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At 1:24 AM on Tuesday, November 10, 21 year-old Joe Cada became the youngest-ever World Poker Champion, defeating Darvin Moon in just over two-and-a-half hours of heads-up play to capture the Main Event of the 2009 World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas.

I approached the heads-up showdown different from how I typically cover live poker events. I usually show up loaded for bear and post as much as I can, as fast as I can. I decided on Monday night to take a different approach: no computer, no research materials. Just a pen and a notebook. Experience it all and then figure out what it means, rather than trying simultaneously to write and explain one sequence while trying to watch and understand the next.

Based on how it went, I’m (a) glad, and (b) disappointed. Ultimately, you’ll be the judge and, though it should take some time for all my coverage, opinions, and analysis to coalesce, I hope you’ll let me know what you think.

I’m glad because I saw things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise, and I think my account of the heads-up match will be better than it could have been if I was trying to simultaneously watch and report. I’m disappointed because, on several occasions, my predictions for how things would unfold were scary-correct, and I’m not sure you’ll believe me when I tell you how often that happened.

But it was a great matchup and a great result. It should make terrific TV on ESPN on Tuesday night.

It’s almost 2 AM here. I’m going to write for as long as I can, posting SOMETHING additional tonight. You can assume that I’ll be writing about the final table for some time, with heavy volume and something posted every day or two – moments from the final table prior to heads-up, analysis of interesting hands and strategies prior to the heads-up, details from what you should eventually conclude was a surreal atmosphere in the Penn & Teller Theatre, numerous essays on Phil Ivey (who remains, regardless of the result, the most talented, most successful, and most compelling poker player in the world), and my analysis of the heads-up match itself.

To summarize:

1. Joe Cada won.

2. POKER won. SKILL won.

3. Both players put on a great show and it should look terrific on ESPN.

4. I’ll post again tonight before I sleep, but it’s hard to say how much.

5. I’ll be posting about the final table, the heads-up, Vegas, the personalities, and the atmosphere for, probably, weeks to come.

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5 Responses to “#908 – Congratulations to Joe Cada, the 2009 World Poker Champion”

1. james Says:
   November 10th, 2009 at 11:14 am

   Michael, it seems like this year’s final table was entirely a luckfest. both moon and cada had MAJOR suckouts to make it to heads-up, while the best players like Ivey, Saout, Buchman, and Akenhead, fell. In terms of the quality of play, I thought this year was the worst final table in recent memory.

2. ej in ABQ Says:
   November 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

   I look forward to seeing the ESPN coverage tonight (Tues, Nov 10) In the past I’ve done PPV or actually been in Vegas (04 and 05) to watch the final tables.

   I’m sad about Ivey. He sooooooo deserved the honor. Speaking as a player (Full Tilt since it’s inception), so much is luck. You can’t control certain situations. Chip stacks dwindle, blinds increase, and you are forced to play at times. Anyway, the Cada kid was good, so was Moon from the early cuts I saw on ESPN. Thanks for the blog! I want to play in 2010! why not!

3. sfh Says:
   November 11th, 2009 at 2:43 pm

   I am amazed that Cada won this thing. What a joke. His play stunk. He was clearly beaten and outplayed several times and should have been out of there. If I remember correctly he won 5 hands where his chances of winning were 20%. Well, do the odds on that. 20% x 20% x 20% x 20% x 20% = 0.3%. That is 1 in 3125. Cada could have sat at that table over 3000 times with the same cards and lost. In fact he could have easily played those cards 6000 times and not one once. The wrong guy won. Very bad for poker.

4. George Says:
   November 11th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

   I think this will be good for poker. Hes seems like a good kid and very likable. I
   liked Buchman’s play and he impressed me. Shaffle is rock solid player, but don’t think he could handle short handed if it came down to him having short stack

5. CK Says:
   November 18th, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   With deuces vs Queens and 33 vs Jacks… the kid sucked out… he is awful…
   The main event is a joke and the two commentators are two of the worst I’ve ever heard. We get it buddy, you have several ex-wives and you like Phil Ivey…….

   The last hand was a joke….. Moon had 60 some odd bets left and he decided not to wait, but to get it in with queen-jack….. wow what a great decision…
   Man these guys are really good…. give me a break… Pure trash….

   Joe Cada was on Dave Letterman…….. What a lucky little punk… He wasnt that awkward though, or was he the most awkward guest ever….. Worst WSOP final ever

   Signed,
   The disgruntled unjustifier

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