an accomplished online player, but an unknown in the live arena. After making the November Nine, he would return home to Moscow, Russia, and took down two of the four major tourneys he entered and finished runner-up in another. He would put to rest any doubts of his live game after finishing 3rd in the WSOP Europe Main Event, becoming the first to make the final table on both sides of the pond.

There will be a presentation of WSOP Player of the Year, then the two will take their seats.




	The prize

Chip counts:

Peter Eastgate -- 79,500,000
Ivan Demidov -- 57,725,000

Payouts remaining:

1st -- $9,152,416
2nd -- $5,809,595

Monday, 10th of November 2008 12:55 AM

Three-handed play was fairly painless.

Dennis Phillips opened up the action by taking a few million from Demidov in the first hand of three-handed play. Shortly after, Demidov did his best to trap Eastgate in the battle of the blinds. In the end, Eastgate wasn't biting and checked behind the Russian on the river to see Demidov show a turned flush.




	Dennis Phillips - 3rd

Dennis would reappear, with an all in shove that wasn't answered. Then the big one happened. It all went down in a battle of the blinds.

Demidov was first to act and got out of the way. Eastgate would raise it up to 1.5 million in the SB and Phillips would defend his BB. After the J

flop, Eastgate would lead out for another 1.5 million. Dennis would then make a stand, announcing he was moving his last 15.275 million. Eastgate almost beat him in the pot.

When the cards were turned, it was Dennis' measley 10

looking for running straight cards to catch up with Eastgate, who saw his 3

hit bottom set. Phillips was out of his seat, standing with Eastgate while politely begging the poker gods for a sweat card. Alas, the A

on the turn meant Phillips was drawing dead. On the bright side, he and his 300+ clones are free to spend the rest of the week partying.

Dennis Phillips has been eliminated in 3rd-place and will take home $4,517,773.




	Peter Eastgate

And then there were two.

Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate are set to face off tomorrow for the bracelet. They will get tonight and most of tomorrow to think it over, before they roll up to the Penn and Tell Theater at 10 pm tomorrow (Monday) PST.

If you don't want to wait to see it air on ESPN, join us right here for live coverage as we crown our new champion.




	Ivan Demidov

Chip counts:

Peter Eastgate -- 79,500,000
Ivan Demidov -- 57,725,000

Payouts remaining:

1st -- $9,152,416
2nd -- $5,809,595

Monday, 10th of November 2008 12:00 AM

The opening few hands of the eleven o'clock hour have seen Ivan Demidov using aggression to try and take down the blinds preflop. Several consecutive hands saw Demidov raise it up only to see everyone else muck.

Playing from the small blind, Ivan Demidov completes his small blind. Peter Eastgate checks from the large blind. Flop brings the 7 3 6. Demidov checks and Eastgate bets 850,000. Ivan makes the call. The turn card is the K. Both players check. The river shows the 3 and Demidov bets 1,625,000. Eastgate doesn't need a ton of time to decide to raise it, making it 5,500,000 total. Demidov takes some time trying to decide, sometimes laughing and sometimes grimacing. Ultimately he thinks better of it, and decides to muck his cards.

After a few more hands in which Demidov continues to steal blinds, the unlikely duo of Dennis Phillips and Ylon Schwartz mix it up after a preflop raise from Phillips which Schwarz called from the button. After the dealer spreads a flop of 8 8 3, Phillips decides to check. Schwartz fires out 2,225,000 and Phillips throws his hand to the muck.

Demidov backs up a preflop raise. After raising preflop and getting re-raised by Dennis Phillips, Demidov responds by announcing he is all-in (and has Phillips covered). Phillips, who is generally quick to fold, takes a little more time making a decision, finally thinking better of the call, and letting it go.

In the following hand, three players, Phillips, Schwartz, and Demidov all limp to see a flop of 6 7 K. Everyone checks the flop and the Q falls on the turn. Phillips bets 1,750,000 and both Schwartz then Demidov fold allowing Phillips the pot.

11:24 - Players have just been sent on a twenty minute break.

At the start of break updated chip counts were given. They are as follows:

Ivan Demidov 50,200,000
Peter Eastgate 46,100,000
Dennis Phillips 20,050,000
Ylon Schwartz 19,875,000

11:46 - Cards are back in the air. 44 minutes left in this level.

First hand after the break Demidov gets right back on the ole aggression horse and raises it up preflop and takes down the blinds.




	C. Marquis (9th) with Ylon Schwartz, our 4th place finisher.

Ylon Schwartz and Peter Eastgate both limp in to the flop. Flop shows the 2

. Both players check. K

falls on the turn. Schwartz checks and Eastgate bets 1,750,000. Schwartz calls. River is the 5

. Schwartz checks and Eastgate counts out and bets 4,600,000. Schwartz announces that he is all-in for 12,400,000 more for Eastgate to call. Eastgate makes the call with pocket 5s against the A 10 of Schwartz. A rivered full house does Schwartz in.

Ylon Schwartz is out in 4th-place, earning $3,774,974.

Updated chip counts:

Dennis Phillips 19,525,000
Ivan Demidov 52,375,000
Peter Eastgate 64,900,000

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 11:00 PM

Now we have some action. Most of it is courtesy of Peter Eastgate.

Eastgate has been opening just about every pot in four-handed play with a raise to 1.5 million. He's taken his fair share of the blinds and antes, but the others weren't going to stand by and watch. Dennis Phillips put in a few re-raises, chasing off Eastgate on at least three occassions. Then the action turned to Demidov and Schwartz.

