Las Vegas, NV
And here we are. The moment you have all been waiting for. The final 27. The fate of the 2009 November Nine is on the line.
Main Event Stats:18 of the above players will go home and never seen again. Nine of them will return to Las Vegas in November to play out the final table. Stay tuned to find out who.
Players Remaining: 27
Avg. Stack: 7,215,556
Chip Leader: Darvin Moon
Number of Entries: 6,494
Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Places Paid: 648
1st Place Prize: $8,546,435
Today's Payouts:
10-12th - $896,730
13-15th - $633,022
16-18th - $500,557
19-27th - $352,832
Today's Seating Assignments:
Table 1
Seat 1: Jesse Haabak - 2,750,000
Seat 2: Ian Tavelli - 4,385,000
Seat 3: James Calderaro - 6,475,000
Seat 4: Jonathan Tamayo - 3,300,000
Seat 5: Warren Zackey - 5,485,000
Seat 6: Eric Buchman - 10,005,000
Seat 7: Leo Margets - 1,530,000
Seat 8: Tommy Vedes - 5,070,000
Seat 9: James Akenhead - 8,615,000
Table 2 - Featured TV Table
Seat 1: Phil Ivey - 11,350,000
Seat 2: Happy Shulman - 10,170,000
Seat 3: George Caragiorgas - 1,615,000
Seat 4: Nick Maimone - 1,545,000
Seat 5: Andrew 'LuckyChewy' Lichtenberger - 5,625,000
Seat 6: Marco Mattes - 5,285,000
Seat 7: Joseph Cada - 6,565,000
Seat 8: Darvin Moon - 20,160,000
Seat 9: Jordan Smith - 4,510,000
Table 3 - Secondary Table
Seat 1: Jamie Robbins - 9,795,000
Seat 2: Antonio Esfandiari - 4,470,000
Seat 3: Francois Balmigere - 1,440,000
Seat 4: Ludovic Lacay - 5,610,000
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter - 11,885,000
Seat 6: Ben Lamb - 9,410,000
Seat 7: Antoine Saout - 11,135,000
Seat 8: Kevin Schaffel - 11,245,000
Seat 9: Billy Kopp - 15,970,000
Cards went in the air at 12:02pm. There is 7:17 left on the clock in this level... Blinds are 50K/100K with a 10K ante.
12:20pm... Leo Margets Busto
Photo courtesy of WickedChopsPoker
The last female standing... the lovely Leo Mergets from Barcelona, Spain was the first player to hit the rail today when her A-7 ran into Warren Zackey A-10. She finished in 27th place and collected $352,832. Down to 26 in a very quiet Amazon Ballroom. The hallways are even quieter.
Media Pool - Pauly's Picks: Darvin Moon, Ludovic Lacay, Tommy Vedes, Ben Lamb, Jeff Duvall, Leo Margets, Marco Mattes, Eugene Katchalov, Lucky Chewey
12:59pm... Down to 24; Jesse Habbak and Francois Balmigere = Busto
Jesse Haabak is no longer with us after Warren Zackey busted him. Francois Balmigere also hit the rail which leaves two Frenchman remaining. He was taken out by Billy Kopp who rivered a straight against Francois' Jacks.
Darvin Moon ran into LuckyChewy's luckbox abilities when he snapped off Aces with... J-9 sooooted. Chewy flopped two nines.
Former G-Vegas underground player, Nick Maimone shoved with a short stack and doubled through Phil Ivey's pocket Jacks. The young gun from the Carolinas is still alive.
2:02pm... French on French Hate; Ivey Hates Jacks; Antonio Esfandiari = Busto
Chip Leaders: Billy Kopp and Darvin Moon
Recent Eliminations: Antonio Esfandiari
Players Remaining: 23
Shorties: George Caragiorgas
Two Frenchies, One pot. Antoine Saout took a pot for Ludovic Lacay when he rivered an Ace against Lacay's pocket tens. Ludovic Lacay slipped to 3M.
Nick Maimone caught some more luck when he doubled through Jordan Smith. His 7-7 kicked 10-10 in the junk when a seven fell on the turn. The kid from Carolina doubled up twice today and his fans up in the Beef Jerky Lounge went batshit.
Phil Ivey took a hit when he doubled up Marco Mattes short stack. Marco's Queens held against Ivey's Jacks. He lost twice today with Jacks against short stacks. Maimone bested his Jacks earlier in the day.
Antonio Esfandiari just hit the rail when he ran into Steven Begleiter. One of his female railbirds nearly had an orgasm when he won the hand. The only other big named pro not named Phil Ivey is out. No mas, Antonio.
3:02pm... Down to 21; Germany and South Africa = Busto
Chip Leaders: Billy Kopp, Darvin Moon, Steven Begleiter
Recent Eliminations: Warren Zackey and Marco Mattes
Players Remaining: 21
Marco Mattes from Germany hit the road when his fives ran into eights. He can now return to being a backup singer in a Menudo cover band.
The South African Warren Zackey held the top spot as the chipleader at a couple of points during the tournament. He could not hold on and fizzled out in 22nd.
Wow, both players hit the rail after the break. Maybe they should take a break every hour instead of every two?
