WSOP Finals

11/06/2008		WSOP Finals
Home History Games News Dictionary		For the first time ever, this year marks a significant difference in how the organizers for the World Series of Poker set up the final game table, making the last nine players wait nearly three months to resume the final round of play. Previous years’ stratagem had the players play through a full eight days, only withholding the airing of the last table til November for public viewing. This year, in an attempt to generate reality based excitement, as well as give the marketing team extra time to bill the live event, WSOP created a hiatus to have the 2008 ‘November Nine’ be a live television event, hopefully generating suspense in the poker world as to who would walk away champion. Not all the players, however, were ecstatic about the switch-up. With 117 days in between the last time he played and November 9th’s Finals, Dennis Phillips is doubtful the change could possibly be beneficial for his game play. A 53-year old account manager for a St Louis trucking company, the act of eating, drinking, breathing, living poker for seven days straight in July allowed him to get in a poker-mindset. The delay in the final game has forced him to try to keep his skills sharp without the adrenaline of competition. And with $9 million in the balance, it’s a concern not to be taken lightly. “Pure poker playing, I wanted to stay at that damn table,” he says. “I finish anything but first and I’m going to feel like it affected me.” His competition include the following 8 names: last year’s second place winner Tuan Lam, Ylon Schwartz, Kelly Kim, Peter Eastgate, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Canadians Scott Montgomery and Darus Suharto, and semi-professional poker player, Russian Ivan Demidov, who is second to Phillips’ chip count. The final event will air November 9th, live from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. All players have already been paid over $900 for ninth place finish this past July. The remaining pot is approximately $32.6 million.

11/06/2008

WSOP Finals

For the first time ever, this year marks a significant difference in how the organizers for the World Series of Poker set up the final game table, making the last nine players wait nearly three months to resume the final round of play.

Previous years’ stratagem had the players play through a full eight days, only withholding the airing of the last table til November for public viewing. This year, in an attempt to generate reality based excitement, as well as give the marketing team extra time to bill the live event, WSOP created a hiatus to have the 2008 ‘November Nine’ be a live television event, hopefully generating suspense in the poker world as to who would walk away champion.

Not all the players, however, were ecstatic about the switch-up. With 117 days in between the last time he played and November 9th’s Finals, Dennis Phillips is doubtful the change could possibly be beneficial for his game play. A 53-year old account manager for a St Louis trucking company, the act of eating, drinking, breathing, living poker for seven days straight in July allowed him to get in a poker-mindset. The delay in the final game has forced him to try to keep his skills sharp without the adrenaline of competition. And with $9 million in the balance, it’s a concern not to be taken lightly. “Pure poker playing, I wanted to stay at that damn table,” he says. “I finish anything but first and I’m going to feel like it affected me.”

His competition include the following 8 names: last year’s second place winner Tuan Lam, Ylon Schwartz, Kelly Kim, Peter Eastgate, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Canadians Scott Montgomery and Darus Suharto, and semi-professional poker player, Russian Ivan Demidov, who is second to Phillips’ chip count.

The final event will air November 9th, live from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. All players have already been paid over $900 for ninth place finish this past July. The remaining pot is approximately $32.6 million.