First it was Demidov repopping Schwartz, from 1.5 million to 4.9 million. Schwartz would call with about 1/4 his stack to see a 9-7-2 flop. Afer Demidov made it 7.5 million to go, Schwartz would muck and turn his attention to Eastgate.

In this particular hand, Eastgate has his raise to 1.5 million re-raised by Schwartz in the BB, all the way up to 4.6 million. Very quickly, Eastgate would announce an all in. Ylon almost beat him into the middle with his last 15 million.

The cards were turned and each player held big slick. It was Schwartz's A

against Eastgate's A

. All signs were pointing to a chop, but the

flop gave Schwartz the sweat of his life. The flush would never materialize as clubs would fall on the remaining streets. Each player would pull in his respective stacks and Schwartz could pull his heart out of his throat.

The two would each pick up the blinds and antes once more, before letting Phillips and Demidov tangle.

Phillips would call a Demidov button raise to 1.525 million from the BB. After the J-9-3 flop, Phillips would check-raise the Russian, from 2.125 to 5 million chips. Demidov would muck, much to the delight of Phillips and his red-hatted crew.

New chip counts:

Ivan Demidov -- 52,500,000
Peter Eastgate -- 40,000,000
Dennis Phillips -- 25,500,000
Ylon Schwartz -- 16,000,000

We're in level 37, with 75,000 for an ante and 300,000-600,000 blinds.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 10:00 PM

With Dennis Phillips on the button, Peter Eastgate makes a raise to 1,250,000. Scott Montgomery makes the call and the dealer puts out a flop of 2 9 3. Montgomery checks and Eastgate makes a bet of 1,600,000. Montgomery doesn't take too much time in mucking his cards, and Eastgate continues to add to his chip lead.

As is the case when covering any final table, many of the hands we in the media witness don't make it to a showdown and therefore aren't quite as interesting for the average reader. However, we remain committed to providing some of these hands for your reading and pondering enjoyment, so that (perhaps) between the time this is written and the ESPN editors cut it all down, you might have a chance to deduce what each player holds. In that spirit.... Ylon Schwartz raises to 1,500,000 preflop and is called by Scott Montgomery. After a flop of 2 7 A Schwartz fires out 2,500,000. Montgomery seemingly wants no part of it, and mucks his cards.

Interestingly, Scott Montgomery was one of the quieter players at the tables prior to the dinner break. Whether it’s good cards or a change in strategy, Montgomery has become a lot more aggressive in the last hour of play. The opposite can be said about Ivan Demidov who was quite aggressive pre-dinner break, and now seems to be folding a lot more. Again, who is to say whether it is a change in strategy or a change in the cards. We'll all know on Tuesday when ESPN airs this final table.

In the next hand, Peter Eastgate makes an opening raise. Scott Montgomery (surely to help prove my previous paragraph) re-pops it to 5,000,000. Eastgate decides against any further play, and mucks his cards.

And in a later hand, Montgomery shows that it just may be that his change in play is due more to a decision to be aggressive than a run of great cards. Action is folded to Montgomery playing out of the small blind. Montgomery raises it to 1,500,000. Ivan Demidov from the big blind looks down and makes a raise of about 4,000,000. After giving it considerable thought and seemingly asking for a count (again, we do not have the audio of the players, but can see them clearly) Montgomery pushes all-in and Demidov makes a snap call. Montgomery tables an A 9 and Demidov tables K K. Montgomery has Demidov covered by about 7,000,000. The board ends up reading 6 4 6 10 3 and Demidov doubles up and cripples Montgomery.




	Our 5th place finisher Scott Montgomery

One hand before the break (9:37pm local time), Scott Montgomery pushes all in for 6,300,000+. Peter Eastgate makes the call and tables 6

. Montgomery shows the Ad 3d. As stated before, the improbable at the final table is many times the probable (or is it?) and proof is in the flop of A

. The turn brings another A and Montgomery is looking very strong. Phillips tells tournament director Jack Effel that he folded a 6, so Montgomery is in even better shape. But the river would bring the improbable 6, and Eastgate knocks out Montgomery and overcomes a tough flop and turn. "That's poker." Beautiful!

9:44 - Players go on a twenty minute break.

Updated chip counts are as follows:

Ivan Demidov - 49,100,000
Peter Eastgate - 47,625,000
Ylon Schwartz - 22,175,000
Dennis Phillips - 17,325,000

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 09:00 PM

It seemed as if the players returned from break with the plan being to avoid showdowns. The last hour didn't see many river cards.

Scott Montgomery picked up the blinds and antes a couple times, now worth about 1 million a pop, as did Peter Eastgate. The latter even found himself all in at one point. The Danish pro saw his button raise re-popped to 3.5 million by Dennis Phillips. Eastgate called and K

came on the flop. Phillips then puts in a check-raise, from Eastgate's original 3 million up to 7 million. The 22-year-old wasn't having it and moved all in for his last 15.5 million. Phillips didn't think long before folding, sending the Eastgate faithful, including WSOPE and WSOP bracelet winner and fellow Dane Jesper Hougaard, into a chorus that sounded as if it were fabricated on the spot after a few pitchers of beer.

The songs were then nowhere to be found, as it was back to raise-it-and-take-it for another stretch. Then...