And the nicotine addicts went scrambling to find places to fire up. The usual smoking area near the Poker Kitchen (or the big white shed where kangaroos go to die) was closed off while they dismembered the shed.
Here's some interesting non-tits and ass story over at the hombres at Wicked Chops Poker... Jeff Shulman to Renounce WSOP Bracelet If He Wins.
"You should actually win before you make that statement," snarked Benjo.
3:45pm... Maimone Running Like God; Down to 18
Chip Leaders: Billy Kopp 26M and Ben Lamb & Darvin Moon with 17.5M
Recent Eliminations: George Caragiorgas and Tommy Vedes
Shorties: Ludovic Lacay
"Running like God. So epic," joked Nick Maimone about his play so far today. The deck continued to hit him in the face when he turned quad Kings against George Caragiorgas on 20th place.
Ivey is around 5M and Ludovic Lacay slipped to 2.1M. Chewy has 65.M.
It's time for a pay jump to $500,000. Yikes.
Thanks to Change100 for the final two table draws...
TV Table:According to Benjo, Ludovic has yet to sit on the featured TV table. He's been on the second table a few times though.
Seat 1: Phil Ivey
Seat 2: Ian Tavelli
Seat 3: Steve Begleiter
Seat 4: Antoine Saout
Seat 5: James Akenhead
Seat 6: Eric Buchman
Seat 7: Joe Cada
Seat 8: Jamie Robbins
Seat 9: Nick 'FU_15' Maimone
Secondary Table:
Seat 1: Ben Lamb
Seat 2: Kevin Schaffel
Seat 3: Jordan Smith
Seat 4: Andrew 'LuckyChewy' Lichtenberger
Seat 5: Happy Shulman
Seat 6: Darvin Moon
Seat 7: James Calderaro
Seat 8: Billy Kopp
Seat 9: Ludovic Lacay
4:20pm... Lucky Chewey Not So Lucky
Chip Leaders: Billy Kopp and Darvin Moon
Recent Eliminations: Andrew 'LuckyChewey' Lichtenberge
Players Remaining: 17
Shorties: Phil Ivey and Ludovic Lacay
Chewy ran into Darvin Moon's Kings when he had Jacks. That was all she wrote for Chewy. With his elimination, they are down to 17.
Phil Ivey slipped to 5M until he picked up a pot when he opened for a 420K raise. No joke. He's up to 7M but one of the three shortest stacks along with Ludovic Lacay.
As always, today's 4:20 smoke break is brought to you by... PokerStars and FantasySportsLive!
* * * * *
4:53pm... Lacay Out in 16th Place
Two bustouts on the last hand before the break to go down to 15. Ludivuc Lacay is the latest casualty when he lost a race against Happy Shulman.
Ian Tavelli headed to the rail in 16th a few moments before Lacay's exit.
Down to 15 where the pace has gone a little faster than expected. The action should slow down. Which they keep say. The they? The people inside my head.
Oh and I'm getting smoked like cheap schwag in the media pool...
Media Pool - Pauly's Picks... Darvin Moon,
Here's who cashed today...
16 Ludovic Lacay $500,557
17 Ian Tavelli $500,557
18 Andrew Lichtenberger $500,557
19 Tommy Vedes $352,832
20 George Caragiorgas $352,832
21 Jonathan Tamayo $352,832
22 Warren Zackey $352,832
23 Marco Mattes $352,832
24 Antonio Esfandiari $352,832
25 Francois Balmigere $352,832
26 Jesse Haabak $352,832
27 Leo Margets $352,832
5:45pm... Nick Maimone's Run Over
The kid from Carolina went much deeper than anyone imagined today. He was running better than good. He suggested that he was running like God... except against Eric Buchman. He could not draw out and hit the road in 15th place. Down to 14.
And yes, Steven Begleiter, is your chipleader.
6:30pm... Happy Lamb
Chip Leaders: Steven Begleiter
Ben Lamb doubled through Happy Shulman when his tens held against Shulman's K-J sooted. Shulman opened and Lamb shoved for about 3x more. Shulman tanked for about ninety seconds before he sighed and called. Shulman did not win his race and Lamb doubled up much to the delight of his contingency.
Ivey is up to 7M and Lamb is still the short stack despite his double up.
7:05pm... Dinner Break
On the last hand before the break, James Ankenhead cracked Aces when he flopped two pair with K-Q.
Still on 14 players. Five more to to before the November Nine is set. Eric Buchman is the chipleader by a slim margin.
Let's hope the dinner break can make everyone play a little looser. At least all of the drunk and annoying fans will leave the Amazon Ballroom for a few minutes.
Chip Counts...See you back at 8:35pm.
