Players are in their seats, chips are unbagged, and our Tournament Director Robbie Thompson is currently introducing the players. There's already a sizable crowd in attendance, and with the cameras circling around the table the excitement is already starting to build.
Just a few minutes and cards will be in the air!
Today marks the third cash at this summer's WSOP for Michael Michnik, and his fourth overall. His best WSOP finish previous to day's final table came at the start of this year's Series when he made it to 19th in a field of 4,345 in the first $1,000 no-limit hold'em event. Michnik also has a fourth-place finish in the 2009 WSOP Circuit $5,000 Main Event at Caesars Palace for which he earned $70,644.
Jamie Rosen of Orlando, Florida has over $300,000 in total career earnings over the last three years. Among his accomplishments thus far are a deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event (395th), one previous WSOP final table (2008, $1,000 no-limit hold'em, eighth place), and a 16th-place finish at the $15,000 buy-in WPT Festa Al Lago Classic.
Dwyte Pilgrim of New York makes his first WSOP final table today, culminating a remarkable two-year run of impressive results, including amassing a collection of gold rings from WSOP Circuit events. Back in March of this year, Pilgrim won his third WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Rincon where he previously won the Main Event in 2009. Pilgrim has amassed over $700,000 in career tourney earnings since 2008.
Gavin Smith comes to today's final table as one of the most recognizable faces in poker, thanks in large part to his victory at the 2005 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown where he picked up a cool $1.12 million, plus his appearances at many other WPT and WSOP final tables. With more than $5 million in tourney career winnings, the Canadian is a leading member of the "best without a bracelet" group, his closest call being a runner-up finish in the 2007 $1,500 pot-limit hold'em event.
Jarred Solomon of Johannesburg, South Africa begins today's final table as the chip leader, barely edging past Gavin Smith at the end of Day 2. Solomon already has one WSOP final table to his credit this summer, having placed fifth in Event #26, the $2,500 six-handed no-limit hold'em event for which he earned a six-figure score. Solomon has also enjoyed deep runs in PLO/PLH and H.O.R.S.E. events in his short career, further proving his versatility in different games.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Daniel Idema of Vancouver, British Columbia earned himself over a quarter million dollars by finishing runner-up in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship won by Matt Keikoan. That wasn't his largest tourney score, however, as in 2007 he won the British Columbia Poker Championship, worth more than $400,000. He's the brother of Adam Schwartz, co-host of the popular Two Plus Two Pokercast.
Mike Santoro successfully nursed a short stack for much of the latter part of Day 2 to make today's final table. Santoro hails from Atlantic City, New Jersey where he's enjoyed a couple of final table finishes at WSOP Circuit events, both of which ended in eighth place for Santoro.
Danny "The Hurricane" Hannawa of West Bloomfield, Michigan has a couple of cashes in Venetian Deep Stack events, but today marks his most significant tourney score by far.
Timothy Finne of Arizona has collected numerous cashes over the last three years, and is nearing the $250,000-mark in career tourney earnings already. Among his accomplishments are a half-dozen previous WSOP cashes, including a third-place finish in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event in 2009.
