Profiling the Youngest Main Event Final Table in World Series of Poker HistoryOnly One Player is a Full-Fledged Amateur |
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A monstrous field of 7,319 began this tournament. Now, only nine remain. At first glance, it appears to be a mostly homogeneous group. Eight of the nine players are in their twenties, and none of those eight have a job outside of poker. There’s only one true amateur at the table — at the ripe old age of 37.
However, as with any group, a number of memorable storylines and personalities emerge upon closer inspection. Without further ado, Card Player unveils this year’s November Nine.
Jonathan Duhamel
Age: 22
Hometown: Boucherville, Quebec, Canada
Chip Count: 65.975 million, chip leader
Lifetime Winnings: $118,084 (live only)
Biggest Previous Cash: $53,928, 10th place finish at 2008 EPT Prague
He’s brash, cocky, and confident. But with how well he played at the final-table bubble and how much he dominated 10-handed play, it’s hard not to be impressed by chip leader Jonathan Duhamel.
The young Canadian pro went from around 40 million in chips to nearly 66 million in chips in the time it took for the tournament to go from 10-handed to nine-handed. He was opening nearly every pot, and reraising quite a bit to watch his fellow competitors lay their hands down for the guarantee of making the November Nine.
“Everybody was so tight, so because I was the chip leader, I had to abuse that and raise a lot of pots, so that’s what I did,” said Duhamel, who has been playing poker about five or six years.
He dropped out of college after one year as a finance student to pursue poker as a profession. Now, he is in great shape to win the second-largest live tournament in history — and he’s not afraid to predict how it’s going to go in November.
“I’m going to win, 100 percent. I’m the best,” said Duhamel, with a wide smile as he delivered the line. But to leave no doubt, he repeated later in the interview, “I’m going to play the best poker game I’ve ever played and win that thing.”
John Dolan
Age: 24
Hometown: Bonita Springs, Florida
Chip Count: 46.25 million, second in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $945,063
Biggest Previous Cash: $94,500, First place in the $1K Monday on Full Tilt in February 2009
Like many young online poker pros, John Dolan dropped out of college to pursue the game. But that doesn’t mean he won’t tell you that it was a major mistake.
“I definitely left school too early,” said Dolan, a 24-year-old pro who has been a consistent winner online. “I ran really good in the beginning and ran up a decent bankroll, but really had no clue what a downswing consisted of at high stakes. I wasn’t really prepared to drop out.”
Despite objections from his family, Dolan dropped out of Florida State to take up poker full-time. After struggling for a while, and taking up jobs at various restaurants and as a poker dealer, he eventually landed on his feet.
Now, with nearly $1 million in winnings prior to making the main-event final table, he comes into November as one of the more experienced players remaining. With more than double the chips than all but one opponent, Dolan is in great position to secure his spot in poker immortality.
But whether or not he wins it all, he is planning on going back to the classroom.
“I’ve said that actually many times [about going back to get my degree], so I guess we will see after this if I’m just full of it or not,” said Dolan.
Joseph Cheong
Age: 24
Hometown: La Mirada, California
Chip Count: 23.525 million, third in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $307,772
Biggest Previous Cash: $55,022, first place in a miniFTOPS $30 rebuy event in May 2009
For some players, it might have proved to be too much to handle, a fatal turning point that launched them into tilt and sent their chips spewing. But for Joseph Cheong, it was merely a bump in the road as he recovered from one of the nastiest beats of day 8 to still make the November Nine with a healthy chip stack of 23.5 million, good enough for third place overall.
With 15 players remaining, Cheong got his money in good, then watched as the turn and river came out horribly wrong to see most of his stack slide across the felt. After three-betting aces preflop, his aggressive image almost made him the massive chip leader heading into the break after Filippo Candio called off his entire stack, holding just 7-5 on a board of 6-6-5. But running cards gave Candio a straight and sent Cheong down the leader board.
But the young pro never faltered. After losing the hand, he shrugged, slid over his chips, and immediately began rebuilding his stack.
“I just thought about how lucky I was to have gotten this far in the first place,” Cheong said he told himself in the moment. “I’m still alive and I still have plenty of chips.”
Sure enough, he rebounded well to secure one of the top spots at the final table.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Cheong moved to America when he was about six or seven and earned two degrees at UCSD, a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in a double concentration, mathematics and economics. But even with that diploma, he admits he’s never had a 9-to-5 job, going right into the poker world in full force after college. With more than $300,000 in winnings, primarily from online, he’s looking to make a huge boost in his career totals in November.