Montgomery opens with a raise from the CO to 1.5 million. Darus Suharto is next to act and he announces all in (8.55 million), before putting on his stone-face and disappearing behind his clenched fists. Montgomery wouldn't waste much time making the call. It turned out to be the right one.

Montgomery's A

was way out in front of Suharto's A

. The board would read J

by the turn and Suharto was drawing dead to his fellow Canadian's nut flush.




	Darus Suharto - 6th

Darus Suharto has been eliminated in 6th-place, earning $2,418,562.

We're now five-handed.

Chip counts:

Dennis Phillips -- 20,275,000
Ylon Schwartz -- 19,375,000
Scott Montgomery -- 32,700,000
Ivan Demidov -- 26,350,000
Peter Eastgate -- 37,525,000

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 08:00 PM

Just before the dinner bell (didn't) ring, Johnny Chan was introduced by first Jeffrey Pollack and then by 'The Poker Brat' Phil Hellmuth. When Hellmuth took the microphone from Pollack he encouraged the crowd to boo him all they wanted, but almost as soon as the first chorus of boos rang out, the words "ok, that's enough" flowed quickly from Phil's quick flowing mouth. Johnny and Phil attempted to chat about the play so far and who they thought might end up the winner, but in the end it was more of an infomercial for a a product that sponsors them both. Johnny was able to wrestle the microphone from Phil's hands for a few seconds, and was gracious enough to thank everyone in attendance for their support, wish all the players good luck, and not plug his product anymore. (P.S. "Read Poker Pages More Often" is our plug). Interestingly enough, nary a boo was heard for Johnny 'The Orient Express' Chan.




	Hall of Fame Inductee Duane 'Dewey' Tomko

Upon return from the dinner break around 7:27pm (is it that hard to schedule things to be on time?), Jack Effel asked everyone to take their seats and handed the microphone to the Comisioner of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack. Pollack gave a very nice short introductory speech about the World Series of Poker Hall of Fame established by the Binion family at the Horseshoe casino in downtown Vegas.

Pollack quickly brought out Doyle Brunson who shared a few personal memories about his good friend and new inductee to the HoF, Dewey Tomko. Tomko thanked all in attendance, joked with Doyle, and also was kind enough to thank the Binions as well as Harrahs for all they have done for the game of poker over these many years.

The next inductee, Henry Orenstein, was unable to attend due to obligations back east. Many people may not be familiar with Mr. Orenstein, but almost all poker fans recognize his contribution to poker, the 'hole card cam'. Mr. Orenstein, an inventor with some 100+ patents and also a holocaust survivor, was introduced by poker producer Mori Eskandani who gave a brief introduction, and read a few words from Mr. Orenstein himself.




	'Hole Card Camera' Inventor Henry Orenstein

And then it was time to get back to the job at hand..... playing poker. Cards got back into the air at 7:47pm local time.

Updated chip counts are as follows:

Ivan Demidov 31,725,000
Peter Eastgate 27,125,000
Dennis Phillips 26,650,000
Scott Montgomery 20,250,000
Ylon Schwartz 19,925,000
Darus Suharto 10,550,000

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 06:00 PM

It was raise it and take it for the first 1/4 of the hour. Then the following happened...

Action folds to Chino Rheem in the cutoff. He looks at his cards, then his remaining 3.5 million chips, and decides to ship it. Peter Eastgate looks down at A

in the SB and makes the call. Chino Turns over his A

and is in great shape to double up. But that's why they deal 'em out.

Wouldn't you know it, a queen falls in the window of the Q

flop. After the 9

turns, Chino is looking for one of the three remaining kings. Despite the recent success of short-stack suckouts, Rheem wasn't able to muster a cowboy on the river and has been excused from the table.




	David "Chino" Rheem - 7th

David "Chino" Rheem is out in 7th-place, earning $1,772,650.

Not long after, it looked as if we might have another all in and a call. First, it was Eastgate opening at 1.05 million from the CO. Phillips was right behind on the button and repopped to 3.45 million. Schwartz folded his SB, but Scott Montgomery wasn't giving up his BB, instead protecting it with a re-raise to a whopping 10 million. Eastgate would pass, as would Phillips. Montgomery's aggression allowed him to rake in about 5 million that hand without seeing a flop.

Phillips wouldn't wait long to get back in the mix. Just before 6 p.m., Phillips raised it up to 1.3 million. Demidov would call to see the K

flop. Demidov would then check-call another 2.55 million ot see the 7

turn. Two checks meant a free K

on the river. It was checked again to Phillips, who made it 5 million to see his holdings. Demidov would take a dip in the tank, before eventually making the call. Phillips would quickly turn over KQ, having improved to kings full on the river. Demidov mucked and falls to just over 30 million. Phillips is back over 27 million and is within reach of regaining the chip lead.

Chip counts:

Ivan Demidov -- 31,075,000
Dennis Phillips -- 27,550,000
Peter Eastgate -- 24,675,000
Scott Montgomery -- 21,650,000
Ylon Schwartz -- 20,575,000
Darus Suharto -- 10,700,000

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 05:00 PM

Ivan Demidov is continuing to build his stack at the expense of almost everyone at the table. With David 'Chino' Rheem on the button, Darus Suharto makes an opening raise of 1,100,000. Demidov looks down at his cards and decides to re-raise to 3,300,000 from the small blind. Suharto makes the call and the deal brings a flop of K 9 7. Demidov leads out and after some long thinking, Suharto re-raises. Demidov comes over the top once again, and the agression proves too much for Suharto to stomach and he mucks his cards.




