WSOP -- Main Event Final Table Preview

The most anticipated final table in the history of poker begins on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. when the November Nine finally take their seats at the World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em championship main event and compete for the $9.1 million first-place prize. These players have already fought through a field of 6,844 total players (the second largest live poker tournament of all time) to reach the final table. On Sunday, the field will play down to a final heads-up match. Those two players will then return at 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10 to play until one champion remains. The first part of the final table will air on ESPN at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Card Player will be reporting live from the final table at the Penn and Teller Theater inside the Rio to bring you live updates on the hour, as well as chip counts and photos.

Those interested can also visit the Card Player 2008 WSOP main event landing page to get up to speed or for a refresher on the players and where they stand.

NOTE: All nine players have already received the ninth-place payday of $900,670

The blinds and antes will start at 120,000-240,000 with a 3,000 ante for play in level 33.

Final-table payouts:

1st: $9,119,338
2nd: $5,790,024
3rd: $4,503,352
4th: $3,763,516
5th: $3,088,013
6th: $2,412,510
7th: $1,769,177
8th: $1,286,672
9th: $900,670

Seat 1: Dennis Phillips — 26,295,000 — Account manager (St. Louis, Missouri)

Phillips begins the final table with the chip lead.

Card Player bio: Dennis Phillips is a 53-year-old account manager for a commercial trucking company who lives in the suburban town of Cottage Hills, Illinois, but he calls St. Louis, Missouri, his home. That, in fact, is where he won the World Series of Poker satellite at Harrah’s Casino that got him into the 2008 main event. He is now one of the nine remaining players waiting for the final table to play out in November. Prior to this, his only major-tournament cash was for $2,368. Phillips is now guaranteed at least $900,670 and will enter the final table as the chip leader.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Dennis Phillips


Seat 2: Craig Marquis — 10,210,000 — College student (Arlington, Texas)

Marquis begins the final table in eighth chip position.

Card Player bio: Craig Marquis, of Arlington, Texas, is a 23-year-old college student who has been playing poker for only about a year and a half. In that time, he has cashed in three preliminary tournaments at the World Series of Poker, two last year and one this year. He is also one of the final nine competitors in the 2008 WSOP main event. He is patiently waiting for play to reconvene in November and is already guaranteed at least $900,670. Marquis already has plans to buy his family a swimming pool with some of the winnings.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Craig Marquis


Seat 3: Ylon Schwartz — 12,525,000 — Professional poker player (Brooklyn, New York)

Schwartz begins the final table in fifth chip position.

Card Player bio: After giving up hustling chess games at parks in New York City, Ylon Schwartz decided to become a professional poker player. Since his first World Series of Poker cash in 2005, he has made the money in the WSOP 12 times, and at the 2008 main event, Schwartz has made the final table. With a medium stack, Schwartz is waiting to play out the conclusion of the event, which will take place in November.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Ylon Schwartz


Seat 4: Scott Montgomery — 19,690,000 — Professional poker player (Perth, Ontario, Canada)

Montgomery begins the final table in third chip position.

Card Player bio: Scott Montgomery is a 26-year-old professional poker player from Ontario, Canada. He’s only been playing for four years, but has had considerable success. In his first major tournament cash, Montgomery found himself at the televised World Poker Tour final table of the 2008 L.A. Poker Classic. He finished fifth for nearly $297,000. At the 2008 World Series of Poker, Montgomery seemed to find his stride. He cashed in three preliminary tournaments and made the final table of the $10,000 main event. Montgomery will make the trek back to Las Vegas in November to finish out the final table of the 2008 WSOP main event, where he is guaranteed to make at least $900,670.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Scott Montgomery


Seat 5: Darus Suharto — 12,520,000 — Accountant (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Suharto begins the final table in sixth chip position.

Card Player bio: Darus Suharto was born in Indonesia, but currently resides in Toronto, Canada. After earning an MBA from Indiana University, Suharto went to work as an accountant. The 39-year-old won his way into the 2008 WSOP main event through a satellite and is now guaranteed to win at least $900,670, since he is one of the nine remaining players in the main event. Play will restart in November. Previous to this, Suharto’s only major tournament cash came in the 2006 WSOP main event. He finished in 448th place for more than $26,000.

Seat 6: David "Chino" Rheem — 10,230,000 — Professional poker player (Los Angeles, California)

Rheem begins the final table in seventh chip position.

Card Player bio: David “Chino” Rheem hails from Los Angeles, California. He is a professional poker player and has been playing for about 10 years. His first major tournament cash came at the 2005 World Series of Poker. That same year, Rheem cashed in the main event, as well. Since then, Rheem has followed the tournament circuit, cashing in WPT preliminary tournaments as well as more WSOP events along the way, including a near-bracelet win in the 2006 $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em rebuy event. He finished second for almost $328,000. At the 2008 WSOP, Rheem cashed in the $5,000 mixed-hold’em event and also made the final table of the $10,000 main event. He will join the other eight players in November when play reconvenes. He is guaranteed to make at least $$900,670.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Chino Rheem


Seat 7: Ivan Demidov — 24,400,000 — Professional poker player (Moscow, Russia)

Demidov begins the final table in second chip position.

Card Player bio: Ivan Demidov is a 27-year-old professional poker player from Moscow, Russia. At the 2008 World Series of Poker, Demidov made his first major tournament cash when he finished 11th in the $1,000 no-limit hold’em rebuy event. He then went on to make the final table the $10,000 buy-in main event and is currently waiting for play to reconvene in November. He will enter the final table in second chip position. Demidov booked the largest cash during the break preceding the main event final table of any November Nine contestant. He made the final table of the WSOP Europe £10,000 no-limit hold’em main event in London in early October. The finish gave Demidov 1,440 Card Player Player of the Year points, so he could become a major threat in the 2008 POY race if he becomes the world champion on Monday.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Ivan Demidov


Seat 8: Kelly Kim — 2,620,000 — Professional poker player (Whittier, California)

Kim begins the final table in ninth chip poition.

Card Player bio: Kelly Kim resides in Whittier, California, where he works as a professional poker player. Kim graduated from UC-San Diego and used his degree to work as a business analyst. He made the decision to play poker full time and has had several major-tournament cashes. His first came in 2003 at the Hustler Casino in a $300 buy-in event. Since then, he’s been working his way up the ranks. At the 2007 World Series of Poker, Kim cashed twice and decided to come back in 2008 for another shot at a bracelet. He paid the $10,000 to enter the main event and now finds himself as one of the final nine remaining players who are anxiously awaiting the start of final-table play in November. Kim will enter the final table as the short-stack, but he is guaranteed to earn at least $900,670 for his efforts.

CardPlayer TV Interview with Kelly Kim


Seat 9: Peter Eastgate — 18,375,000 — Professional poker player (Odense, Denmark)

Eastgate begins the final table in fourth chip position.

Card Player bio: At age 22, Peter Eastgate, of Odense, Denmark, plopped down the $10,000 in cash to buy into the 2008 World Series of Poker main event. The professional poker player is not regretting his decision, as he is one of the final nine remaining competitors waiting to play out the final table in November. Eastgate is fourth in chips and guaranteed to make at least $900,670. His previous major-tournament cashes include a final-table appearance at the 2007 Irish Poker Open, as well as a cash in the 2008 European Poker Tour Scandinavian Open main event. Eastgate is another player to find success during the time he has been waiting for the final table to begin, and he once again found it on the EPT. Eastgate cashed in 18th place at the EPT London event that was held in October 2008, and he took home $28,606 in prize money.

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