Eric Buchman 28.67M
Steven Begleiter 27.26M
Darvin Moon 25.4M
Jordan Smith 18.84M
Joseph Cada 18.4M
Billy Kopp 13.5M
Jeff Shulman 13.5M
Antoine Saout 12.42M
Kevin Schaffel 10.63M
Phil Ivey 8.4M
Ben Lamb 6.6M
James Akenhead 5.09M
James Calderaro 5M
Jamie Robbins 1.34M
8:05pm... The Last Supper
I hope you're well fed, because this might take a while. On my way back to the Rio, I peeked inside ESPN's staging area where they serve their catered staff meal during the dinner break. Oh my! Talk about a spread. My mouth salivated at the prospects. An efficient army is a well fed army and the troops have replenished and reloaded and ready for the long haul. I'm prepped for another 8-10 hours. I have 4:20am as the stop time. Regardless, the sun will be piercing my eyes as I take my initial steps of freedom as I exit the Rio for the last time until November.
One drunk got carted off by security. Alkies beware, you're belligerent drunken tomfoolery will not be tolerated. (P.S. All media reps should sneak through the side door).
9:15pm... Lamb-Kebob and See Ya Calderaro
Ben Lamb hit the road along with his rowdy railbirds. He finished in 14th place and within minutes James Calderaro made a quick exit. In the first forty minutes after dinner break, two players are eliminated. Down to the final 12 and a pay jump to $896,730.
Eric Buchman is one of the first players to pass the 30M mark but Darvin Moon and Steven Begleiter are not far behind.
Three more to go until the November Nine. Two more bustouts until the final ten players consolidate to one table.
Phil Ivey is around 7M in chips but at the far end of the pack.
9:55pm... Welcome November Nine Bubble
Chip Leaders: Darvin Moon
Recent Eliminations: Jamie Robbins (11th) and Billy Kopp (12th)
Phil Ivey busted Jamie Robbins in 11th place. The crowd unleashed a jubilant cheer when Robbins failed to come from behind to double through Ivey. With ten players remaining, Ivey is on the cusp of making his first ever
Every one in the room has a collected hard on... hoping that Ivey makes the final table. The suits and media types have over-sized dollar signs in their eyes. They can almost count the money.
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. By the way, Darvin Moon is back into the chiplead and became the first player to pass the 40M mark. he didn't even both hitting the 20M mar, he went straight from the 20M to 40M when he busted Billy Kopp in 11th place.
Action was paused while they prep the final TV table. The remaining ten players were consolidated to one table.
The Final 10:Thanks to Change100 for the chippies.
Seat 1: Darvin Moon - 44,300,000
Seat 2: Jordan Smith - 15,430,000
Seat 3: James Akenhead - 5,100,000
Seat 4: Phil Ivey - 10,210,000
Seat 5: Kevin Schaffel - 13,080,000
Seat 6: Steven Begleiter - 26,495,000
Seat 7: Eric Buchman - 36,780,000
Seat 8: Joe Cada - 13,400,000
Seat 9: Antoine Saout - 10,200,000
Seat 10:Jeff Shulman - 17,900,000
Final Table Payouts:
1 - $8,546,435
2 - $5,182,601
3 - $3,479,485
4 - $2,502,787
5 - $1,953,395
6 - $1,587,133
7 - $1,404,002
8 - $1,300,228
9 - $1,263,602
10 - $896,730
Here's the sponsorship... 4 - Full Tilt, 1 - PokerStars, 1 - UB, 1-Everest, 1-CardPlayer, an 2 No-Logos )(Smith & Moon). Thanks to Benjo for the research.
6,494 players began what seems like a month ago. We're down to the final ten including the man, the myth, and the legend... Phil Ivey.
10:46pm... The Zoo
The final table area was jam packed. Every single inch of space was taken up. I had never seen it that claustrophobic before The one open spot on the rail had people standing ten deep trying to catch a glimpse of Phil Ivey. The area above in the beef jerky lounge was so densely packed that the floor shook a bit. I was worried that it was going to collapse so I stepped back a bit. It reminded me of the eerie calm moments before a wooden grand stand collapsed at a Guatemalan soccer game.
I said this on Twitter... "Ivey is like the friggin' Beatles."
It's true. Everyone rushed to the final table from all over the convention area. The few people in offices and the hallways scattered and dashed to the TV table. Parts of the casino emptied out. The poker room was nearly empty. Even guys sweeping the floors ran down to the Amazon Ballroom with their brooms and dustpans in tow. Players playing online poker in their hotel rooms, quickly left and made a bee-line downstairs. Locals jumped in their cars and sped to the Rio. Phil Ivey was on the cusp of the final table. History was about to be made and no-one wanted to miss it.
10:52pm... Darvin Moon = November Nine Chipleader
Wow. The November Nine is set. It happened so fast that I barely had time to settle inside the rail and take notes. Anyway, Jordan Smith busted out when his Aces lost to Darvin Moon's set of 8s. It was pretty insane. We couldn't believe it ended so quick.
2009 November Nine:One Frenchie, one Brit from the Hit Squad, a hillbilly from West Virginia, a former Wall Street guy, a controversial son of a media mogul, and Phil fuckin' Ivey. Should make for an interesting final table.
Seat 1: Darvin Moon
Seat 2: James Akenhead
Seat 3: Phil Ivey
Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter
Seat 6: Eric Buchman
Seat 7: Joe Cada
Seat 8: Antoine Saout
Seat 9: Happy Shulman
Stay tuned for a recap and end of day chip counts.
Thanks for following along. See you in November.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
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