John Racener
Age: 24
Hometown: Port Richey, Florida
Chip Count: 19.05 million, fourth in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $1.73 million
Biggest Previous Cash: $379,392, first place in the 2007 WSOP Circuit Atlantic City
When John Racener was 16 years old, he asked his mom to put $50 onto an online poker site for him using her credit card. To his surprise, she agreed. Within a year or two, the young Racener took that $50 and ran it up to over $30,000.
“My family has always been supportive,” said Racener. “And I’ve always been competitive at everything I do. It’s in my blood.”
Not only was Racener self-taught, but he was a quick learner and admittedly on an incredible hot streak when he first started playing the game.
“I had a very good bankroll right off the bat because I killed the cash games right away, and the first time I ever played what is now the Sunday Million — it used to be the Sunday $500,000 tournament — I won it for $130,000 against 3,300 people. I was maybe 18 or 19,” said Racener.
After getting his associate of arts degree from Florida Southern, Racener has been a regular on the tournament trail, highlighted by a win in a WSOP Circuit event in Atlantic City in 2007.
This was his fourth year at the World Series of Poker. Every single year, he has made a final table. In November, he will try to do what has so far been unable to do — that is, win a bracelet.
“This is a dream come true,” said Racener.
Matthew Jarvis
Age: 25
Hometown: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Chip Count: 16.7 million, fifth in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $295,280
Biggest Previous Cash: $103,000, after chopping the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up in August 2009
As the main event began, 7,319 players had a lot on their minds. They were harboring dreams of making a deep run, imagining what they would do with that nearly $9 million first-place prize.
Matthew Jarvis also had a lot on his mind, but not all of it was as light as the rest of his optimistic opponents. As the 2010 main event began, his dad was beginning chemotherapy and radiation for cancer.
“He got diagnosed with cancer right before this trip. He has throat cancer and cancer on the tonsils, as well,” said Jarvis. “It was a real shocker. It came out of nowhere. He’s a pretty healthy guy, and it was just really weird. I was thinking about staying home and being with him and skipping the Series this year, but he said, ‘No, I want you to go.’”
So Jarvis left Canada for Las Vegas, trying to stay focused on poker as best he could.
“It’s been really tough,” Jarvis admitted, but said he couldn’t help but notice how much his dad’s mood improved as he was making his main-event run. “Whenever I talk to him though, he’s been so excited that I’m doing so well; it’s almost keeping him positive through this whole situation. I felt like he’s been here with me.”
Jarvis called his father and his mother up to six times each day, just giving their periodic updates on how he was doing.
“They’ve always been super supportive,” said Jarvis.
Although he is one of eight November Niners who does not have a job outside of poker, Jarvis is the only one who cautions using the term ‘pro’ for himself. He plays $5-$10 and $10-$20 no-limit hold’em cash games live and has had some notable online results under the screen name “jarfish.”
However, he does admit that playing poker is more enjoyable than his last few jobs, which include working graveyard shifts in a lumber mill, being employed at a café, and even going door-to-door to sell Cutco knives.
During the four-month break, Jarvis says he is planning on spending a lot of time with his family and is considering getting a poker coach.
Filippo Candio
Age: 26
Hometown: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Chip Count: 16.4 million, sixth in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $40,430 (live only)
Biggest Previous Cash: $11,412, 97th place in 2010 EPT Deauville main event
Last year, England and France made cameos at the main-event final table, courtesy of James Akenhead and Antoine Saout. This year, Italian pro Filippo Candio is Europe’s last hope, and the 26-year-old couldn’t be more excited about it.
During interviews, Candio was blowing kisses to the cameras while offering photographers a variety of poses. Perhaps no player smiled and laughed so much en route to the final table, as the happy-go-lucky Italian seemed to be having the time of his life during every tense moment of the tournament.
“I love people, and I hope that people love me,” said Candio. “Among my friends, when there is a problem, I’m the first to resolve it … I think I’m a good guy. I’m friendly with all.”
Candio is fortunate to be at the final table after drawing out against Cheong in a massive hand when there were just 15 players left. But he hasn’t forgotten that, remaining modest in interviews, while praising his fellow tablemates.
“I respect my opponents so much, especially [chip leader Jonathan] Duhamel,” said Candio. “I would like to become a better player, because my opponents are incredible.”
Candio says he plans on getting a coach for the break in the hopes that he can bring Italy its first main-event bracelet.
The young Italian has been playing hold’em since the age of 21, and professionally for two years. He studied the classics in school — Greek and Latin — and went to school to study law before dropping out to pursue poker.
