A Statistical Look at the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table

In the end, all that matters is how you finished and what you cashed for, but it’s still interesting to analyze the stats behind how each player performed at the WSOP main event final table.

There were 328 total hands played over about 18 hours. It was a long, slow grind for those who fought until the end, but every player at the final table got in at least four orbits.

Newhouse – 9th Place

Nobody wants to bust in ninth place, but Mark Newhouse certainly didn’t want to take that walk of shame from the ESPN stage after finishing in ninth in 2013. Newhouse began the final table in third place, but began the day by bleeding chips, losing the first three hands he entered, including two showdowns.

Newhouse played 16 of the 56 hand he was dealt (28.6%), which is perhaps too high of a percentage at a nine-handed table. He only came in for a preflop raise eight times (50%), making him a little more passive than his opponents. The North Carolina native saw six showdowns, but won only one, taking down five pots overall.

Politano – 8th Place

The next player to go was Brazil’s Bruno Politano, who was dealt exactly 100 hands overall. Politano was hand cuffed with a short stack from the beginning and the fact that he only played 15 total hands (15%) reflects that.

What was commendable about the 31-year-old’s game was that he raised 13 times (86.7%) of the pots he entered. Because of this aggression, he only saw two showdowns, winning his first and losing his last. In total, Politano won nine pots.

Sindelar – 7th Place

Daniel Sindelar came into the final table in fifth place and more or less maintained his stack for the first 80 hands he was dealt. It was the last 26 that cost him his tournament, including his final hand where he got unlucky to bust.

During that final 26-hand stretch, Sindelar didn’t drag a single pot, despite coming in for a raise five times. The Nebraska native played 30 of the 106 hands he was dealt (28.3%), raising 20 times (66.7%). He won 13 pots, including three of his five showdowns.

Larrabe – 6th Place

Andoni Larrabe was very active early on at the final table, winning three hands in the first orbit of play to move his stack into third place, but the Spaniard suffered from long periods of inactivity. Between hands no. 45 and 72, the 22-year-old only entered one pot and lost. Between hands no. 112 and no. 140, he entered three pots and only won one.

Larrabe was dealt 140 hands, voluntarily playing 26 of them (18.6%). He only raised 15 times (57.7%) and won half of his six showdowns.

Pappas – 5th Place

Billy Pappas was perhaps the most inexperienced player at the final table, but he certainly didn’t play like it. The 29-year-old foosball world champion was selectively aggressive, winning 22 of the 209 hands he was dealt (10.5%) and losing 13 (6.2%).

Overall, Pappas played 35 total hands at the final table (16.7%), raising 24 times (68.6%). The Massachusetts native went to showdown seven times, winning five. Had he not lost a crucial flip to Martin Jacobson, he would have been in position to make a much deeper run.

Tonking – 4th Place

When William Tonking took out Newhouse he took over the chip lead and became one of the most active players at the final table. At first, the strategy was working to perfection, but once six-handed play began, his opponents started to play back at him.

Overall, he played a remarkable 54 of the 224 hands he was dealt (24.1%), coming in for a raise 43 times (79.6%). He made it to showdown 11 times, winning six.

Van Hoof – 3rd Place

On the first day of the final table, we saw a nearly flawless performance from Jorryt Van Hoof. He took control early on, was selectively aggressive, and was able to apply pressure without putting himself or his stack at risk.

His second day performance, however, was marred by his questionable hero call on Felix Stephensen, which gave the Norwegian momentum and left Van Hoof reeling. Overall, the Dutch pro played 117 of the 295 hands he was dealt (39.7%), raising preflop 97 times (82.9%), though a good chunk of that came during short-handed play.

Stephensen – 2nd Place

Felix Stephensen came into the final table in second place, and early on, it seemed as if he would do anything to hold on to that position. In fact, in the first three orbits, he entered the pot only twice, losing both times. It wasn’t until hand no. 28 that he was able to drag his first pot. Stephensen would continue to take long stretches of time off, presumably handcuffed by the much more aggressive Van Hoof on his immediate left.

After Tonking’s elimination, however, Stephensen picked up the pace, playing 40 of the 68 hands during three-handed play (58.8%), raising 21 times (52.5%).

Jacobson – 1st Place

There was no performance more impressive than that of Swedish pro Martin Jacobson. The 27-year-old came into the final table in eighth place, but played the short stack perfectly to survive until three-handed play began. And after taking the chip lead he refused to give it back with spewy, ill-timed aggression.

Jacobson won 28 of the 68 hands during three-handed play (41.2%), but won the largest pot when he knocked out Van Hoof. Heads-up play lasted just 34 hands, with Jacobson winning 18 of them (52.9%), but the pots he did win were substantially larger. In fact, many of Stephensen’s wins during heads-up play, six (37.5%). were due to walks given by Jacobson and worth only the size of the small blind and ante.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the numbers.

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