WSOP Main Event Final Table Begins Saturday
The World Series of Poker main event returns after its long hiatus on Saturday.
The November Nine, as the players at the final table of the main event are known for short, last took to the felt at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in July. They return to the scene today at noon Pacific time (3 p.m. Eastern) to play for the first prize of about $8.5 million.
Here’s a guide to the conclusion of poker’s biggest tournament:
The players
Here are the players and their chip stacks heading into the start of play:
Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000
Joseph Cada – 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
James Akenhead – 6,800,000
The average chip count is $22 million.
Here is how the players will be seated:
Blind structure
The final table will start at level 33, with blinds of $120,000-$240,000 and antes of $30,000. Each pot at the start will be $630K.
Level Ante Blinds
33 $30,000 $120,000-$240,000
34 $40,000 $150,000-$300,000
Remove $5,000 Chips
35 $50,000 $200,000-$400,000
36 $50,000 $250,000-$500,000
37 $75,000 $300,000-$600,000
Remove $25,000 Chips
38 $100,000 $400,000-$800,000
39 $150,000 $500,000-$1,000,000
40 $200,000 $600,000-$1,200,000
41 $200,000 $800,000-$1,600,000
42 $300,000 $1,000,000-$2,000,000
43 $300,000 $1,200,000-$2,400,000
44 $400,000 $1,500,000-$3,000,000
45 $500,000 $2,000,000-$4,000,000
46 $500,000 $2,500,000-$5,000,000
47 $1,000,000 $3,000,000-$6,000,000
Storylines
The biggest story going in the event is Phil Ivey, one of the most recognizable players in the game, and one of the most feared. Despite coming into the final table at a disadvantage in chips, Ivey is anywhere from the favorite to the third favorite to win the main event, according to oddsmakers. Ivey, who has seven bracelets, already won a pair at this year’s WSOP. Obviously, winning the eighth would be the crowning achievement to an already amazing career.
Other than Ivey, there’s Moon, a 46-year-old logger who is this year’s “average Joe” at the final table. While he has a huge stack, he is up against a talented table of poker players. Six of the players remaining play poker for a living. Then there’s Jeff Shulman, the editor of Card Player Magazine. He’s being coached by Phill Hellmuth, and created quite a stir when he said that he would throw away the bracelet if he won because of his disdain for Harrah’s (although he has since backed off that comment).
Scheduling matters
Here’s how the final table will go down: Play at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio will continue on Saturday until just two players remain. The final two players return on Monday, Nov. 9 at 10 p.m. Pacific to determine a winner.
ESPN’s broadcast of the final table will air on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern. The two-hour broadcast will recap all the action from Saturday and Monday.
Payouts
Everyone still in the ME is already a millionaire. Here’s how much players will get depending on their finish:
1st: $8,546,435
2nd: $5,182,601
3rd: $3,479,485
4th: $2,502,787
5th: $1,953,395
6th: $1,587,133
7th: $1,404,002
8th: $1,300,228
9th: $1,263,602
Want to go?
If you are in or near Vegas, there are no tickets, and space is first-come, first-served, for anyone over the age of 21. Open seating on Saturday is very limited, according to the WSOP Web site, but should open up as players are eliminated. Plenty of seating will be open to the public on Monday.
Updates
PTP will keep you up to date throughout the final table. Look for news updates on the WSOP section of the site. You can also get major updates from by following us on Facebook and hand-by-hand updates on Twitter.
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