Michael Mizrachi
Age: 29
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Chip Count: 16.4 million, seventh in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $8.9 million
Biggest Previous Cash: $1.86 million, first place at 2005 LAPC main event
Coming into this summer, Michael Mizrachi had yet to win his first WSOP bracelet. But by this fall, one might be able to make a compelling case that he’s the greatest tournament poker player in history.
‘The Grinder’ is this year’s Phil Ivey — a big-name TV pro looking to do the almost impossible, outlast thousands to win the main event.
Mizrachi’s results have been beyond impressive. With a minimum ninth-place payment of $811,823 for the main event, he will pass T.J. Cloutier to move into 12th place on the all-time money list. If Mizrachi were to get third place in November, he’d move all the way to second place on the all-time list, replacing Daniel Negreanu.
If Mizrachi were to get second or first place, Ivey would no longer be poker’s biggest tournament winner in history. That distinction would belong to The Grinder.
“No one would even be close to me [on the all-time list if I won],” said Mizrachi. “It’d be an amazing feeling since I’ve just been playing tournament poker since 2004.”
It’s been quite a year for Mizrachi. After becoming the topic of a Florida newspaper story that publicized his overdue taxes, the Grinder has had one of the best WSOPs in the modern era. He won the $50K Players Championship for his first bracelet and $1.56 million and then proceeded to make another three final tables, including the main event.
The Grinder says that Florida media report, as well as not being picked in a popular fantasy poker draft amongst the high-stakes pros, was all the motivation he needed this summer.
“I kept my head up, stayed focused, and played my game,” said Mizrachi. “It definitely motivated me.”
Soi Nguyen
Age: 37
Hometown: Santa Ana, California
Chip Count: 9.65 million, eighth in chips
Lifetime Winnings: This is Nguyen’s first WSOP event and cash.
Biggest Previous Cash: $1,980, 69th place in a LAPC event
The main-event final table may have been inundated with amateurs the past few years, but in 2010, there is only one — Soi Nguyen.
Like many casual players of the game, Nguyen had fantasized about playing in the main event ever since he watched Chris Moneymaker win it all on ESPN seven years ago.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the main event. Ever since I saw Chris Moneymaker play in the main event, I said, ‘I’m going to give it a shot one day,’” said Nguyen. “I talked to my boss and told him I was going to take some time off and try it, just so I could look back and say, ‘at least I played in it once.’”
Well, Nguyen has accomplished in one tournament what many poker players fail to accomplish in hundreds. He has made the final table.
It’s an accomplishment that is all the more stunning considering Nguyen’s relative inexperience.
“My background in poker is very limited. I’ve gone to play poker maybe five or six times in the last three years. That’s how little experience I have in this game,” said Nguyen. “I have only played in a couple tournaments before.”
Fortunately for Nguyen, he has some talented friends. He grew up with Nam and Tommy Le, two respected pros, and also had Tuan Le and Chino Rheem cheering him on.
“I have a couple friends who play professional poker and I’ve known them as a kid. We played poker as kids, but nothing serious,” said Nguyen, who works at a medical supply company as the head of its authorization billing department.
Despite entering November eighth in chips, he firmly believes he has a shot to win.
“I think that everyone sitting at the final table has a chance to win this thing,” said Nguyen.
Jason Senti
Age: 25
Hometown: St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Chip Count: 7.625 million, ninth in chips
Lifetime Winnings: $65,112
Biggest Previous Cash: $47,125, fifth place in the $5K SCOOP event in May 2010
Don’t be fooled. Just because Jason Senti doesn’t have too many tournament cashes to his name doesn’t mean he’s not a top-notch pro. Just ask Phil Galfond.
Galfond, one of the best online cash game pros, has a piece of Senti in the main event, so you can be sure the player known as “OMGClayAiken” will be rooting hard to see his friend to improve upon his short-stacked status.
“I hung in there well enough to sneak through,” Senti said after he made the final table.
Senti mostly plays cash games online, from $5-$10 to $25-50 no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha, both six-max and heads up.
“I started at $0.05-$0.10 no-limit hold’em cash, and quickly worked my way up,” said Senti.
The Minnesota pro only played three WSOP events this summer since he isn’t a fan of the World Series grind. But that third event he played, the 2010 main event, has made it more than worth his while.
The former electrical/software engineer is the short-stack heading into November, but he’s hoping to make a quick double-up to become a legitimate threat for the 2010 title.
“I hung in there well enough to sneak through,” said Senti, who also plays guitar and sings in a rock band back home.
The cash-game pro said he’s going to take it fairly easy the next few months, but is considering going to London to compete in World Series of Poker Europe.
Check back to Card Player over the next two weeks as we profile each player individually.
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