	Loved more than 'Hot Chips'?

Another poker pro introduction worty of mention..... Phil 'The Poker Brat' Hellmuth was introduced to the crowd and amazingly (at least to this tournament reporter) he received a warmer response than the one given to Tiffany Michelle. Apparently the viewing public likes abrasive personalities with results more than abrasive personalities without many results. Me.... I don't like abrasive personalities no matter their results.

David 'Chino' Rheem was getting short-stacked and was probably looking for that 'just right' spot to make his move. Working with Eastgate from the button, Cheem moved all-in and was called by Ivan Demidov. The excitement in the Penn and Teller theater was noticeable as one of the fan favorites was playing for his tournament life. Once the hole cards were turned face up we were treated to the 'ole race in the form of A K of Rheem against the 9 9 of Demidov. Flop brings no love for Rheem and shows the 7 8 5 , and one can begin to feel the air leaving the sails of Rheem's tournament. Fate wasn't to be so unkind to Rheem though, as the turn card was the K and the river a J . While this reporter always does the best job possible of avoiding any kind of offensive comments, it does seem a bit possible that Demidov is a part of the new Russian mentality of aggression we have seen in recent history. Although in his defense, he does not seem to have left any bodyguards or security guarding the 'ports' of the Rio.

And then there was another all-in..... This time we see Ylon Schwartz raise from mid-position preflop. Short-stacked Darus Suharto decides to make a move and pushes the last of his chips to the middle. Schwartz makes the call tabling Q 8 and Suharto A K. Many of us here in the pressroom were a little surprised to see the call by Schwartz (of course we're still sitting here and he is still sitting there), but given it was only two million more and gave a chance to knock someone out, he must have thought it the right price. Schwartz does spike a Q on the flop, but as will often happen, Suharto was able to regain the lead, and ultimately the pot, with a K on the turn.

4:17 - Players are on another break of twenty minutes.

4:37 - The announcement for players to take their seats was just given. Here are the chip counts:

Ivan Demidov 40,875,000
Ylon Schwartz 32,175,000
Peter Eastgate 21,675,000
Scott Montgomery 16,400,000
Dennis Phillips 10,650,000
Darus Suharto 8,550,000
David "Chino" Rheem 5,900,000

What's that you say? Another double-up? Yup. In pre-flop action, Chino Rheem opens for 1,000,000. Dennis Phillips calls and Ylon Schwartz raises it to 4,400,000. Phillips gives it a little consideration, and decides to push all of his chips to the middle to which Schwartz basically insta-calls. Phillips is in a bit of trouble when the cards are turned over to show a A Q for Phillips and a Q Q for Schwartz. As tends to be the case in these live final tables, the improbable becomes probable in the form of an A (in this case) on the flop. Phillips takes the lead and when the board bricks out for Schwartz the Phillips' cheering section goes wild. Phillips himself looks a little more energized after that large takedown and tournament saving board.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 04:00 PM

The November Seven just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Craig Marquis was third to act. He decided to ship his last 5 million, or so. After getting the chip count, Scott Montgomery would make the call. Everyone else got out of the way.

After the cards were turned, it was Marquis' red sevens racing with the AQ of Montgomery. Marquis would grab some insurance after finding a set of sevens on the 7

flop. Montgomery would be looking for one of many runner-runner combinations to bounce the first final tabler. The J

on the turn was one of those running cards, meaning a king on the river would give the Canadian Broadway and eliminate Marquis. The room grew silent as hundreds in attendance held their breath. Of course, as if it were scripted, the dealer tosses out the K

, giving Montgomery the straight and showing Marquis the door.




	Craig Marquis - 9th

Craig Marquis has been eliminated in 9th-place, worth the $900,670 he was already paid four months ago. We just hope he hasn't spent it all already.

Fresh off a jump in prize money, $388,000 to be exact, Kelly Kim thought it was time to go all in again. Seeing how all but a couple of his chips were commited again in the BB, he had no choice. This time, he would find four takers, giving him a chance to quadruple up and get back in the game.

It wasn't mean to be as Kim watched Darus Suharto and Ivan Demidov bet Ylon Schwartz out after the 9

flop, then the two checked down the A

turn and Q

river. Suharto would show 10-9, having flopped top pair, more than enough to trim the table to seven-handed after Demidov mucked his outkicked 9-5. Kim would toss his cards, give a couple hugs and head for the payouts desk.

Kelly Kim is out in 8th-place, worth $1,288,217.

Throughout the day, the tournament director has been pointing out some notable players in the audience today. Earlier mentions of 2007 Main Event final tabler Hevad Khan and three-time bracelet winner Barry Greenstein earned many cheers from the crowd. Then later, after Kim's elimination, Jack Effel took the time to acknowlege this year's 17th-place finisher, Tiffany Michelle. This announcement, however, was met by a chorus of boos usually reserved for the road team at a Philadelphia Eagles game. The hipster Effel told the crowd "don't be hatin'," which did the trick and play resumed.




