The November Nine
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Less than an hour into ten-handed action, Jordan Smith peeked down at two red aces in the hole -- a beautiful sight deep in any major tournament, let alone the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. Smith and chip leader Darvin Moon went to war in a heads-up battle that culminated in the final betting actions of the night. On an eight-high flop, Moon put out a bet of 4 million chips, and Smith check-raised all in with the overpair. The soft-spoken logger from the hills of Maryland quickly made the call as the throng of spectators jockeyed for position along the rail for the monumental showdown.
Moon had been running hot for several days, and he turned over two red eights for top set. A gutted Smith was drawing thin for his survival, and a blank apiece on the turn and river sealed his demise and sent a wave of celebration coursing through the arena.
We had found our November Nine.
*********
Fast forward three months and twenty-three days, and you'll find the Rio once again buzzing with anticipation. Just those nine players are left alive from a field that began with 6,494, and there's life-changing money on the line. Hundreds of interviews and a few lucrative sponsorship deals later, the finalists are back in Las Vegas and ready for the final battle. Here's how they'll stack up when the cards go into the air after this extended hiatus:
Seat 1: Darvin Moon (58,930,000)
Seat 2: James Akenhead (6,800,000)
Seat 3: Phil Ivey (9,765,000)
Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel (12,390,000)
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter (29,885,000)
Seat 6: Eric Buchman (34,800,000)
Seat 7: Joseph Cada (13,215,000)
Seat 8: Antoine Saout (9,500,000)
Seat 9: Jeff Shulman (19,580,000)
The counts don't lie; Darvin Moon is lapping the field with more than 30% of the total chips in play. Alongside him we've got a Wall Street investor (Begleiter) and an engineering student from France (Saout), a printing entrepreneur (Schaffel) and a baby-faced online grinder (Cada). Pros? We've got those too. Buchman has been a consistent performer in the live tournament poker scene with more than 20 cashes in his blossoming career. Akenhead is a standout on the European circuit and a consistent WSOP performer. As the only man with Main Event final table experience, Shulman has been making waves with his criticism of the WSOP despite his impressive stat line in its events. And then there's Phil Ivey. What really needs to be said? More than $12 million in career winnings and seven gold bracelets (including two this year). Looking to become the youngest player to collect eight WSOP titles, Ivey occupies the top spot on most people's handicapping sheets and is the odds-on betting favorite at your weekly home game. It's shaping up to be one of the most exciting Main Event final tables in history.
The World Series of Poker is just about ready to turn off the lights on its 40th birthday party, but we've still got to cut the cake. The 2009 edition of the November Nine is set to take to the felt tomorrow (Saturday) at high noon.