	Kelly Kim - 8th

Chip counts:

Ylon Schwartz -- 35,125,000
Ivan Demidov -- 31,250,000
Peter Eastgate -- 22,625,000
Scott Montgomery -- 16,400,000
Darus Suharto -- 16,075,000
Dennis Phillips -- 11,600,000
David "Chino" Rheem -- 3,150,000

Players have been sent on a dinner break... for 117 days. Just kidding. They will be back at 7:15 to resume play.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 03:00 PM

Right at 2:00pm local time, Kelly Kim facing a 800,000 bet from David 'Chino' Rheem, decides to push all-in. Rheem made a pretty quick call and both players turned over Big Slick. Kim holding the Ad Ks, and Rheem the A K . The crowd goes wild when the flop brings three hearts in the form of the 8 J 10. Rheem walks over to Kim and they share a half hug. The turn brings the Q . Kim fans begin to chant "black, black, black, black..." and when the river is finally dealt, the Q peels off and Kim looks very relieved. With that split pot, Kim remains around 1,900,000.

A few hands later with Craig Marquis on the button, all players fold around to the small blind player Ylon Schwartz who completes his blind. Action goes to Scott Montgomery who checks it to the flop. The dealer puts out a flop of 3 10 5. Ylon, first to act, bets out 300,000 and Montgomery throws his cards to the middle.

Not long after.... we encounter more action from one of the smaller stacks. Former chip leader, Dennis Phillips having lost a mountain of his chips earlier on to Ivan Demidov, faces an opening raise of 800,000 from 'Chino' Rheem. Phillips with about 4,500,000 in total chips doesn't take too much time in announcing that he is all-in. Rheem looks a bit distraught and takes a good two minutes studying Phillips, counting his stack, and likely trying to figure out where he stands. After all of that contemplation, Rheem decides to call and tables the J J which elicits a pleased response from Phillips who tables the Q Q. The board ends up reading 3 5 K 9 6 and Phillips doubles up to some 9,000,000+.

2:22 - Players take their second break of the day. This break is announced as a twenty minute break.

2:42 - Players returned to their seats on time from the break. We're now in level 35 which has an ante of 50,000 with 200,000/400,000 blinds. 5,000 chips have also been colored-up.




	Phillips doubles

Updated Chip Counts coming out of the break:

Ylon Schwartz -- 39,850,000
Ivan Demidov -- 28,375,000
Peter Eastgate -- 20,775,000
Scott Montgomery -- 12,475,000
Darus Suharto -- 11,375,000
Dennis Phillips -- 10,700,000
Craig Marquis -- 5,875,000
David "Chino" Rheem -- 5,850,000
Kelly Kim -- 950,000

Average Stack: 15,208,888

A few hands after the return from break, Darus Suharto, who has been keeping a low/quiet profile thus far, raised it up to 1,100,00 and took down the blinds.

Two hands after that.... Peter Eastgate working from the button calls 400,000. Craig Marquis completes his small blind and Dennis Phillips checks his option from the big blind. Dealer deals a flop of 7 K 6 and Phillips checks. Marquis also checks behind, but Eastgate has other plans and counts out and bets 825,000. Both Phillips and Marquis muck, and Eastgate's aggression takes the pot.

And in the final hand before the three o'clock hour.... on a flop of 5 7 J . Ylon Schwartz checks his action. Ivan Demidov also checks and the dealer drops the 9 as the turn card. This time Schwartz leads out with a bet of 1,075,000 and Demidov re-pops it to 1,600,000 more. Schwartz makes the call and the river brings the 5 . This time Schwartz decides to check and perhaps sensing weakness, Demidov bets 4,325,000. Schwartz shows several pained looks ranging from: head buried in hands to a scrunched up face. After some three minutes, Schwartz decides to muck and Demidov adds a few more chips to his stack.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 02:00 PM

A surprisingly quiet Chino Rheem finally picked up a pot to energize his fans in attendance. Rheem was one of three to see and unraised flop. The trio would all check after the J-9-9 fell on the fop. After a 6 turned, Chino bet 400K and Dennis Phillips would call him to see a 7 fall on the river. Each would check and Chino showed J-8, for jacks and eights. Phillips would muck, sending the Rheem posse (Greg Meuller, Amnon Filippi, the Mizrachi's, JC Tran, Nam Le and others) into an uproar.

Then it was Eastgate and Schwartz going at it. Eastgate would see his 775K raise pumped up to 2.5 by Schwartz. The Dane would make the call to see the 2

flop. He would then check-call another 2 million from Schwartz. After the turn brought the A

, Eastgate checked again, only to see the relentless Schwartz put in another 3 million chips. This time Eastgate would think better of his hand and toss it in the muck, giving almost 5 million to Schwartz in the process.

A few hands later, Schwartz would call a Demidov raise from the SB, sliding in 775K. The K

flop pushed Schwartz to lead out for 1.15 million. Demidov would call. After the 3

turned, it was another big bet from Ylon, 2.45 million. Demidov would make another call. After the 6

rivered, Schwartz would check the scary board to Demidov, who moved 3.7 million into the middle. Schwartz would almost beat the Russian into the pot, turning over K-10 for two pair. Demidov showed A-K for top pair-top kicker and had to watch Schwartz scoop the 17 million pot and inherit the chip lead.

Meanwhile, Kelly Kim had mucked his way under the 1 million chip mark. He found himself committed in the BB with 300K of his remaining K already in the middle. Demidov looked down at K-10 and put Kim all in. Kim was happy to call, after looking at his hand and screaming to his fans "I got kings!" Kim tabled his KK and by the turn, the SoCal pro was sweating Demidov's gutshot on the 7

board. But after the 3

bricked off, Kim would double through to survive. Demidov is at 26.5 million, while Kim is up to 1.7 million.

The entire November Nine is still alive.




	Kim survives

Chip counts, as of 2 p.m.:

Ylon Schwartz -- 39,900,000
Ivan Demidov -- 26,500,000
Peter Eastgate -- 21,250,000
Darus Suharto -- 12,330,000
Scott Montgomery -- 12,195,000
David "Chino" Rheem -- 11,000,000
Craig Marquis -- 6,770,000
Dennis Phillips -- 5,200,000
Kelly Kim -- 1,720,000

Play continues in level 34.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 01:00 PM

Continuing the tradition of tight play and rarely seen flops, the noon hour starts off much the same as the eleven o'clock hour played. First hand out of the noon-gate sees Ylon Schwartz raising it up from middle position. Everyone takes a bit of time to decide to fold, and Ylon takes down the blinds.

With Ivan Demidov on the button, Dennis Phillips limps from Under The Gun. Everyone else folds and action resides on Demidov who makes a raise of 1,025,000 which pushes the SB and the BB out of the hand. Phillips re-raises for another 2,500,000 at which point Demidov takes a few minutes to contemplate his options. After some thought, he re-pops it again, this time for 4,700,000 more. Phillips takes about a minute and decides to make the call and see a flop.

Flop brings the 8 10 J and with action on Phillips he counts out 4,500,000 and pushes it to the middle. Demidov raises all-in for some 9,000,000+ more and gets up out of his seat to consult with the Russian cheering section not far from his seat. He quickly returns to his seat where Phillips studies him for a bit, and make what looks like, a painful fold.

This pot vaults Ivan into the chip lead having scooped some 21,000,000+ in chips. Many a St. Louis baseball cap wearing fan is also now wearing a bit longer face.

12:16 - Players are on their first fifteen minute break of the tournament.

12:36 - Players are called back to their seats. By this reporter's math, we just had a twenty minute break as opposed to a fifteen minute break. Perhaps the timekeeper was distracted by the trivia questions flashing on the screen here at the Penn and Teller Theater. Do you know ..... Who is termed the 'Robin Hood of Poker'? Or.... Who was the first amateur to win the WSOP ME?.... (Barry Greenstein, and Hal Fowler - 1979)

12:41 - Play actually resumes. We're now in level 34 with a 40,000 ante and 150,000/300,000. The announcer reminds all spectators to remain quiet during the actual playing of cards. There have been a few outburst from fans eager to share their thoughts with the participants.




	Demidov stacking

Approximate chip counts coming out of the break:

Ivan Demidov -- 35,875,000
Peter Eastgate -- 19,995,000
Ylon Schwartz -- 19,015,000
Scott Montgomery -- 18,215,000
Darus Suharto -- 13,725,000
Craig Marquis -- 10,050,000
David "Chino" Rheem -- 9,300,000
Dennis Phillips -- 8,880,000
Kelly Kim -- 1,810,000

Everyone folds around to Peter Eastgate who is on the button. Eastgate raises to 750,000 and Craig Marquis makes the call from the Small Blind. Big Blind gets out of the way and the flop brings the 2 10 A . Both players check. Turn card is the 2 which also brings dueling checks. 9c falls on the river and Marquis checks. Eastgate contemplates for a second and decides to bet 1,250,000. Marquis doesn't waste much time in calling and when he sees Eastgate's A 4, he quickly mucks allowing Eastgate to take down the pot.

Action folds around to Phillips who is in late position. Phillips limps in. Craig Marquis, on the button folds, and Ylon Schwartz from the small blind raises 1,100,000 more. Scott Montgomery calls from the big blind. Flop comes Q 10 2 all spades. Ylon, first to act post-flop, bets 5,000,000 and Montgomery, from the big blind makes the call. Phillips decides to get out of the way and throws his cards to the muck pile. Turn brings the 8 and with little hesitation Ylon announces he is all-in. Without asking for a count, and with little contemplation, Montgomery folds with a sickened look on his face.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 12:00 PM

Raise-it-and-take-it poker so far. It took 13 hands for the thousands in attendance to see a flop. Seeing how everyone has already been paid out 9th-place money, nobody seems to be anxious to be the first one out, not earning an extra dime for their work today. Just making it to 8th means you'll leave the Rio with an extra $400K, or so, in your pocket.

There was nearly a standing ovation after the table finally went to a flop. On hand #13, Scott Montgomery would be the first to call a preflop raise, this time from Ivan Demidov. The crowd was so excited to see the flop that Jack Effel had to quite the spectators mid-hand. Montgomery would lead out after the 9

flop for 1.1 million, which was good enough to take it down.

Chino Rheem would comment that "the first to bring us to a flop deserves to take the pot down," as Montgomery stacked a few chips.

On the very next hand, Montgomery would then find himself on the recieving end of the first all in of the day. The Canadian pro would see his SB raised met by Ylon Schwartz on the button, all the way up to 800,000. Montogomery would repop it to 2.4 million, triggering a Schwartz all in worth more than 11 million. Montgomery would give it up and play continues nine-handed.

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 11:00 AM

10:15 - Flanked by the Rio Showgirls and a woman I shall dub 'DJ Corset' (due to her red corset), which at 10am may seem out of place in other venues, but fits in nicely to this town affectionately called Sin City, Jerry Yang is one of the first to grab the microphone and give a short introductory speech as well as thanking all in attendance for their support of the sport we all loves. Yang makes the comical observation that he is and will likely remain the longest reigning champion in the history of the WSOP (due to the break from July through today).

10:27 - Although a bit behind schedule, cards were to be in the air by 10:23, all of the WSOP and Harrah's brass take a moment to thank all participants and observers for their support of the 2008 WSOP.




	The sea of STL hatted Phillips supporters

10:28 - A video montage with Harrah's properties begins featuring each player superimposed onto the video screens at those casinos along the Strip. The video continues with a little trash talking from each player with the common theme being "Why not me?” At this time there is an obvious group of Dennis Phillips supporters who are easy to recognize as they all are wearing white shirts and red St. Louis baseball hats.

10:30 - Jeffrey Pollack takes the microphone and welcomes all to the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, and asks to "Bring out the November Nine!"




	Pollack and the girls

10:32 - November Nine begin to take their seats amongst a lot of yells of support for various players.

10:34 - The bagged chips are brought in and set on the table. Players are also given a Corum watch for their success thus far. While the players begin to unbag, count, and verify their chips a few individual screams for David 'Chino' Rheem are answered with applause from his cheering section. So far, he and Phillips seem to be the crowd favorites. It is also at this time that non-official photographers (that includes us here at Poker Pages) are given about ten minutes to take as many photos as possible. This will likely be the only chance that the non-official media outlets will have to take photos, so we have done our best to take as many as possible and will use those throughout our coverage today.

10:57 - Photo taking ends, and the non-official photographers begin to file back to the skybox from where we will all observer the action. Official introductions begin at this time starting with:

Seat #1 - Dennis Phillips - Phillips who, according to the announcer, has some three hundred supporters in attendance will be throwing one hell of a victory party should he emerge victorious.
Seat #2 - Craig Marquis - Marquis is trying to be the first Texan to take down a WSOP ME in some 20 plus years.
Seat #3 - Ylon Schwartz - Schwartz has been quoted as saying that if he wins this great event, he plans to disappear from public view and enjoy some privacy.
Seat #4 - Scott Montgomery - Montgomery, a 26 year old pro, is one of two Canadian players at today's final table. This is his fourth cash at the WSOP.
Seat #5 - Darus Suharto - This 39 year old player is one of three players at today's final table who has cashed in a Main Event previously. Suharto works as an accountant and looks forward to having the problem of having to account for all the money that could be won today.
Seat #6 - David 'Chino' Rheem - As the announcer calls out his name chants of Cheem ring out wildly. Rheem may be one of the most experienced players to make the final table, and is obviously among the fan favorites.
Seat #7 - Ivan Demidov - Demidov set a record by making not only this final table, but also the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe 2008. He is the only player to have ever done so.
Seat #8 - Kelly Kim - Kim, another fan favorite, receives wild applause when his name is called. The announcer actually has to pause and wait while the applause settles down. Kim holds four WSOP cashes, including a Main Event cash in 2005.
Seat #9 - Peter Eastgate - Eastgate is one of two players at the table today with a chance to break Phil Hellmuth's record of 'Youngest Player to Win a Main Event'.

11:06 - Introductions are completed.

11:08 - Jerry Yang take the microphone again, and announces "Players.... let's shuffle up and deal."

Sunday, 09th of November 2008 10:00 AM

We are moments away from the cards being put in the air here at the long awaited World Series of Poker Main Event final table. The November Nine have had nearly four months to spend their 9th-place money and think about how they'll handle the bright lights and pressure. Now they're readying themselves to take their seats in the Penn & Teller theater here at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino with the $9.1 million first place prize and poker immortality at stake.

If you don't know them already, here are the November Nine:

Dennis Phillips

Just because Dennis Phillips is the oldest at the final table doesn't mean he's bringing with him the most experience. The 52-year-old trucking company accounts manager from just outside St. Louis claims to have a couple of minor cashes to his name. The fact is that his biggest accomplishment to date is taking down a $200 satellite at Harrah's Casino to earn his Main Event seat, now worth $900,000 and counting.

Phillips was the first at the final table to hire a poker coach. The chip leader chose the services of Roy Winston's Oracle Poker Consulting in hopes to tighten up his game for the big stage. Phillips has also been active in charities. Not only has he made contributions to the Pujols Family Foundation and the Boys Hope, Girls Hope Foundation, but an eBay auction for "billboard" space on Phillips' arm fetched $19,000 and change for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Phillips has also pledged to donate 1 percent of his winnings to Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst's Bad Beat on Cancer program.

Ivan Demidov

If you believe momentum to be a driving force at the poker table, Ivan Demidov is your man. The 27-year-old returned to Russia after reaching the "November Nine" and took down two of the four live tournaments he entered, and finished runner-up in a third. Shortly after, Demidov found himself in London at the WSOP Europe Main Event final table. He would finish third, earning over $600,000 and the creating history, becoming the first player to appear at both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Event final tables.

The online pro from Moscow brings with him a stone face and typical internet aggression. Given that Demidov trails Phillips by just a few million chips, many in the poker community are picking the Russian to be the last player standing.

Scott Montgomery

The Canadian pro finds himself in the big dance just months after he burst onto the scene with a 5th-place finish at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic. The Main Event was Montgomery's 4th cash of the 2008 WSOP. Also, during his four month hiatus he has continued to cash in events.

Montgomery would follow up the final table finish by nearly taking down a $3K event at the Bellagio Cup, and then made another deep tournament run at the WPT Legends of Poker event. It's no secret that the 27-year-old pro is a bit reckless on the felt. He even admits it. In fact, if you watched Montgomery spike the ace on the river vs. Paul Snead just to avoid finishing 21st, you'll understand why some are predicting a final table blow-up.

Peter Eastgate

There had to be at least on Dane at the table. Peter Eastgate's timely pocket aces led to a Tiffany Michelle elimination an propelled him to the final table. The 22-year-old impressive online reputation procedes him, as many players are aware of the quiet assassin's skillset. While he does most of his work in high-stakes, heads-up cash games on the web, Eastgate did finish 9th at the Irish Open last year, as well cashing in a couple EPT events. Eastgate told ESPN about his transition to tournaments, "I believe any cash game player that can beat 25-50 no limit games should be able to make the transition to tournaments. Cash games are far more complex. The decisions you make in tournaments are a lot easier." The many good decisions Eastgate has made thus far have the poker world crowning him the next Gus Hansen and a final table favorite, if he can survive until short-handed play.

Ylon Schwartz

Ylon Schwartz is no stranger to the WSOP. The 38-eight year old street chess hustler turned poker pro has 30 cashes on his tournament resume. The first of his 12 WSOP cashes came back in 2005. He left the Rio with four cashes that year.

Schwartz looks more like an extra from a Friends episode than a future WSOP champion. In fact, he claims he would much rather lay low than sit in the "November Nine" spotlight. But you might want to get used to him at the final table. His chess background has helped him project an image of being the most patient player at the table. He hopes his tendency to keep the pots small will allow others to over-bet and fall by the wayside. For these reasons, everyone seems to see Schwartz making a deep final table run.

Darus Suharto

Darus Suharto will join fellow Canadian Montgomery at the final table. The 39-year-old hopes to follow in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker. Like the 2003 champ, Suharto works as an accountant. Just like Moneymaker, Suharto is hoping to turn his PokerStars satellite (an initial $80 investment) will turn into a bracelet and a small fortune.

Suharto has just one other cash on his resume, a 448th-place finish in the 2006 Main Event. He still considers himself to be a donkey, but his tight-aggressive style and numbers background could be the formula for success, card permitting.

David "Chino" Rheem

David "Chino" Rheem… the trendy pick to win… the most recognizable name at the final table… the most colorful member of the "November Nine"… news stories surfacing of criminal past… What's not to like?

Rheem came within inches of earning a bracelet in 2006, but would settle for runner-up after Allen Cunningham claimed the $1,000 NLHE w/re-buys title. Chino would enter event 6 of the 2008 WSOP ($5K Mixed Hold'em) as the final table chip leader, before finishing a disappointing 9th. He holds the clear edge in WSOP final table experience and an aggressive, gutsy style that projects a fearless image. Not surprisingly, Chino has the support of about every big name in the poker world (especially rumored backer Greg "FBT" Meuller) who would like to see him win one for the pros.

Craig Marquis

Craig Marquis was a rivered four-flush away from missing out on the "November Nine" roller coaster ride. Instead, he finds himself with 40 big blinds and the experience of four months of red carpet treatment.

Marquis is the typical online story. The 23 year old only picked up the game within the last couple years. After going to a party hosted by now roommate and rumored backer David "raptor" Benefield and the high stakes legend Tom "durrr" Dwan, Marquis was enamored by the lifestyle online poker offered the two and dove head-first into the game.

Not only has the kid from Arlington been able to buy some cool stuff for his Vegas pad after picking up just under a million in guaranteed 9th-place money, but a win would replace Hellmuth's name from the record books, a feat Marquis has said he'll take great pleasure in.

Of the 17 events Marquis had entered during the 2008 WSOP, this is his only cash.

Kelly Kim

Somebody had to be the short-stack. Kelly Kim was in shock after he folded his way to at least a 9th-place finish and all the perks provided by being a part of the final nine. Now the So Cal pro finds himself in shove mode, sitting behind right around 10 big blinds.

With nearly 40 cashes under his belt, Kim is far from a tournament rookie. He considers himself to be a good short stack player, and with career earnings topping the $300K mark entering the 2008 Main Event, nobody is looking to double him up.

There they are, your Main Event competitors. According to the to-the-minute schedule, the WSOP says "shuffle up and deal," will take place at 10:22 a.m. PST. Play will resume in level 33, with 120,000-240,000 blinds and 30,000 antes. Click here to view structure and payouts.

The final nine will get 117 days off, before returning to play for the title. Final table coverage of the Main Event begins November 9th at 10 a.m. PST.

Final table chip counts:

Dennis Phillips - St Louis, MO, United States - 26,295,000 chips
Ivan Demidov - Moscow, Russian Federation - 24,400,000
Scott Montgomery - Perth, ON, Canada - 19,690,000
Peter Eastgate - Odense, Denmark - 18,375,000
Ylon Schwartz - Brooklyn, NY, United States - 12,525,000
Darus Suharto - Toronto, ON, Canada - 12,520,000
David 'Chino' Rheem - Los Angeles, CA, United States - 10,230,000
Craig Marquis - Arlington, TX, United States - 10,210,000
Kelly Kim - Whittier, CA, United States - 2,620,000

For a look at each member of the "November Nine", click here.

Here's what they're playing for:

1st -- $9,152,416
2nd -- $5,809,595
3rd -- $4,517,773
4th -- $3,774,974
5th -- $3,096,768
6th -- $2,418,562
7th -- $1,772,650
8th -- $1,288,217
9th -- $900,670

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